The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Lasko, Dixon lead JCU effort at D-III national tournament
In high school, Jarrad Lasko had his share of heartbreak on the wrestling mat.
He qualified for the state tournament as a Madison sophomore, but never returned the rest of his high school career.
Blake Dixon never really came close to the state tournament while at Brush.
Flash forward a few years, and the pair are now teammates at John Carroll. Those missed opportunities in high school are in the past, but never forgotten. That might be a reason why Lasko, a junior, and Dixon, a senior, have been driven to be NCAA Division III national qualifiers. They did it for the first time Feb. 24, and have reason to celebrate, but not yet be satisfied.
The pair will lead JCU’s charge to the March 9-10 NCAA D-III Tournament, which will be a short drive from campus to downtown Cleveland’s Public Hall. But Lasko and Dixon aren’t interested in just showing up.
“We are wrestling to win national championships,”
said JCU’s third-year head coach Mark Hawald.
In Lasko and Dixon, the Blue Streaks have two interesting prospects, with an interesting assistant coach who’s helping to push both. George DiCamillo, a Highland Heights native and Lyndhurst resident, was the 141-pound Division I national runner-up a season ago at Virginia. When he returned to the area, a friend inquired if DiCamillo would be interested in becoming a graduate assistant for Hawald while working on his master’s degree. He gladly accepted the offer. Hawald said DiCamillo’s presence has been a boost for JCU’s wrestling room.
Lasko entered last week’s regional tournament the No. 1 seed at 149 pounds, and he delivered by winning three straight matches until forced to take a medical forfeit in the final. He placed second. Lasko will be fine for the NCAAs, and is 28-5 this season.
“I’m just excited to be on this stage,” Lasko said. “I’m feeling very good. I’m healthy, and my motor’s ready just because George is really pushing me. I think I have a great chance of (being an All-American). Just got to keep my fingers crossed.”
Dixon wrestled this season at 174, but dropped a weight class to 165 for the regional tournament. It’s a decision that has paid off well. The top four finishers at the Central Regional tournament at 174 beat Dixon during the regular season.
He lost in Round 2, but then he finished strong and won four straight in the consolation rounds. Dixon defeated Jesse Gross of Mount Union, 4-2, in the third-place bout to clinch his spot at nationals. He had 81 career wins as a Blue Streak — not bad for someone who began wrestling in seventh grade, and thought it “would be like WWE.” He eventually walked on at JCU.
“Blake’s style is being physical and intense, and he’s made it work,” Hawald said. “Last week was his first time at 165, and that made him an X-factor.”
Of the 30 wrestlers who advanced from the Central Regional Tournament, Dixon (27-13) was the only one unseeded to qualify for the NCAAs.
“Once I set a goal I wanted to be an All-American, I knew I could (make it to nationals),” Dixon said.
On paper, Lasko is likely JCU’s best hope for a high finish, and perhaps a spot in the 149-pound national championship match. Last season, he missed qualifying for the NCAAs by one match, but this season Lasko is knocking on the doorstep of a special season.
“I think he has the capability and the skill set to win the national tournament,” said DiCamillo, who has been Lasko’s drilling partner the last few weeks. “I have no doubt about it. You can deserve it all you want, but you have to go out and earn it. All he needs is the match Saturday night to go take it from somebody.”