No. 12 Robert Patrick Explains Why He Chose Virginia
Robert Patrick was pretty sure that he wanted to wrestle for the University of Virginia.
The No. 12 recruit in Pennsylvania just wanted to be sure. A camp on the Charlottesville campus was more than enough for him to make the decision.
The Ligonier Valley rising senior told PA Power Wrestling on Monday that he will attend UVA and wrestle for coach Steve Garland.
“Why not Virginia?” Patrick asked rhetorically. “It’s the No. 2 public school in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report and No. 24 overall. It’s a great place. They just got the Paulson brothers in. They have a good coaching staff.”
Patrick, a two-time state runner-up in Class AA and 2016 Freak Show champion, joins a growing list of Pennsylvania wrestlers headed to Virginia. The Cavaliers roster already includes Hempfield graduate Sam Krivus and Derry Area alumnus Micky Phillippi as well as Burrell’s Robert Scherer. Penn-Trafford’s Cameron Coy, Athens’ Brian Courtney, Upper Darby’s Brian Kennerly and Chambersburg’s Drew Peck are headed there in the fall.
“You make new friends, but it’s nice to already know people,” Patrick said. “Absolutely, it makes a difference.”
The Cavaliers placed 15th at the NCAA tournament last season, Garland’s 11th as head coach. Travis Paulson joined the staff in May and his brother, Trent, was added to the staff less than a month later.
Patrick thinks he can make an immediate impact.
“They’re hoping for me to start as a true freshman,” he said. “They do not have a ’74-pounder this year. They’re going to try to move kids. (Former Central Dauphin standout) Garrett Peppelman got injured and Fox Baldwin left the team recently.”
Patrick sees the Atlantic Coast Conference as a league on the rise.
“It’s a good conference,” he said. “Good schools to wrestle against. The ACC is getting up there. It’s a very tough conference with Virginia Tech, Pitt, UNC, N.C. State. It’s a growing conference. I think in the next couple of years it’s going to be really tough.”
Patrick said last week that he was considering Campbell, Cornell, Kent State, Lehigh, Michigan State, Pitt and Virginia Tech. He had in-home visits from Campbell, Cornell, Kent State and Pitt, but Virginia made the biggest impression, according to his older brother, Josh, who just wrapped up his wrestling career at Rutgers.
“I was fortunate to sit in on his house visit,” Josh Patrick said. “They were the first ones to come. I got to meet those coaches. I think they’re a great fit for him. When the coaches described the school, you could tell Robby was excited about it. You’re going to spend the next five years, so you’ve got to be excited about it.
Patrick, who isn’t planning to compete again until the Super 32, had plenty of places to turn to for advice in what to look for in a college. All three of his older siblings are Division I athletes. In addition to Josh, brother Justin Patrick wrestles for Buffalo and sister Hannah throws the javelin for Lehigh.
While the other siblings tried to lure Robert to their campuses, he knew that Virginia was the spot for him.
“It’s a place where I can achieve all of my goals,” he said.