National Title Won By St. Rita Frosh Wrestler
Jahwon Akui, a freshman at St. Rita High School, was a champion at the recent Reno Wrestling World Championships in the 15 year-old and under category.
The tournament in Nevada was an open competition, and St. Rita wrestling coach Dan Manzella helped Akui with the registration process.
Wrestling in the 157 lb. weight class, Akui battled through a field of 88 opponents, wrestling seven matches in three days of competition, finally emerging the champion in his age group and class.
Akui comes to St. Rita from Roosevelt Middle School, and has been involved in club wrestling with the Maywood Gladiators for several years.
Football is also one of Akui’s sports, and he started on the sophomore team as a running back.
Helpful to him in the Nevada competition was that he had St. Rita senior Steve Zimmerman, 2008 State Champion, as a practice partner.
Akiu’s win in Nevada was more special due to the fact that he was unable to compete in state championship matches this year due to a certification technicality.
He plans to continue wrestling at St. Rita, and says, “With a little luck and a lot of hard work, I hope to become a three-time State Champion.”