GREENVILLE, Pa. (Nov. 7) -- The Thiel College Wrestling team enters the 2025-26 season energetic as it looks to return to the top of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) under 23rd-year head coach Craig Thurber.

The Tomcats feature a solid mix of veteran leadership in Landon Mead (Clarendon, Pa./Sheffield), EJ McCarthy (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) and Joey King (Cooperstown, Pa./Maplewood), among others, along with a 12-wrestler freshmen class loaded with regional and state qualifiers.

The Blue and Gold open the season tomorrow at the W&J Invitational beginning at 9 a.m.

Below is the full transcript from Thurber and SID Dante Parente's season preview interview.

Parente
We're here with head wrestling coach Craig Thurber doing the 2025-26 Wrestling season preview. It's a beautiful day outside, so we decided we're going to come out here, do it right onthe football field. Craig, you ready to go?

Thurber
Let's do it.

Parente
So coach, as you come into this 25-26 season, just, you know, what are some of your general goals and expectations for your program as you guys get ready to get on the mats?

Thurber
I mean, I think our goals and expectations, this is my 23rd year doing this at Thiel, and my goals and expectations are always pretty similar. Like, my main goal is to have everybody that starts the season finish the season. We like to place in the top 25 in overall team GPA. We like to win our conference, have a handful of individual conference champions and hopefully get a couple guys to the nationals. So, I mean, that's typically what our goals are and if we get lucky enough and stay healthy, we can get some guys to the nationals and maybe bring home some All-Americans again. So, that's always the goal, but always depends on, you know, how it goes. Last year, we had a lot of injuries, but we've been looking good this preseason. So, we're excited to to see what's ahead.

Parente
So, you mentioned conference champions there. You have Joey King (Cooperstown, Pa./Maplewood), the returning 197-pound PAC champion, dominated his way in the PAC Championships last year. Just who are some of the, along with King, some of the other returning wrestlers who you're excited for this season?

Thurber
Well, we have a great senior class. Some good senior leaders. Landon Mead (Clarendon, Pa./Sheffield) has a chance to to do well in the conference. And then we have some other guys. Mequan Maxwell (Sharon, Pa./Sharon) is back this year at 141. EJ McCarthy (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) is a senior. He's been in the conference finals a few times. So, we have a handful of guys. I mean, I don't like to start naming people, but I mean, those are the those are the guys that kind of come to mind, I think, that have a chance maybe to do well. We had a really good recruiting class this year. So, we have a handful of really talented freshman that I'm excited for.

Parente
So, you mentioned those freshmen. Who are some of those freshman that you kind of just alluded to there who you think are going to have a big impact for your team in the conference and maybe even in the region as well?

Thurber
Well, we had 12 freshman come in and we have some local kids. Jonathan Bissell (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville) from Sharpsville was a state qualifier last year in Pennsylvania which is great for us to get one of those kind of kids. And uh Deshonn Valentine (Somerset, Pa./Somerset Area) from Somerset. Jonathan's roommate and teammate Brian White (Sharpsville, Pa./Sharpsville), who's also playing football. We just have a nice nice group of freshman. So those those are the names that kind of come to mind, you know, right off the bat. And I don't know, we're excited to see where we go.

Parente
Last question for you, coach. What's your message to your team and Tomcat Nation as a whole as you guys start this season this weekend?

Thurber
We're just excited for for the season. We have we have a lot of um great kids on our team. They're they've been working hard this preseason and and we're just looking forward to another solid season of Thiel Tomcats Wrestling.

Parente
Awesome. That's Craig Thurber, wrestling head coach. We just did the 2025-26 season preview. Wrestling opens the season tomorrow at the W&J Invitational. Go Tomcats.