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Andrew Perelka is on the hunt for his 100th win after surpassing Mike Markovic's pin record.
Tia Wahdan

Andrew Perelka's Quest for History Ties Deep into the Lore of JCU Wrestling

| By: Eli Davenport, Staff Writer
Andrew Perelka is on the hunt for his 100th win after surpassing Mike Markovic's pin record.
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS -- Although there are several ways to win a wrestling match, the most efficient and effective way to do this is by pin.

Over the incredible history of John Carroll wrestling, Andrew Perelka now stands alone as the Blue Streaks' all-time greatest pinner.

At the moment, he has won 96 matches in his career, with 46 coming by way of pin.

When asked why he likes to pin people, Perelka remarked, "I like to have fun when I wrestle, and I feel that coming up with creative ways to pin people is the most fun way to wrestle. It also uses less energy to pin people, and that's always more fun."

A Record-Setting Day

On Saturday, November 19, at the Olivet Comet Duals, Perelka broke John Carroll's all-time pin record, securing his 42nd pin with a first-period pin (0:41) in his first match against Alma College.

When asked how he felt after breaking the record, Perelka simply replied, "I checked off one of the many goals on my bucket list that day."



Perelka tied the previous record of 41 pins a week earlier at the Trine Invitational. He had two pins on the day and placed second at the tournament.  

"What's really exciting is that with each pin as the season continues, he will break and set a new record each time," said Head Coach Mark Hawald.

After his record setting pin, Perelka pinned his next three opponents at the Olivet Duals, then his OAC opponent Tuesday night against Otterbein - all in the first period. His record now stands at 46 pins.

The Previous Record Was Unbroken For 20 Years

Mike Markovic, the previous holder of the all-time pin record, held it for 20 years.  

He broke the previous record of 39 pins on January 29, 2002, securing his 40th pin in a dual against Mount Union. He would earn one more pin that season to move the record to 41. 



Markovic was known for his unorthodox style and unique and original pinning combinations, most notably the "Tree of Woe". Markovic was a two-time OAC champion and placed fourth at the Division III National Championships in 2001.

Interestingly enough, Markovic and Perelka are both graduates of Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, with Markovic graduating in 1998, and Perelka graduating 20 years later in 2018.

Prior to Markovic, the all-time pin record was held by Joe Schmidt, a three-time NCAA Division III All-American (1988, 1989, 1990).
 
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Joe Schmidt

He is also tied for the most career wins in JCU Wrestling history with 122. When asked about the legacy of John Carroll Wrestling, Coach Hawald commented, "I was teammates with Markovic and remember the excitement when he broke the record that night. Joe Schmidt was there to watch his record get broken.

"Andrew had the opportunity to get pin 42 at our home dual against Mount Union and Markovic was there hoping to see his record get broken. Andrew did not get the pin, but it speaks wonders about the brotherhood of JCU wrestling that our former wrestlers want to see the next generation succeed."

Another Perelka Pin Record

This is Perelka's second record in the John Carroll history books. During his freshman season (2018-2019), Perelka set the record for most pins in a single season with 16. Three wrestlers previously shared the record with 15 pins: the former all-time pin record holders Markovic (2001-2002) and Schmidt (1989-1990), and 2-time Division III NCAA Champion Joe Bertolone (1974-1975).  
 
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Joe Bertolone

During the 2019-2020 season, however, Perelka's teammate Aidan Whitis tied his single season record of 16 pins. With 7 pins so far this season, Perelka needs 10 more pins to once again stand alone in this category.

More History to be Made

Perelka is likely to hit another milestone soon.

With just four more wins, he will join an elite group of only 8 John Carroll wrestlers to win 100 matches over their career.  

When asked about his goals for the remainder of the season, Perelka stated, "I want to win a National Championship. I'd also like to keep getting pins so that whoever breaks my record next will have a higher wall to climb." 

With Perelka's top priority of becoming John Carroll's 17th NCAA Champion, and the first since 1999, when Rich Eslich won the title at 285 pounds, his career so far has prepared him to be ready for anything.
 
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Rich Eslich

Perelka narrowly missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships in 2019 after a video review overturned his victory in the qualification match. After winning the NCAA Central Region in 2020, he missed the opportunity to compete at the NCAA's due to the Covid cancelation.  

With the 2021 NCAA Championships also canceled, Perelka finally made his debut at the National Tournament at the 2022 NCAA Championships where he finished as the National Runner-Up at 133 pounds.

When asked about his future legacy at John Carroll, Perelka gave a concise answer.  

"I want to inspire more kids from Northeast Ohio to wrestle at John Carroll so that when I come to watch JCU wrestle in the future, I see the program going strong."

Perelka and the rest of the Blue Streaks will wrestle again on Saturday, December 3 at the RIT Invitational in Rochester, NY.
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