GLENVILLE – Buckhannon-Upshur senior Nathan Cornett joined an exclusive club for the Buccaneer wrestling team as he recently recorded his 100th victory of his high school career.
Cornett, wrestling at 150 pounds, picked up his 100th win at the recent Glenville State Tournament hosted by Gilmer County High. He did it in fine style as well as his 100th win was for the 150-pound weight class title against Magnolia’s Conner Dyer as he earned a pinfall victory.
Buckhannon-Upshur head coach Jacob Orr said Cornett reaching the 100-win plateau is a testament to his hard work.
“For Nathan to get to 100 wins is just a testament of his work ethic and what he puts into it,” stated Orr. “We wrestle a lot of matches, but it is still a pretty solid feather in the cap for Nathan to get to the 100-win mark.”
Orr said that Cornett’s success on the mat has led to much of the team’s success this season.
“He is the guy,” said Orr. “He is the guy that everyone looks up to. He is the workhorse in the room and really the foundation of the team. You can’t go anywhere without a strong foundation and that is what he brings to the team. It’s his time and he has stepped up for us and became a leader for this team.”
His 100th win has been just a small part of a spectacular senior season for Cornett. He is ranked third in the state in his weight class with a current record of 28-4. On top of winning the title at Glenville State, he was the champion at the Brentsville (Va.) Invitational and took fourth at the ultra tough Winners Choice Tournament in Fairmont.
Cornett said he wasn’t quite aware that he picked up his 100th win at the Glenville State Tournament.
“I really didn’t even know it was my 100th,” stated Cornett. “I knew going into the tournament where I was at in wins but totally forgot about it once we got started. Other people were probably more focused on it than I was. It was just another match.”
While Cornett acknowledges the 100-win plateau is a nice milestone, he has bigger fish to fry with little more than a month left in the season.
Cornett has advanced to the state tournament his first three years in the Blue and White here he placed last year taking fifth place, and while the 100 wins is nice, Cornett has his eyes on a state championship his senior year.
“It’s a great milestone but the job isn’t done yet,” remarked Cornett. “The ultimate goal is a state championship.”
