Ohio-bound: Waynesburg wrestler Szewczyk commits to Bobcats (copy)
Waynesburg Central鈥檚 Ky Szewczyk (left) wrestles Alex Reed of Shikellamy during a 114-pound match in the PIAA Class 3A Team Tournament in Hershey last season, which Szewczyk won by decision. Szewczyk recently committed to wrestle at Ohio University. (Photo by Joe Tuscano)
Ky Szewczyk
Not only is Ky Szewczyk鈥檚 dad his coach, but he happens to be following in the footsteps of a former state champion.
Kyle Szewczyk won a state title wrestling for North Star in 1997 and has been coaching at Waynesburg Central since 2003. He was hired as head coach in November 2021 and his son has been right there the whole time.
Ky Szewczyk put a smile on his dad鈥檚 face when the announcement that he would continue his academic and wrestling careers at Ohio University was posted on the social-media platform X (formerly Twitter).
In the post, Kyle Szewczyk placed a picture of Ky Szewczyk that is normally used when an athlete commits to a certain school and provided the following message: 鈥淪uper proud moment. So many hours go into this. Next Chapter will be as a Bobcat.鈥� The message was followed with a fire emoji.
Ky Szewczyk, who plans on majoring in education at the Division I university, stated that he has never felt the pressure of having his dad as coach, or being reminded that his father won a state championship.
鈥淚t really never gets to me,鈥� said Szewczyk in regards to the pressure of following a state champion at a school that is known for its wrestling. 鈥淚 have grown up in Waynesburg and the work never ends. This is the only sport I do and you won鈥檛 find the excitement for high school wrestling anywhere else but Waynesburg.鈥�
Szewczyk鈥檚 visit to the Athens, Ohio, helped make the decision easier in that he wanted to be a Bobcat.
鈥淚 like the campus a lot,鈥� Szewczyk said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 too big and it鈥檚 only two-and-a-half to three hours away from home. I am a small-town type of guy, so it just fit for me. I also liked the coaches and the facilities for wrestling. I am excited to begin that chapter of my life next year.鈥�
Szewczyk will make the decision official several months down the road, but for now, his focus is on winning a state championship as a senior in high school.
The Raiders lost a number of standouts from last year鈥檚 squad because of graduation, including two-time state champions Mac Church and Rocco Welsh, which puts more burden on Szewczyk, but he is ready for the challenge.
鈥淚 really think we can have a good, productive season,鈥� Szewczyk said. 鈥淚 stayed back and just wrestled while those other guys served as leaders of the team, but it is my time to do that now, and I am ready for it.鈥�
Not surprisingly, Szewczyk has grown up with wrestling and always felt he had what it took to become a Division I wrestler.
鈥淚 would say I started to really think about it in middle school, but I just had that belief that anything less than Division I would be unacceptable,鈥� Szewczyk said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to sound cocky about it or anything. It is just something that I was confident about and felt I could do it. I put in a lot of hours in training and I am glad to see that it has paid off, but the work is just getting started and I am excited for that.鈥�
Szewczyk wrestled at 114 pounds last season and expects to compete at 125 in college.