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As one of the three wrestlers from New Jersey representing the US World Team, Luke Stanich reflected on the grit and brotherhood of Jersey wrestling. Lehigh Wrestling star Stanich earned a spot on the U20 wrestling team to represent the US in the World Championships in Bulgaria at 65 kg, defeating Bo Bassett.
Stanich is a standout wrestler from Jersey, currently competing for Lehigh University. He is a four-time New Jersey state champion and concluded his high school career with a 124-10 record, including a state title at 126 pounds in 2023.
Recently, with the Baschamania podcast, Luke Stanich expressed the tight-knit, deep connection he shares with fellow Jersey wrestlers and embraced his identity as a New Jersey athlete:
“Yeah, I mean, I love it. I think Jersey is just like a band of brothers. It's a small state, and we're very successful, so I think that means something. And I think we're just, like, known for being gritty and tough. I mean, a lot of our guys are just like scrappers, and they're not afraid to get in there and throw hands. And I think that's just kind of who I am. I love getting tough, and if my faith is going to get all ripped up in a match like that, so be it.”
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The American athlete also spoke about staying and competing in New Jersey throughout high school while not opting for private schools:
“Yeah, just represent my hometown and my family.”
Stanich maintained his momentum at Lehigh, finishing his freshman year with a 25-4 record. He also placed fifth at the NCAA Championships in the same year.
Luke Stanich continued to excel in freestyle wrestling. He won the U20 US Open title at 65 kg in April, besting top prospects like Bassett and Daniel Zepeda. Following that, he competed at the U20 World Team Trials, where he triumphed over Bassett with a 3-2 decision and a 10-0 technical fall in the best-of-three series and secured his place on the U20 world team.
Luke Stanich’s advice for high school wrestlers aiming for collegiate success
In the aforementioned podcast, Luke Stanich further talked about his strong transition from high school wrestling to college wrestling, earning All-American as a freshman and making the junior world team.
“I mean, definitely just Lehigh. I think my coaches — I mean, I don't know if they actually did—believed I was going to be an NCAA champion, but that's what they told me, and they encouraged me to work hard. "
"And then it got to a point where, like, I believed in myself, but it wasn't just the shallow belief where I'd go to bed, like, dreaming about being NC champion, and then I woke up and started making the wrong decisions, like I knew that even with nobody looking, like, if I was doing bike sprints upstairs by myself, like, I was just going to give it 100% all the time.”
He concluded by highlighting the great training partners and the collegiate team, who pushed him to improve consistently.
