Blair Wrestlers Pinned Down Autism; Hudson Taylor Gets Scholar Nod

RUSSELL, MASON PLACE SECOND, FOURTH AT FILA JUNIOR WORLD TEAM TRIALS

Every year the Blair wrestling team raises money for a charity during the National Prep Championships in February. This year the team decided to raise money to battle autism and the many spectrum-related disorders related to it.

“There are a lot of people who don’t realize that autism affects 1 in 150 children and that there is a wide spectrum of disorders relating to autism. I would personally like to thank everyone who gave their time and pledged money for this extremely worthwhile cause,” said Charles Danhof, Blair Assistant Coach. “We truly did pin down autism and look forward to pinning down a worthwhile cause next year too.”

HOW IT WORKS:
Before and after the National Preps, wrestlers, family members and friends collected pledges (both per pin and flat amounts). Each pin during nationals raised money for autism. In total, the team raised a whopping $8,492.61, which was donated to the New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for use in research on Autism. You can log onto www.njcosac.org to get further details about the New Jersey autism community.

HUDSON TAYLOR MAKES HONOR ROLL:
Maryland Terrapin Hudson Taylor made headlines on the mat this year at the NCAA Championships when he became the highest placing Terp since 1992; Hudson placed third in the NCAA’s at 197 lbs., which locked in a 2008-2009 #1 ranking for the lanky sophomore. Now he’s making headlines for his work in the classroom. On May 28, 2008 The ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) announced that Taylor is the ACC Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2008. This is a well-deserved accolade for Taylor who serves on Maryland’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council.

RUSSELL/MASON AT FILA JR. WORLD TRIALS:
Kellen Russell, who is a freshman at the University of Michigan, and Mario Mason who will be a freshman at the University of Minnesota, both competed in the 145.5 pound weight class at the FILA Junior World Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo. on May 23-24. Both had strong showings with Russell advancing the furthest. In fact, Russell defeated Zack Kemmerer of Pennsylvania to win the entire Challenge Tournament. Russell had to defeat Nebraska All-American Jordan Burroughs in the final wrestle-offs to make the world team but was eclipsed by the Cornhusker in two straight matches. Russell settled for second place and Mason placed fourth. Look for both blue chip athletes to make noise in the Big Ten next year.

Please direct all questions and comments to buxtoj@blair.edu.