Malvern Prep wrestling team makes history for school

MALVERN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Malvern Preparatory School threw a celebration for its wrestling team who finished number one ranked in the entire country.

It's the first time in history the school has had a number one ranked team in any sport.

"We've worked hard for this. We should be walking around real proud," said Malvern Prep junior wrestler Nick Feldman.

"It's unbelievable to finish the year ranked number one. It's always been a goal of ours since I started coaching here. I didn't think it was real, but we are there and it's exciting," said head coach Nathan Lautar.

Not only are the Friars the top-ranked team in the United States but they have a number one ranked wrestler too. Feldman is ranked atop the 220-pound weight class and he's only a junior.

"It doesn't get much better than that, it's really cool," he said.

Malvern Prep was not always on top of the world. Due to the pandemic, they didn't even know if they'd be able to have a season. And then once they started, they were shut down from Thanksgiving to January. During the downtime they stayed locked in, holding out hope they could return to the mat.

"Wrestlers are resilient, they get knocked down and they get back up. They've done a good job of trying to motivate them," said Lautar.

"It was on the captains texting every day, 'Come on get up work out, do something. You never know when your chance is going to come.' We're lucky it did come," added Feldman.

Malvern Prep should be in a prime position to take down the competition next year too. Not only is Feldman returning, but all of their champions are coming back as well.