Boys Wrestling

2024-2025 Season: 7-8 (4-1 PAC)

Coaches: Chris Falcone & Tim Harner

Key Players: Jowell Jones, Logan Naumovitz, Justin Aquilani

New Faces: Noah Dixon

Match to watch: Battle of Valley Forge

Outlook:

Upper Merion boys’ wrestling has always been notable when the end of the season comes around due to the generations of wrestling talent in the school’s history. Last season the Vikings posted a 7-8 record in dual meets (4-1 in PAC play). Some notable tournament finishes include 4/9 at Tony Iasiello’s Christmas City Tournament, 3/8 at the Interboro tournament, and 7th place at PAC’s.  Looking to improve and build this year’s team the coaching staff knows they have something special this season. Their goal this year? Mercyhurst commit Nikito Hansell made it clear, “Definitely trying to get a winning record this year.” Coach Falcone commented that, “This team is willing to outwork the rest of the teams in the league. I truly feel as though this team’s work ethic is what will separate them in the close matches.” Multiple familiar names are coming back with even more to prove. Last year’s team was mostly juniors, so this year they are looking to take a step forward.

Senior Jowell Jones returns for his 4th year as a varsity wrestler. As only a freshman, Jones went 27-10 (73%) and finished 5th in the 145 weight class for the north section of District 1. He has only improved since then with a 65-20 record (76.5%). He looks to finish his high school wrestling career off strong, with a team-high 92 matches won. His 100th career win probably won’t take long.

Nikito Hansell’s absence will be felt this season due to a shoulder injury. After posting a 33-10 record (3rd in the 127 pound weight class for the north section of District 1), he recently committed to Mercyhurst, emphasizing “Mercyhurst was just the best decision… the (wrestling) program they have, and academically.” Hopefully the Vikings can get him back before the end of the season. Many other Upper Merion wrestlers who had strong years last year are returning thanks to the young core. New freshman Noah Dixon looks to develop into a varsity starter as a freshman, with sophomores like Logan Naumovitz turning into stars for the team. Expect the boys to progress well, making a deeper run into the playoffs come late February. When asked about the optimism amongst the team this year, Hansell kept it short: “Every year, new kids come in, we have a harder work ethic, and our program just keeps getting better.” They open the season Wednesday, Dec. 3rd at Plymouth Whitemarsh, who defeated the Vikings by 3 points to start last season at Valhalla.

Girls Wrestling

2024-2025 Season: 3-3 (3-2 PAC)

Coach: Dennis Mejias

Key Players: Ava Akacha, Kyla Riley, Julia Aquilani

New Faces: Ava Desimone, Emma Akacha

Outlook:

The girls went 3-3 last season, but they also held down PAC play with a 3-2 record. There are tons of upside circulating the girls wrestling squad. The girls did not have a senior last year. They still finished a strong 2nd place in the PAC. Working in the offseason to improve, when speaking with Senior Kyla Riley, who wrestles because, “6 or 7 years ago… my friend and I just wanted to try it.” She is now a leader of the girls wrestling team, noting the team went to Launch Wrestling Academy. “We went from Tuesday to Thursday… two to three hours of just conditioning and wrestling,” Riley noted. This makes for an exciting year.

Now seniors, Ava Akacha and Kyla Riley have stepped up and led a young team to a solid record. Their strength this year is their leadership. Coach Dennis Mejias explained, “Strong leadership from our 2 seniors, even our new wrestlers mostly all wrestle year round and have a solid amount of experience.” Akacha’s breakout 25-7 record in her Junior year makes this season interesting as to what she can bring to the table. She is a good candidate to make it back to regionals this year. Fellow senior Kyla Riley also had a strong junior campaign with a record of 24-9. Both girls are ready for the year after offseason improvements. Freshman Julia Aquilani (11-9 in 2024-25 season) looks for improvement with her sophomore season coming up. Emma Akacha and Ava Desimone head into their freshmen seasons looking like important parts of the girls core, giving girls wrestling a strong foundation for future success. The difference between this year’s team and last year’s team, in Riley’s words, is, “Everybody has put in the offseason work, so it’s going to help this season.” Also stating, “There’s a little more heart and goals involved to make (the girls wrestling team’s) mark. When asked what those goals are, she clarified, “An overall team goal is definitely top 3 in the PAC,” and her team goal was kept simple: “states.”

Their first meet at Pottstown is on Saturday, December 6th at 9:00 a.m.