BY BILL MCLEAN
STAFF WRITER
Mind over matmen was Jamie Smith’s greatest strength as a wrestler at Wheeling High School.
“He never thought he’d lose, “Wildcats wrestling coach Neal Weiner said of the 2005 graduate. “Even when he was a freshman, going up against state qualifiers, losing never entered his mind.”
Wheeling’s winningest wrestler in school history — 153-30 (.836), including 92 pins — signed a letter of intent last week to wrestle at Northwestern University. The 135-pound Smith was runner-up at State last winter, one year after finishing sixth at State in the same weight class.
“Jamie didn’t just have a great attitude for wrestling in his years here, “Weiner added, “he had a great body for it, too: lanky, with long, strong legs. He was hard to stop when he took his shots, because he’d come at you like a spider.”
Smith was named MSL East wrestler of the year last winter after helping Wheeling capture its fourth straight division title. He was a member of three Class AA regional championship squads and missed 12 bouts his sophomore year because of a broken arm.
“He’s a true winner, someone I’d want next to me in a foxhole, “Weiner said. “And he comes from such a supportive family; his parents (Mark and Vivian) are such good people. I can’t say enough about them.”
Northwestern finished 14th at the NCAA Championships last winter. Head coach Tim Cysewski is one of Weiner’s good friends.
“Northwestern is my adopted school, because my alma mater (Illinois State University) dropped its wrestling program, “Weiner said. “Jamie’s going to be a part of a great program, a first-class operation. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Smith, a National Honors Society member, also played varsity football his junior and senior years, earning a coaches award. He was named Wheeling’s athlete of the year in May.
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