O-R Athlete of the Week: Luke Dunlap, South Fayette
Name: Luke Dunlap
School: South Fayette
Sport: Wrestling
Class: Sophomore
Dunlap’s week: The top-seeded 145-pounder from South Fayette sophomore won his second straight title at the Chartiers-Houston Invitational Tournament on Saturday.
Dunlap opened the tournament with pin in two minutes of Legend Wilkinson of Butler and followed that with a pin in 1:06 of A.J. McGarrity in the semifinals. Dunlap then pinned Tyler Debnar of Beth-Center in 2:51 to earn a trip to the finals.
In the finals, all the scoring was done in the first period of a 2-1 win over unseeded Rook Smith, a freshman from Montour.
Weighty issues: Dunlap drew inspiration for the beginning of this season from the painful end of last year’s postseason. Dunlap could not participate because he missed weight at 115-pounds by a pound.
“It was pretty upsetting,” said Dunlap. “I tried to cut too much. It like broke my career. I worked my butt off getting ready for this year. It’s tough cutting weight. That’s why I stopped.”
South Fayette head coach Rich Chaussard said Dunlap grew into his 145-pound weight class. He is going to leave him there for now, maybe dropping to 139 by the postseason but not more than that.
“It was disappointing for all of us when he couldn’t wrestle in the postseason, moreso for him,” Chaussard said. “We discussed that about settling into a weight where he feels comfortable and stays there.”
Dunlap said winning the second title was much more satisfying than winning the first.
“I had to fight harder for this one, use my skills more on top and bottom,” he said.
Chaussard said this was a special win, mostly because of his riding skills.
“He can ride,” Chaussard said, “But he’s good in all positions.”
Potpourri: Dunlap is an avid hunter, downing a 6-point buck this season. He’s also a pretty good fisherman, landing a 10-pound steelhead from the waters of Ohio.
Dunlap is also a good golfer.
“My golf game is pretty good,” said Dunlap. “I usually shoot 4-over when I play. I’m not on the golf team but I think I’ll try out next season. I play a lot.”
Compiled by Joe Tuscano