McLaughlin

SALTSBURG — Ian McLaughlin sees Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling as a rising giant.

The same could be said for McLaughlin, a Butler resident who has accepted a scholarship to the University of North Carolina.

McLaughlin, who wrestled at Butler High for three years before attending Kiski Prep in Saltsburg last season, is coming off a National Prep Wrestling Tournament championship in the 119-pound division.

"I was mainly looking at Virginia and North Carolina, and Pitt was in there as well," said McLaughlin. "The weather is pretty nice (in North Carolina). I can't complain about that. I felt like it was a closely knit community on campus."

But the added appeal is that the Tar Heels' program is strong but could get stronger soon.

"Actually, the ACC is doing horribly right now because of the way the NCAA has its qualifiers," said McLaughlin. "Hopefully, they're going to open it up and give us more qualifiers at nationals."

McLaughlin had an 83-15 record through his junior year at Butler and had a school-record 58 pins, but a concussion during the season curtailed his numbers.

For his senior season, McLaughlin decided to attend Kiski Prep and was cleared to wrestle again.

He finished his senior campaign with a 33-7 record, culminating with a national championship in February after an impressive 15-0 technical fall over Patrick Hunter of St. Benedict Prep (N.J.).

"I knew who he was before he came here and, believe me, I would not put him on the mat if he wasn't ready," said Kiski Prep coach Joe Ross. "I'd seen flashes of brilliance at times ... but at the end of the season, he peaked at the right time."

McLaughlin is one of three Kiski Prep wrestlers headed to a Division I college. Teammate Johnny Regan (145 pounds) is headed to Bucknell and Brock Livorio (125) is headed to Virginia Tech, another ACC school.

Ross can pinpoint the reason for McLaughlin's success.

"He's calm. He doesn't get excited," said Ross. "That's one of his biggest attributes. He keeps the match in front of him. He can anticipate what will happen.

"I believe he'll be a perfect fit for North Carolina. They are an up-and-coming program, just like us, and he's just getting started,"Ross added.

You would think making the move from a wrestlingprogram in the WPIAL to a preparatory school not affiliated with the PIAA wouldn't be a lateral move, but McLaughlin gained so much more.

"It was beyond belief," said McLaughlin. "It took me from being an above-average wrestler to a national champion. Coach Ross has been great.

"We're battle tested up here. We've been to some tough tournaments. We've been beaten up during the year, but we were ready when we got to the big show,"McLaughlin added.

The year at Kiski Prep made a big difference in recruiting as well.

"After my junior year, I didn't hear a word from anyone," said McLaughlin. "No one knew who I was. Half the time, I didn't know who I was.

"But, when I won the national championship, after two days, 12 colleges called.

"I was mainly going there for school. I look at academics first because you can only wrestle for so long. Academics has to be No. 1. After that, then I looked at the wrestling program," he added.