NR seniors Brian Gelter (center left) and Andrew Nealan (center right) are joined at the signing ceremony by their parents Larry and Susan Pitzer (left) and Charlotte and Robert Nealan (right) and their coaches Greg Minor (assistant, standing left) and Deron Shinkle (head coach, standing right).
Two anchors on New Richmond's 2010 league and sectional wrestling championship team will be taking their winning tradition to Tiffin University.
Andrew Nealan and Brian Gelter, who helped their school to SBAAC and Division II sectional championships in 2008 and 2010, will be teammates in college at the Northern Ohio university which is starting a varsity wrestling program for the 2010-2011 season.
“They’re starting a wrestling program at Tiffin and I want to be part of it,” said Gelter, who plans to major in education. “I want to help start a tradition.”
Nealan, a three-time state qualifier at 160 pounds, plans to major in law enforcement and natural resources. He finished 6th in the 2009 state meet.
"I want to become a park ranger," said Nealan, who qualified for the 2010 state meet despite hairline fractures on both sides of his 4th vertebrae. He will be wearing a back brace until the start of wrestling practice this fall.
"They said it was an old injury," explained Nealan, who was a two-year starter at fullback for the Lions. "It probably happened my freshman year when Brandon Branson slammed me during workouts. It started acting up again when I got slammed by the Princeton kid during the Milford tournament."
Nealan finished his New Richmond career with 135 wins, 2nd most in school history behind Aaron Egan 136.
Gelter, an all-city selection as an offensive lineman in football by the Southwest Ohio Football Coaches Association, finished his wrestling career with 101 wins.
Both Nealan and Gelter were selected to the first team all-SBAAC in football.
Neither athlete plans to play football at Tiffin.
