Elder wrestling is notorious for having a really good wrestling team. Connor Craig ’17 was a former Elder wrestler and Quill member who just won a National Title in the NCAA Division II at 174 pounds.

Connor came to Elder his sophomore year after transferring from Reading High School. He has always been an outstanding wrestler and student. Connor had a great a great career at Elder ending with an 83-19 record and 36 pins. He placed fourth at state his senior year just falling short of his goal.

That did not stop Connor. He committed to Wheeling Jesuit University for wrestling while he was still at Elder. He did not place at the National tournament his freshman year.

Connor decided to work harder and harder so he could be a champion. Then his sophomore year came around and he was un-ranked coming into the season. Through his hard work and dedication he was ranked number two in the nation at the end of the regular season.

Then the tournament came around and he made it to the finals, beating his opponent 6-2. He said he has never been more happy because all his hard work and years of practice and wrestling finally paid off.

I had the chance to have a conversation via text message with Connor. I asked him how he was so prepared for this type of event and he said, “Well it all started once I came to Elder, they really prepared me for the toughest matches. All of Elder’s coaching staff contributed to my win in some way.”

He also said that he was so excited that he had finally reached one of his many goals he has. I then asked him what his other goals are. He said that he wants to win a National Title for the next two years of his career.

This is very doable for such a mentally tough and smart individual like Connor.