By TIM TAYLORValley Sports Report
CHEMUNG — Youth wrestlers attending Waverly’s clinic series at the former elementary school here received instruction from a potential NCAA star Tuesday in Cornell University red shirt Jude Correa.
Correa, a four-time prep national champion from Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Pennsylvania, worked with about 40 boys and girls from elementary age through high school, to include recent high school grads, in the second of three sessions.
He has put a strong emphasis on working on basic skills with the diverse group of wrestlers, whose ages covered a range of about 12 years.
“Just focusing on strong basics, keeping everything fundamental. It's really important to (their) development,” he said. “Whether you're youth or high school you can always get better at the basics. That one percent better every day, whether it's the most complex thing in the world or the smallest thing, the smallest difference in the world, really matters a lot to wrestling, and how you can do those basics really well is really important, so (we’re) focusing on that a lot.”
Correa appreciates the opportunity to give back to the sport.
“I feel grateful to be able to give back to what I used to be able to have,” he said. “I came from a place where not many great wrestlers are from … but being able to come back around (places) local to Cornell wrestling and help out the community around it and develop the next level of wrestlers is really important to me, and it's really important to our program, and to helping out New York wrestling.
The Waverly wrestling program’s camps and clinics have become a mainstay over the past several years and have contributed to its success.
“Between clinics and our typical camp that we've done, we've been doing this for about 12 years now,” said Devan Witman, who is entering his 10th season as the Waverly head coach.
He was also pleased with Wednesday’s turnout.
“Turnout today, for a Wednesday morning, is pretty good,” he said. “We have about 40 wrestlers here between boys and girls, and some youth. For a quick clinic on a Wednesday morning, turnout was pretty successful.”
With girls wrestling being sanctioned in New York as a championship sport in 2024, Waverly has adapted its camp to focus on both folkstyle and freestyle.
“Last year when we did our full-week camp, we had three separate sections,” Witman said. “We had a youth section, we had a boys varsity and then a girls varsity. Obviously with girls varsity, we concentrated solely on freestyle, and we had clinicians coming in with the understanding that they have to teach not only folkstyle but freestyle as well.
“All the clinicians that we had, and continue to have, are really excited about that, because at the highest level you need a little bit of everything, and so they're excited to come to a camp to show what made them successful in the freestyle world, and to help these young ladies be successful as well.
Waverly will forego its full-week camp this year to compete in the Nuway Summer Nationals in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“We're taking our varsity team down to Nuway Nationals the week that we would do camp and that's why we have this Wednesday series going on,” Witman said.
Youth attending the Waverly camps and clinics have been fortunate to be exposed to a bevy of talented clinician over the years.
“It's incredible for these young guys to come and see the clinicians that we have coming in,” Witman said. “My son's turning 13 this summer, and he still remembers the year that Yianni Diakomihalis came to camp when we were having it at Elm Street. And then, to watch him win four national titles and to watch him on the world ladder meant the world to him.
“In our area we've seen Jax Forrest, we've seen Kerry McCoy. I have no doubt that we're going to see Jude on the national stage, so it's really special for these kids to see these high-level clinicians, learning from the best, seeing what's successful for them, and to have someone to look up to that you can actually see and understand, and that's real for them.”
Cornell head coach Rick Grey will be here next Wednesday, along with Mercyhurst women’s head coach Alexia Wagner and her assistant. Utica head coach Pankil Chander was here last week.
During the clinic, Mike Stephens handed out scholarships from the Mark and Bee Stephens Fund to four Wolverines wrestlers who are continuing their athletic careers in college.
They are Elona Holmes, Ithaca College; Sydney Rosenbloom, Wilkes University; and Emma Vanderhoof, Elmira College; all of whom will be wrestling; and Daltton Davis, who will play Sprint Football at Mansfield University.
KEEP AN EYE ON CORREA
Correa, who hopes his success at the scholastic level will continue on the NCAA Division I mats, should be one to watch over the next few years.
The winningest wrestler in Wyoming Seminary history with a 111-3 record, the New Hampshire native became Seminary’s second four-time prep national champion in 2025, matching three-time NCAA All-American Beau Bartlett as the school’s only other four-time prep national champ.
In 2025, Correa pinned his way through the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Wrestling Tournament as the Blue Knights captured their 17th team title. He won all of his matches by fall, received the award for the Most Outstanding Wrestler and was also named the Ronald K. Nelson Award recipient for the most team points earned during the past four years.
He left Seminary riding a 95-match winning streak and his only losses came as a freshman — against seniors. He also defeated the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the country every year.
“My expectations for the college scene is domination, five-time national champ,” he said. “I want to win every single match I've ever wrestled. I’m going to leave everything out on the mat, give my all, try to win as much as possible, and do my best.
“Being a top recruit in my class, No. 1 heavyweight, I just want to do right by my coaches, do right by Wyoming Seminary … do right by my Cornell coaches and everything that they do for me. Just go out there and dominate is my goal.”
The No. 10 recruit nationally coming out of Seminary, Correa’s resume also includes titles in other prestigious events, such as Powerade and Super 32, events featuring some of the top wrestlers in the nation.
“He's set to make the Cornell lineup this year, so it's pretty awesome to get him- into our room, and having him get his hands on some of our guys and show them the technique that's made him successful,” said Witman.
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PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
