“The Trophy Gets Dusty; Character Doesn’t.”

Andrew Dunn

We are excited to “spotlight” Andrew Dunn from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania this month. Andrew is completing his Masters in Public Administration after graduating with a degree in Business Administration (focus in Management). Like all of our Ambassadors, Andrew is a leader among his peers and supremely respected. What separates Andrew from even our most accomplished student-athletes is his wrestling resume. While at Kutztown, he lost only once. It just so happened that it occurred in his last collegiate match. In his three years wrestling at Kutztown, his first ended because of COVID, his second ended with a National Championship, and this year, his last ended with a hard-fought loss in the NCAA Finals. As devastating as that loss was for Andrew, his character, grace, and gratitude were on full display. Exhibiting tremendous sportsmanship, he embraced his opponent after the match in what would become a viral moment for the sport. As impressive as Andrew represented himself in that agonizing moment, there is much more to come for Andrew, and his future success is guaranteed in whatever path he pursues.

(Watch: https://twitter.com/WeAreWrestlers/status/1502859244768481388)

From the Lehigh Valley, Andrew became involved in the sport when he was around 8-years-old. He was getting involved in organized sports around this time, and his parents encouraged him to explore wrestling. He didn’t find much success in his first years and certainly took his lumps. His hometown high school didn’t have a particularly powerful team, yet his parents would take him to some of the iconic schools in the state (Nazareth, Bethlehem Catholic, Easton, etc.), and he would see the passion and pageantry of wrestling in those types of wrestling environments. That started to stoke the fire of competing in similar conditions.

For high school, he and his parents decided on Bethlehem Catholic, which would be a significant step in his development as a person, student, and athlete. He was a two-sport athlete, playing football and wrestling. In wrestling, he still wasn’t good during his freshman year. So after his sophomore year, he left football (after being a varsity starter) to concentrate on wrestling. This decision led to his rapid development and improvement in wrestling. With this new “all-in” commitment, he made tremendous strides and wrestled in the PIAA state semi-finals in his sophomore and junior years, where he lost heartbreaking matches. In his senior year, he would breakthrough, winning the semi-final match and the state title, capping an undefeated season.

College programs were undoubtedly taking notice of Andrew, and he found himself being recruited by many coaches. He would decide on Virginia Tech and the leadership/mentorship of then-coach Kevin Dresser. After redshirting his freshman year, he qualified for the NCAA National Tournament. After the season, though, Coach Dresser would take over at Iowa State, and Andrew decided that he would also leave Virginia Tech. The best “fit” for him would be to return to The Valley and attend Kutztown. Transferring from a Division I program to a Division II program after being a National Qualifier might not be expected, but this gave Andrew time to find balance in his life as he sought to grow as a person, a wrestler, and a student. Kutztown and Coach Robert Fisher provided the perfect environment.

While at Kutztown, Andrew had a great experience. He was able to commit to the sport while simultaneously finding time to devote to academics, his outside pursuits, and life off the mat. As an example, he was able to start his own business (along with a business partner) in real estate wholesale acquisitions (“flipping houses”), and yet, he kept winning on the mat.

Back to the clip at the beginning of the story (https://twitter.com/WeAreWrestlers/status/1502859244768481388).

He entered the 2022 NCAA Championships without a single blemish while at Kutztown. In the finals, he faced off against Darrel “Deebo” Mason from Minnesota State – Mankato, who was also undefeated. While Andrew dropped the match and Deebo would win NWCA Division II Wrestler of the Year honors, the moment at the end of the match is most remembered. After the loss, Andrew dropped to his knees in prayer, not in regret or asking why he didn’t win, but in the act of thankfulness and gratitude. According to Andrew, he knew that his wrestling journey had come to a close and was overcome by gratitude. He recognized how important the sport had been to him. Andrew is quick to credit Deebo for allowing him that moment stating, ”Deebo was equally as gracious.”

Andrew’s collegiate career as a student-athlete will end in just a few weeks, but he’s not done pursuing excellence and success. After graduating from his Master’s Program and being selected as an NWCA Scholar All-American, he is looking for opportunities in sales and management roles. Although he has roots in Lehigh Valley, he is open to finding opportunities elsewhere, being available for informational interviews to learn more about other industries that might be of interest. We at the WIBN are confident that he will find equal success professionally as he did athletically.

Following his season-ending, heartbreaking loss in the finals, the WIBN reached out to Andrew to offer our congratulations and condolences. Here was his response, “Thanks, WIBN. It was a tough moment, but I’m grateful for this whole journey. Things could have looked a lot different. It was awesome to end in prayer on the mat with my opponent, a lot to be happy about. The trophy gets dusty; character does not.”

Feel free to connect with Andrew at: andrewdunnjr2019@gmail.com or on Linkedin at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-dunn-jr-855812199/