Wrestling - Varsity | Mercersburg Academy

The foundation of Mercersburg wrestling is one of work—hard work and team work. Athletes and coaches share common goals—developing as students, contributing to the community, and maximizing potential on the wrestling mats.

Mercersburg wrestlers have competed since 1930 for one of the oldest programs in the country. The current schedule features high level competition that includes the Beast of the East Tournament, dual meets against Mid-Atlantic region opponents, and the Mid-Atlantic Prep League duals, which includes Blair Academy. The postseason brings the opportunity for post-season honors at the National Prep Tournament at Lehigh University.

Experience is the key word for the wrestling program coaching staff. Head coach Nate Jacklin ’96 is a former Mercersburg wrestler who went on to wrestle in the Ivy League at Columbia University. Assistant coach Jay Bozzi, a graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall, taught and coached wrestling at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. And Director of Athletics Rick Hendrickson serves as an associate coach and consultant for the program that he guided for 15 years.

Mercersburg’s tradition extends to the collegiate level, with graduates who have competed in the Big Ten, Ivy League, the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), the Centennial Conference, the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), the Southern Conference, and NCAA Division II competitors Pitt-Johnstown and West Liberty. Recent Mercersburg alumni have occupied (or currently hold) roster positions at Penn State University, Bucknell University, the U.S. Naval Academy, Ithaca College, and Wesleyan University.

The team trains in the Wrestling Center, which opened in November 1997. The facility features 3,600 square feet of Resilite wrestling mats and training equipment, along with an adjacent coaches’ office.

Nate Jacklin

History Faculty and Head Wrestling Coach

Bio

After attending Mercersburg Academy as a postgraduate student in 1995-1996, Nate Jacklin earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and philosophy from Columbia University and a master’s in social studies education from Teachers College at Columbia. As an undergrad, Nate garnered four varsity letters in wrestling and was named Columbia’s Outstanding Freshman Wrestler. Nate spent six years teaching history and coaching wrestling and soccer in Stafford, VA, before returning to Mercersburg in 2008 to join the faculty. He taught in the International Baccalaureate Program at Mountain View High School in Stafford; at Mercersburg, he is head coach of the varsity wrestling team, and has also taught the Entrepreneurship Springboard course. Nate and his wife, Lindsay, live in Tippetts Hall on campus with their three children.

Eric Sheffield

Wrestling Assitant Coach

Bio

Jay Bozzi

History Department Head

Bio

Jay Bozzi came to Mercersburg in 2014 after teaching and working at King’s Academy in Madaba, Jordan. He is chair of the history department and SEARCH coordinator for Mercersburg’s Advanced Program for Global Studies (MAPS). Jay is also an assistant wrestling coach. He and his wife, Sarah (a member of Mercersburg’s mathematics faculty and the assistant director of outdoor education), worked together on the faculty at King’s Academy, and Jay previously taught and coached at Cheshire Academy in Cheshire, CT, where he taught history and coached wrestling, football, and lacrosse. Jay graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT, and earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a U.S. concentration and a minor in political science from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN; he also holds a master’s degree in history from the University of New Hampshire. Jay serves as a dorm parent in South Cottage.

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