Deetya Tandon '29
Dec 12, 2025
Last weekend, the wrestling team competed in one of the biggest events of their season: the Holloway Tournament, held at Saint James School on Saturday and Abington Friends School on Sunday. The tournament offered early insight into the team’s progress, mindset, and growing confidence.
“The goals for this season are to develop young, eager talent and help our juniors compete for a national place,” Assistant Coach Ogden said. “They need to get their mentality right and focus on themselves.” That mindset has guided Mercersburg’s early approach.
“During the tournament, we were looking solid on takedowns, staying in our stance, and wrestling the whole period, our whole match,” Assistant Coach O’Mara said. “We just need a little bit of work on the finishing.”
Head Coach Lorsen added, “Even though there are a lot of new wrestlers. The guys with experience are eager to teach the younger guys and are really patient with them.”
O’Mara said, “A major priority is keeping their confidence up as they're getting some experience under their belts and wrestling against some tougher competition, even if you're not necessarily winning each time. It is all about focusing on the mat itself, and not the nerves that come with it.”
That confidence has been strengthened by strong early chemistry. “They all get along,” Ogden said. “They’re excited. They joke when they need to, but they’re serious when they gotta be. They get in, they get their work done.” Louis Yamamoto ’28 echoed that feeling, saying, “I feel a real connection between the people. There’s something real to just experiencing that with other people when you’re trying to get to a common goal. These people weren’t family or close friends, but I still felt very proud of them.”
For captain Jonny Nussdorfer ’26, the tournament held special meaning. “I feel like I need to have a really good record in my last year,” he said. “It was my first time placing in this tournament. I am a senior and the past three years I didn’t place, so I am really proud of myself.” He hopes the momentum carries through the rest of the season: “My goals are to place at states and do better than I did in previous years.”
“ Personally, I got absolutely wrecked and didn’t perform too well, but it was a good learning opportunity,” Yamamoto said. “Being there with everyone and seeing my teammates doing their best made me feel proud to be part of the team.”
Others are ready to step up as well. “My goal is to be the best wrestler I can and get points for my team,” Mark Swetland ‘27 said. “We are doing this together. I believe this is the hardest sport on campus, and we are powering through together as a team.”
With growing confidence and chemistry, Mercersburg wrestling is ready for a strong season. O’Mara summed it up: “Everybody wrestled really toughly and strongly throughout the tournament. The most important thing is wrestling the full six minutes.” If this weekend is any indication, the Storm is ready for what comes next on the mats.