An unidentified person broke into the wrestling room at St. Albans High School near Charleston, W.Va. and damaged two wrestling mats, valued at $19,000, according to the GoFundMe page established by one of team wrestlers, Kristopher Casto.
The wrestling team discovered the damage when they came from a tournament Saturday.
St. Albans head wrestling coach Daren Gilfilen told WSAZ-TV -- the NBC affiliate in Huntington-Charleston -- that someone broke into the team facility through a window and carved up the mat they use both for practice and in competition.
Gilfilen said that once a mat is torn, it becomes a health issue, as germs can breed within the damaged area.
Sadly, this isn't the first time vandals have struck the St. Albans High wrestling room. The team's other wrestling mats were damaged a few weeks ago after a break in. In that case, the vandal used a sledgehammer to puncture the mats and used their hands to tear other portions apart, according to Gilfilen.
The mats that were damaged had been purchased after five years of fundraising, and were only two years old.
The Red Dragons wrestling team does not have any additional home events this season.
St. Albans police are still investigating the vandalism.
For those wishing to support the St. Albans wrestling program's efforts to replace the vandalized mats, in addition to the GoFundMe webpage, donations may be sent to: St Albans Wrestling Boosters; 435 Strawberry Rd., St. Albans, WV 25177.
Located in St. Albans, W.Va. St. Albans High School is a public high school in the Kanawha County School district in the central part of the state. The grade 9-12 school has an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students.
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