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John Witherspoon Middle School student qualifies for national wrestling championships

Wrestler Henry Wilkinson

Henry Wilkinson, an eighth grader at John Witherspoon Middle School, recently took second place in the New Jersey Freestyle Wrestling Championships in Union, New Jersey, earning him a chance to represent the state in the National Wrestling Championships in Fargo, North Dakota this July.

Wilkinson will compete in freestyle wrestling, one of two styles of Olympic wrestling. During the tournament, he will compete in the 94-pound weight class. Every state will send a team of their most accomplished wrestlers to the tournament. He is raising half of the $3,000 required to attend the trip himself via a GoFundMe campaign.

“I am super excited to travel, compete, and hopefully make new friends,” Wilkinson said. “I have never visited North Dakota, so now I’ll get the chance to visit another part of the country.”

He has been competing in the sport of wrestling for more than nine years. His father, Matt Wilkinson, was Princeton High School’s long-time varsity wrestling coach and has been a teacher at the high school for the past 25 years.