After finishing last season with an 8-12 dual-meet record, Haverford wrestling has demonstrated notable improvements this season.
“Our team has found a lot more success this year compared to last year, and that confidence has shown in how we compete,” said Sixth Form captain Ian Thomas. This year, the Fords sit 4-3 in dual meets, with wins over Radnor, Peddie, Wood, and Pottsgrove.
Much of the improvement this year can be correlated to the team’s mindset in practice, where perseverance has become a pillar of success.
“We always find a way to persevere together.” – Ian Thomas ’26
“During our grind-it-out practices, we always find a way to persevere together,” Thomas said. “Those moments are when the team really clicks.”
That mentality is shared across the roster, as bonding through adversity has become a defining theme.
Fifth Former Jason Talley points out that the team’s most demanding training sessions are moments that have brought the team the closest together.
“The days when we suffer together in practice are when we really understand what it means to be a team,” Talley said.
This sense of “bonding through pain” has helped elevate the team’s practices. The team’s training and success have been built on the basics: consistent practice and embracing “the grind.”
One of Haverford’s state qualifiers last season, Fifth Former Mac Tryon, said, “The want for success is definitely present in the room.”
“The guys have brought great energy every day, and that’s shown in both our results and our growth.” – Mr. Chris Kober
Coach Mr. Chris Kober echoed the wrestlers’ thoughts.
“The guys have brought great energy every day, and that’s shown in both our results and our growth,” Coach Kober said. “They’ve wrestled hard, supported each other, and embraced the work.”
That intensity in the room has begun to show up in close, hard-fought matches throughout the season.
Thomas said, “I see a lot of improvement in the newer guys with how they take chances and find a way to make things work in matches. It is good to see them win matches they lose on paper.”
With the regular season winding down, the team is focused on carrying that mindset into its remaining duals and its postseason. Their upcoming matchups include a road dual against SCH and a home senior night against Inter-Ac rivals, Episcopal Academy.
“Senior night against EA is going to be a battle, and having the boys in the section cheering us on will mean a lot,” Thomas said. “It’s the kind of match we’ve been working toward all season.”
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