Archbishop Spalding’s Charlie Lynch has proven himself to be an asset to the Cavaliers, leading them to one of the most successful seasons in the team’s history, but he has also proven his worth to the college ranks, being offered financial-aid to wrestle for the No. 20 University of Pennsylvania.
“It is a great opportunity,” Lynch said about his future with UPenn. “On my first visit, I loved it there, and from the beginning I knew I wanted to go there.”
Ranked No. 15 in the country at the 145-pound weight class by InterMat, Lynch is a terrific pick-up for Top 20 NCAA team, with MIAA, MIS and national caliber tournament titles under his belt.
“He is very aggressive and Charlie is a good rider,” Spalding coach Mike Laidley explained. “To me, Charlie is not just one of those kids who can cut you and beat you on his feet. He, in all aspects of wrestling, does well.
“He is a pinner and just grinds and grinds and grinds. Charlie is the very physical and hardnosed wrestler that college coaches are looking for.”
Lynch was being romanced by other schools including Virginia, Maryland, Bucknell and Old Domino, among others, but the fit at UPenn and having nearly all his Ivy League education paid for was just too much to pass up.
“I didn’t know at first if I wanted to go to a big school or small school, far away or close, so I looked at all of them. I finally came up on UPenn and knew this was where I wanted to be,” he said.
“The team and the coaches were amazing. The team works hard and it is like a family atmosphere. They are close and do everything together, and the practice partners I will have there will really help me.”
UPenn has started their season 5-3 and took a tournament title at the Keystone Classic in November, and currently has three wrestlers ranking Top 10 in the nation, looking to include another with the addition of Lynch.
“He is always looking forward and preparing for matches,” Laidley said. “He thrives on wrestling national ranked kids and he never believes anybody is better than he is.”
Lynch and his No. 1 Cavalier teammates will be wrestling in this weekend’s Centennial Duals, bumping heads with tough teams in DeMatha, South River and Mt. Hebron among others in defending their No. 3 National Preps team ranking.
