Slippery Rock University terminated their varsity wrestling team in 2005-06, but the spirit of the sport has not diminished at The Rock. Club wrestling has filled the void in promoting the sport’s most important values.
Despite not always having the level of resources as their competition, such as Penn State University, the team has found success in a number of ways.
Their warm-up shirts are made by club president Drew Palochak’s mom and other parents of club members, and they rely on donations from Rock Wrestling alumni who are eager to give back to the program.
Keith Brubach, a 2025 graduate, was a national runner-up and three-time All-American during his time at The Rock.
This season, the team wrestled a competitive schedule in order to prepare themselves for another big postseason. Injuries slowed them, but senior Mike Kreinbucher was able to earn a fifth-place finish at nationals.
Producing another medalist at nationals would be the crowning achievement for most programs, but not Slippery Rock.
Dominic Frollo, a junior recreational therapy major and former vice president of the club, boasts the inclusivity of the team and sport as the most rewarding aspect of competition.
“A lot of these sports are more about segregation than inclusivity. In wrestling, people with disabilities are integrated right into our sport,” Frollo said.
He shared that one of the fiercest wrestlers at the tournament they host is a wrestler from Penn State with cerebral palsy. There is also a wrestler from Duquesne University who is blind.
Frollo has recently gotten into coaching at Slippery Rock High School and one of his best wrestlers has autism.
Even the SRU club team has had several wrestlers with autism, but there is one member who Frollo remembers fondly.
His freshman year practice partner, Paul Pebly, suffered severe burns across his body as a child. He was a three-year club member and national qualifier with no hands.
“We’re really just there for people who love the sport. And obviously, no matter who you are, where you’re from; if you love the sport, you’re welcome here,” he said.
The team achieved another one of their goals, as varsity wrestling will be reinstated as an NCAA Division II sport in the 2027-28 season.
Rock Club Wrestling has had success on the national level and gained traction to bring the varsity program back to campus, but their role in promoting inclusion and opportunity is an equally-impressive legacy.
