Eric Knopsnyder
The Tribune-Democrat
JOHNSTOWN —
One of the ways that Trevor Kushner impressed the West Virginia wrestling coaching staff was with his tenacity.
Despite suffering a knee injury that should have ended his sophomore season and another that could have just as easily wrecked his junior year, Kushner pushed through the pain. He never missed a match and, eventually, became Westmont Hilltop’s leader in career victories.
Oddly enough, the one thing he almost gave up on was his dream of wrestling for the Mountaineers. After not hearing from the WVU coaching staff for an extended period, Kushner was about to sign with his second choice: Clarion.
Before getting a chance to let Clarion know he was planning to wrestle there, Kushner talked with West Virginia assistant Vertus Jones.
“I got a hold of Coach Jones the day after I was actually going to make my decision,” Kushner said Friday. “I talked to him, and in my heart, that was where I really wanted to go. I was happy with my decision.”
Kushner won the District 6 title at 103 pounds as a freshman and finished third in the state, but shortly after his freshman year of high school ended, he tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee. He eventually had the ACL removed, but managed to wrestle through the pain. He tore the MCL in his knee just before PIAA Dual-Meet Championships his junior year, but wasn’t about to have surgery.
“It was the end of the season,” Kushner recalled. “I couldn’t take off now, so we went down and wrestled team states. Then we had districts, regionals and individual states.”
The knee did not trouble him during his senior season, as he made a third appearance at the PIAA tournament.
Though he was never able to duplicate the success he had at Hershey as a freshman, Kushner finished with a career record of 132-35 with 55 falls.
“It’s been a long road for him with the injuries,” Westmont coach Matt Beaujon said. “I think that speaks volumes about what he’s going to do at the collegiate level. It took a lot of time and effort to get himself ready for each season. That’s the hallmark of succeeding in college is having that drive to keep going, keep working. I think he exemplified that in high school, and he’s going to exemplify it in college.”
Kushner, who plans to wrestle at either 141 or 149 pounds for WVU, should also benefit from the riding-time rule in college. He’s been tremendous from the top position throughout his high school career, and his ability to cling onto opponents in seemingly precarious positions could earn him a point at the next level.
“That should play right into his style,” Beaujon said.
During his senior season Kushner made great strides in his ability to score from the neutral position, and that’s what he’ll look to work on in Morgantown.
“I want to get really good on my feet,” he said.
Kushner, who plans to major in business, is the son of Rich and Tara Kushner of Upper Yoder Township.
