Boys athlete of the week

The Post-Gazette’s top male performer for the past seven days

Recently: Vielma posted four bonus-point victories to lead Connellsville to its eighth WPIAL Class 3A wrestling team tournament title. Vielma recorded a pin in 58 seconds vs. Ringgold’s Tanner Shawl in the first round, a 24-9 technical fall vs. Fox Chapel’s Milo Chiu in the quarterfinals, a pin in 54 seconds vs. Franklin Regional’s Jordan Perks in the semifinals and a pin at 3:09 vs. Trinity’s Jackson Bruckner in the title match.

Check this out: Vielma is a junior who broke into Connellsville’s starting lineup as a freshman. He posted a 40-10 record as a 138-pound freshman and placed third in the WPIAL. Last season, he had a 32- 15 record and placed fourth in the WPIAL to earn his second PIAA berth. This season, he is 26-5, which gives him a 98-30 career record. Vielma needs two wins at this weekend’s PIAA team tournament to become the 34th wrestler in Connellsville history to reach 100 wins.

When did you start wrestling, and who introduced you to the sport? I started wrestling when I was 6 years old. I was playing football at the time and my coach, Chad Jesko, introduced me to wrestling. He’s been one of my wrestling coaches ever since.

How tough was it to start as a freshman? Starting as a freshman was always a goal. It was tough, but I’m glad I got that opportunity. I learned so much that first year.

What does it mean to wrestle for a WPIAL championship team? It feels surreal. It’s been our goal since I joined the varsity. For us to reach that goal is a great accomplishment. All the practice time we’ve put in paid off. It was so exciting to beat Trinity in the finals.

How has it been having your brother, Kai (a freshman), in the starting lineup with you? It was great to share the WPIAL team title with him. I push him a lot. I want to make sure he doesn’t make the same mistakes I made as a freshman.

How far can Connellsville go in the PIAA team tournament? I think we can go as far as we want to go. We can beat anybody.

What’s it going to take to nally win a WPIAL individual title? I’ve got to keep grinding. I’ve been working on improving on my moves from the neutral position. I’ve improved significantly since last season in that area.

Are you planning to continue your athletic career in college? I want to wrestle in college but have not made a choice yet. I will be taking some visits after the season.

If you could attend any sporting event, what would it be? I would like to see the NCAA wrestling finals in person and hopefully wrestle in them in the near future.

Is there an athlete you look up to as a role model? Chad Jesko. He’s played a really big part in my life.