5 days ago
1
Jan. 8—MORGANTOWN — The University High wrestling team held the ribbon-cutting for its brand-new locker room on Wednesday night, named for the current head coach, Ken Maisel.
The reveal came on the same night as the annual Mohawk matchup between the Hawks and their rival, Morgantown. UHS won the duel 74-3.
Advertisement
Maisel, who is serving his 30th season at the helm of the UHS wrestling program, would be the first to tell you he would've chosen anything else but his own name to be on the door. But the impact he's had on the program and his wrestlers, both on the mat and in life, is undeniable, and that's why the Scott Marshall Family donated funding toward the renovation.
"When we were ready to move with the whole thing, I told them we'd probably rather have something else, " Maisel said. "But they were adamant about it, and I'm appreciative of the impact I'm able to make on one of my wrestlers and their family, who I coached so long ago."
Coach Maisel's name isn't the only one of his family to be included in the locker room, as his son, junior Nico Maisel, and his late Mother, Judy Maisel, each have plaques above a locker. Each plaque is individually sponsored, and the locker room includes a mix of alumni and current wrestlers, businesses, and even stat takers who served the wrestling program.
One of the coolest things Coach Maisel saw was the locker his son claimed as his own.
Advertisement
"It's great that he gets to see his Dad's name every single time he walks through the door, " Maisel said. "But what's even better was when he chose what locker he wanted, he didn't choose the one with his name above it, he wanted to use the one with my Mother's name after we lost her last year. That's a cool thing to see."
The locker room also includes brand-new carpet and flooring done by Ken Snyder. Stitched into the middle of the new carpet floor is the UHS "U " logo.
"We have rules in here just like the Steelers would have ; you can't step on the logo, " Maisel chuckled. "I don't know if you remember James Harrison, who got upset with the new guys on the team stepping on the logo all the time. So he went out himself and put cones around the logo so it wouldn't happen."
According to Maisel, the wrestling locker room naming rights totaled $20, 000, and the flooring (installed in both the boys' basketball locker room and the wrestling locker room) totaled $14, 000.
Advertisement
"There's no way we can raise that kind of money selling pizza, " he said. "That's through nothing but generosity and caring, and that's why we wanted to do something tonight to not only show what has been done, but show the true people behind it all and to honor them. They deserve to be recognized for what they've done."
English (US) ·