The State wrestling finals kick off Feb. 19 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and the Irish will be well represented. Seniors Andrew Wilson, Johnny Parker and Ulrik Urasky will compete along with juniors Zeke Seltzer and Evan Dickey and freshman Dillon Graham.

The hopes of the program repeating as State champion are on the shoulders of these six elite athletes.

Wrestling Head Coach Mr. Sean McGinley ‘88 has prepared these individuals for the finals, both mentally and physically. McGinley said, “You kind of go through the same scenarios once the tournament starts. You get in a routine of your practice schedule so guys know how every day is going to really be and so they can start getting mentally prepared for the grind of the tournament.”

Four of the six have been through this grind before. Wilson, Parker, Seltzer and Dickey have all competed at Bankers Life, and Seltzer took home a State championship last season. McGinley said he believes that these wrestlers could benefit by competing in the Finals before. He said, “I think they have a slight advantage. A lot of these kids have wrestled in big time matches, so hopefully that experience is going to help.”

McGinley has also been preparing Urasky and Graham for the match, as it is their first time going to the State Finals. He said, “The big thing is don’t get overwhelmed. Have fun. It’s just a wrestling match. We really look at the tournament in two ways. It’s a Friday and a Saturday, but we’re really just concentrating on Friday. We just tell kids, ‘Just concentrate on Friday and then we’ll let Saturday work itself out.’”

All six wrestlers were contacted for an interview, but none responded to a reporter’s email.