On Jan. 14, the Trinity Wrestling Rocks faced its rival, St. Xavier, for senior night. With only five varsity and JV wins combined, Trinity still battled through every match despite an overall 48-27 loss.
The stakes were high because it was the program’s biggest rivalry in Trinity’s home gym. The night meant even more to the Shamrocks as the team honored three seniors: Dillion Skyles, Maximo Urias and Nick Wulkopf.
Trinity’s 27 points came from a variety of victories. Julian Hawkins (132 pounds) won by disqualification after his opponent illegally slammed him. Hawkins was unable to continue, resulting in the win. Hunter Kennedy (144) won by technical fall with a final score of 9-3. Luke Murphy (165), Michael Diffey (175) and Philip Sullivan (215) each pinned their opponents. With every shot and every headlock, the team fought hard in the name of the sport.
As it was senior night, there was a spotlight at the beginning of the event. One senior is Maximo Urias, who moved to the United States during his sophomore year and began wrestling as a junior. Although he has only been wrestling for a few years, Urias has grown not only as an athlete, but also as a man of faith and character through the discipline of the sport. Senior night marked an important moment in his journey, showcasing his dedication to the program.
Senior Nick Wulkopf plans to continue with martial arts after college. When asked what advice he would give to new wrestlers, he said, “Keep going. It’s tough at first, but as you get more experience in practice, you’ll get better. It just takes time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Trinity’s other Varsity Senior is Dillon Skyles. One of Skyles’s favorite memories in Trinity’s wrestling program came during his freshman year, when he almost placed at the “Clash of the Claw” tournament. Throughout the years, Skyles said his favorite part about wrestling was “just being here with your Brothers and wrestling together,” emphasizing that the relationships built on the mat go far beyond individual matches.
Despite the loss, Trinity still has a chance to place — or even win — at the Kentucky State Dual Meet. Trinity head coach Raighleeh Abbott said the rivalry represents more than competition. “It’s not only an in-town rivalry, but a milestone. If you are a member of Trinity or St. X, it is a benchmark of success,” Abbott said.
At the end of the night, wrestlers from both teams showed mutual respect. Despite St. Xavier’s win, the two coaches embraced after a series of hard-fought matches. Congratulations to the seniors, and congratulations to the wrestling program.
Check out more photos from the event below.
