N.J. state champ who ‘stinks at everything’ is good at wrestling: He’s in NCAA semis
Lehigh's Luke Stanich is a two-time All-American and NCAA semifinalist.
CLEVELAND - Lehigh University sophomore Luke Stanich said he “(stinks) at everything. ” Apparently, he is pretty good at wrestling. A former state champion at Roxbury High School, the fifth-seeded Stanich came from behind to defeat Iowa State’s fourth-seeded Anthony Echemendia, 6-4, in Friday’s 141-pound quarterfinals of the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Stanich will face Ohio State two-time national champion Jesse Mendez in Friday night’s semifinals. “I’m not the most athletic kid, you could ask my teammates,” said Stanich. “Playing dodgeball, I (stink), playing spike ball, I (stink).
I (stink) at pretty much everything. So if I want to get the job done, I have to go out and give it seven minutes tough. ” Now a two-time All-American at Lehigh, Stanich won one state title at Roxbury and almost didn’t win that, topping St.
Peter’s Prep’s Caedyn Ricciardi in an epic final his senior year. Ricciardi is the No. 17 seed in the 141-pound bracket at NCAAs.