Ridgway native Jared Kuleck selected for induction into PittJohnstown Athletics Hall of Fame
JOHNSTOWN –The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown will induct seven new members as part of the 15th Athletics Hall of Fame class on Saturday, April 20 in the Pitt-Johnstown Wellness Center.
The Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 2007 to honor prestigious groups of athletes, coaches, and university supporters and their champion spirits. These individuals merit distinction for their accomplishments and leadership in athletic endeavors for PittJohnstown. Since its inception in 2007, 73 individuals and three teams have earned induction.
The reception is 5:45 p.m. in the Sports Center Hall of Fame Room and dinner is 7 p.m. in the Wellness Center.
Scheduled to speak at this year’s event will be Pitt-Johnstown President Dr. Jem Spectar and Athletic Director and college wrestling’s all-time winningest coach Pat Pecora.
Pitt-Johnstown Assistant Athletic Director Abby Gearhart will serve as Emcee for this year’s event.
Ridgway, Pa. native Mr. Jared Kuleck etched his name into the storied history of Pitt-Johnstown wrestling by becoming a four-time NCAA Division II National Qualifier and a three-time NCAA All-American in his four seasons as a Mountain Cat.
After winning a PIAA AA State Championship at Ridgway
Area High School in 1991, Mr. Kuleck joined Head Coach Pat Pecora’s nationally dominant Pitt-Johnstown wrestling program and earned his first trip to the National Tournament as a freshman in helping the Mountain Cats secure an NCAA East Region Championship and a seventhplace finish at the National Tournament in 1992.
As a sophomore in 1992-93, Mr. Kuleck began to show off his dominance in the 190-lb. weight class by winning an East Region Championship and earning his first NCAA AllAmerica honor with an eighth-place finish. That season, the Mountain Cats placed ninth nationally with a then-school-record of five National AllAmericans.
In 1993-94, Mr. Kuleck earned his third trip to the National Tournament and finished sixth in the country as the Mountain Cats secured another East Region title and another Top10 finish.
In his final season in 1994-95, Mr. Kuleck guided Pitt-Johnstown to a perfect, 18-0, dual meet record, a fourth straight regional crown, and a fourth-place national finish, the highest in program history to that point. In the process, he claimed his final
individual East Regional Championship and placed fifth at the National Tournament to become an All-American for a third time.
Mr. Kuleck closed out his stellar Pitt-Johnstown career with a 9829-2 overall record with 48 total wins by fall. His 21 regular season victories at 190 lbs. stood atop of the Mountain Cat record books from 1993-1999, while his 32 wins in a season was a program record from 1995-2008. In addition, Mr. Kuleck's 14 falls at 190 lbs. during the 199293 season was the best in program history until 2014.
Mr. Kuleck still stands in 26th-place on the Pitt-Johnstown AllTime Winning Percentage List at .759, and his 98 career victories is 30th on the Mountain Cat All-Time Wins List.
Mr. Kuleck, who served as an assistant coach under Coach Pecora in 1995-96 while finishing his degree, graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education.
In the Fall 1996, he was hired by the Ridgway Area School District, where he has been a fourth and fifth grade teacher.
Mr. Kuleck, who is now in his 28th year as a Pennsylvania educator, earned his Master's of Instruction Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Penn State University in August 1999 only to then secure a Pennsylvania Principal's Certification in 2001 from Edinboro State University.
He has served on many committees and has been a volunteer on various school and extra-curricular activities including being a member of the Ridgway Area Teachers' Association and the Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA).
An avid outdoorsman, he is an NRA-Certified Rifle Instructor, also coaches Ridgway's trap team, and serves as a Pennsylvania Game Commission Hunter Education Instructor.
Mr. Kuleck, his significant other Crystal Conner, and his three daughters Addison age 15, Zoe age 13, and Sophia age 11 continue to reside in Ridgway.
“When Coach Pecora called and told me that I would be inducted into the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame my reply was, ‘I am speechless!' And today, I am still speechless,” Mr. Kuleck said. “The idea of my induction has made me feel both humbled and honored. I am ecstatic to know that I have been considered one of Pitt-Johnstown's elite athletes. Furthermore, I was shown an enormous amount of effort and love on the part of my coaches, family and friends throughout my wrestling career. As I've grown older, I have come to realize just how much their support and devotion to me and this sport has helped me grow as a wrestler, but more importantly as a man. I will always cherish the memories that we made together at Pitt-Johnstown and through wrestling. I am certainly proud to say that Coach Pecora and Pitt-Johnstown have had a tremendous impact on my life and that fire will burn inside of me forever.”