Valley grads miss out on NCAA championships

By DAN PALM

MVI Sports

Four former local high school wrestlers were scheduled to make trips this weekend to various NCAA wrestling championships until the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of all NCAA events.

Former Belle Vernon Area grappler and Bucknell sophomore Zach Hartman was scheduled to be in the Division I championships at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.

While he’s disappointed with the event being canceled, Hartman said he agrees with how the situation was handled.

“Being a pre-med (biology) major, I completely understand and agree with how the situation was handled in terms of prevention,” Hartman said. “I understand the reasoning behind protecting others as opposed to myself, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not upset and deeply saddened by the sudden cancellation.

“From going to being marked in history in terms of venue attendance and location, to being canceled altogether – it really troubles me. Knowing the amount of hard work that both winter and spring athletes put in, it kills me to see seasons just ripped away like that. At the end of the day, sports are a part of life, and so we need to protect others’ lives before our sports.”

Hartman was 27-8 this season for the Bison after finishing with 170 wins and 96 pins during his high school career. 

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