After going a perfect 16-0 during the season and pinning three opponents in the first period of the East Regional, the 149-pounder from Delaware State dropped his first two matches at the 2009 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Even more heart wrenching than a couple losses on the wrestling mat, was the news that came a month later. His wrestling program, Delaware State, was cut.
Matt Cathell is a two-time NCAA qualifier (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)“I was pretty upset,” said Cathell, who compiled a 45-8 record in two seasons at Delaware State. “I thought I might not be able to wrestle anywhere else because I didn’t know if I would be able to afford any other school or what kind of scholarship offers would be out there. But after I found out that I could go someplace else and afford it, it made me feel a lot better.”
Cathell, a Camden, Delaware native who competed at Caesar Rodney High School, originally chose Delaware State because of the pride he has for his home state.
“I just like being able to represent Delaware,” said Cathell, who was recently named Delaware State's 2008-09 Male Student Athlete of the Year. “I’m from Delaware. I grew up in Delaware. I wrestle for Delaware. Delaware doesn’t always get the props for its wrestling, even though there’s a lot of wrestling in Delaware. I just want a chance to represent Delaware and do well.”
Delaware State was going to pay for Cathell’s education if he stayed at the school, but he has decided to transfer because he still has some goals that he would like to accomplish on the wrestling mat.
“I was thinking about maybe staying, but I haven’t placed at the NCAAs,” said Cathell, who was ranked No. 10 at 149 pounds in InterMat’s final regular season rankings. “Maybe if I would have placed one of those years, I would have considered staying. But I want to be an All-American.”
Cathell has been weighing his options since the Delaware State’s wrestling program was cut. He recently returned from a trip to Kent State, which is the only school he has visited.
Matt Cathell lost narrowly, 4-3, to three-time All-American Lance Palmer of Ohio State in the opening round of the 2009 NCAAs (Photo/BuckeyeWrestling.com)Cathell admits that he would like to be a part of a team that is committed to winning.
“I would like to be on a team that is competitive and be a part of the overall success,” said Cathell. “We had some close matches at Delaware State, but most of the time we were just wrestling for ourselves with no chance to win.”
In 2008, Cathell qualified for the NCAA Championships as a true freshman, going 1-2. This past season, he went 0-2 in St. Louis, losing his first match, 4-3, to three-time All-American Lance Palmer of Ohio State, before falling 9-3 to talented freshman Jason Chamberlain of Boise State in the consolation bracket.
“I definitely wish that my conditioning would have been better,” said Cathell of his disappointing performance in St. Louis. “In my first match against Palmer, I was wrestling hard and smart, but I wasn’t taking any big chances. I guess what I learned from that is that you have to take some bigger risks to get something. If I could go back, I would probably be a lot more offensive. I think I wrestled a really good match against Palmer, but coming right back against Chamberlain, I was out of it. I was wrestling hard. He’s just good. You can’t make mistakes against good guys. They’ll capitalize on those mistakes.”
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