Senior Jesse Palser signs a wrestling scholarship offer from Lake Erie College Thursday at Mansfield Senior High School. Joining Palser for the signing were, from left, Tyger wrestling coach Billy Stevens, Palser’s mother Amanda, athletic director Skip Fulton and Palser’s father Robert. Members of the Tyger wrestling team turned out to show their support.
Mansfield Senior High’s Jesse Palser, who came within a second of winning a state championship on March 1, signed a wrestling scholarship offer from Lake Erie College Thursday afternoon.
“It’s a big relief, a weight off my shoulders,” Palser said of his college decision. “Now I can concentrate on winning a state championship.”
Lake Erie College, located in Painesville, about 30 miles east of Cleveland, is a private liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 1,100. The Storm wrestling team was ranked No. 14 nationally in the 2015 NCAA Div. 11 wrestling poll.
Wrestling at 170 pounds, Palser was within one second of taking the Division 1 state title in March before his opponent from Cincinnati St. Xavier was able to score an escape and force a fourth extra period. Palser lost the match 3-2 but finished his junior year with a record of 42-2.
Tyger wrestling coach Billy Stevens had high praise for Palser after the signing ceremony.
”He’s probably the hardest working, most focused athlete I’ve ever seen,” Stevens said. “He wakes up every morning and goes to sleep every night thinking about the championship and furthering his education.”
The Tygers will open the 2014-15 wrestling schedule Dec. 6 at the Madison Invitational.