Gone, Lost & Forgotten: Queens

 

We often don't think of it as a "wrestling state" but in many ways, North Carolina is.  Of all 50 states, within the last 5 years, the Tar Heel state tied with Wisconsin at #10 for official/varsity/part of the school collegiate wrestling opportunities.  There were 12, and at the time this is written, there are now 11, because the Royals of Queens have discontinued their program. 

It was a short lived program.  Began in the 2018-2019 school year & it was a said and done thing by the end of 2023-2024.  I was excited for the program.  In their short time they had some success & I believe if given more time they would have continued to have had success. 

Paul Bradley

I grew up watching Paul Bradley.  My Dad dated a woman from Toledo, Iowa & as a result I had the privilege of watching Bradley compete while wrestling for South Tama County while in high school.  Later on I watched him earn All American finishes for the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2004 & 2005 his sophomore and junior seasons.  When he took over the program in 2019, I thought that it was only a matter of time before he was producing NCAA DII qualifiers & eventually All Americans year in and year out.  The force to move up to NCAA Division I was not kind. It's rarely ever a smooth transition for any school doing so & it seems that Bradley and the Royals were not given adequate time to adjust.  I think eventually Coach Bradley would have been just fine at the NCAA DI level, but now that Queens had discontinued the sport, we'll never know.  The Royals won a total of 25 duals during their time on the mat. 

Melvin Rubio

It's almost unheard of that a school will get an NCAA DII qualifier in their first year of competition.  That's why it was a huge deal when Melvin Rubio captured 3rd place at Super Region II & his ticket to the NCAA DII national tournament.  He'd capture qualification #2 in 2020, when he took runner-up honors at Super Region II. 

Noah Curreri 

Without a doubt, the Royals most successful wrestler was Noah Curreri.  A three time Super Region II runner-up, Curreri captured an 8th place NCAA Division II All American honor of 8th place as a junior in 2021.  Although he'd fall a match short of earning another All American honor in 2022, he did place 4th at the prestigious Midwest Classic. 

Stephon Haliburton

Stephon Haliburton earned NCAA Division II qualification for the Royals in 2022, when he captured a 3rd place finish at Super Region II. 

Austin Watkins

Austin Watkins was an NCAA DII qualifier for the Royals in 2022, earning a 3rd place finish at the Super Region II.