Slippery Rock wrestler Zac Turberville becomes 4th Rocket to reach 100 career wins
Zac Turberville joined rare Slippery Rock company Saturday.
The senior middleweight won his 100th career match early on during the Sharpsville’s David Wallace Memorial Duals. He earned it with a pin while wrestling at 172 pounds.
He joins 2005 grads Jeff Becker (program record 133 wins) and Trevor Gallo (111) and 2013 grad Forrest Christman (102). He has a chance to catch Becker, who sits in the Top 10 for most wins in Butler County history.
“I think it means a lot in both aspects,” Turberville asked if it mattered becoming the fourth or just reaching 100. “But I think it means more since I’m from Slippery Rock, we’ve only had three people do it (before me). So I think, yeah, it means more since I’m the fourth.
He added: “I was pretty calm about (the win). I’m not a big celebration guy. Like, the most you’ll get out of me is usually a thumbs up. ... I was supposed to do that since my freshman year.”
Turberville came into the David Wallace Duals 9-0 this season with 99 career wins and has improved in every year with the Rockets, from 25 wins his freshman year to 30 and 35 wins the next two. He’s finished top five in the District 10 championships every year.
“I think for any program having a list of 100 wins wrestlers helps put an overall goal for the wrestlers coming up and certainly some extra motivation to be counted among peers for the future,” Rockets coach Denton Zeronas said via text earlier in the week.
Turberville, who is interested in wrestling collegiately at either Gannon or Washington & Jefferson, is not shy about chasing down the program record. Beating Becker’s 133 and medaling in the PIAA Class 2A tournament for the first time are his remaining goals.
“I’m gonna have to wrestle almost perfect until states, and it’s very possible,” Turberville said.
He missed states last year due to injury and has battled injuries each year.
“I definitely see that with this being his senior year he’s extra focused on making the trip to states,” Zeronas said.
Turberville prides himself on his “amazing cardio” and said he used the offseason to get more technically sound. He’s always favored the fireman’s carry and low single-leg takedowns, but he’s incorporating more moves in his arsenal and in practice against his sparring partner he refuses to use his typical go-to’s.
“This year I’ve switched it up and it’s really helped me,” he said.
This story will be updated with Turberville and Slippery Rock’s final stats from the duals once they are available.
