Former Upper St. Clair heavyweight Jake Slinger transfers from George Mason to Pitt

As a kid, Former Upper St. Clair wrestler Jake Slinger frequently attended Pitt wrestling matches at the Fitzgerald Field House.

He remembered the atmosphere, the energy in the arena and the reaction of the crowd after a Panthers victory.

“I loved the atmosphere, wrestling in the Fitzgerald Field House,” Slinger said. “It’s something that I’ll never forget. It’s something that definitely weighs heavy in my heart.”

Now, Slinger will have the opportunity to be on the receiving end of that reaction. After spending his freshman year at George Mason, where he was a starter, the 6-foot-2 heavyweight has decided to transfer to Pitt for the remainder of his college career.

“I definitely am very excited about the opportunity to wrestle for Pitt and go to school at the University of Pittsburgh,” Slinger said. “I have a lot of friends and family here and I want to stay close with them, so it is a very good situation.”

Before heading to college, Slinger had a successful high school career at Upper St. Clair. He went 138-26, was selected as a team MVP twice and was named All-State and NHSCA All-American twice.

Slinger also won a WPIAL title his senior year and earned a runner-up finish at the state tournament, which was his only loss of the season. Because of his success, Slinger had offers from schools like George Mason, Pitt, West Virginia and North Carolina State. While he chose George Mason, Slinger said it was a tough decision.

“It was very, very close,” Slinger said. “At the end of the day, I sat down and weighed all my options and decided to go to George Mason. After being there a year, I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t exactly the right fit for me as a college. So, I decided I wanted to come back home.”

During his freshman year at George Mason, Slinger beat out a group of wrestlers for the starting heavyweight spot and won four of his first seven matches. But his first year was full of ups and downs on the mat.

After his seventh match of the season, Slinger slipped into a five-match losing streak, and he ended up finishing the year with an overall record of 13-17 and an 8-10 dual record.

“I was able to learn a lot, especially with the way college feels and my experiences going through it wrestling-wise and academically,” Slinger said. “So, there were a lot of new changes I had never experienced in high school. But college was a very different atmosphere, and I learned to adjust to it later in my career.”

Now, Slinger is hoping to bring what he’s learned to a Pitt program that has seen a lot of success in recent years. This past season, the Panthers went 10-4 and had four wrestlers named NWCA All-American. The year before that, the Panthers went 13-3.

“With a program like Pitt, where they have proven a lot and they still have more to prove, I definitely think it’s a great situation for not only my wrestling but my academics and my lifestyle as well,” Slinger said. “I think it’s going to be a good situation.”