Canisius senior Matt Baldwin has been selected as the WNY Athletics Wrestler Of the Week for Week 4 of the 2018-2019 season.
Matt has been in the Crusader lineup for the last four years. He was the runner-up at the Msgr. Martin All-Catholic Wrestling Championships at 152-pounds last season and took 3rd at the CHSAA ‘Catholic states’ the following weekend. He was a MMHSAA champ in 2016-2017 and was 3rd in CHSAA that season too.
So far this season, Matt is undefeated with a 15-0 record wrestling in the 160 and 170-pound weight classes. He is only four wins away from reaching number 100 and has been a key piece to the team’s hot start this season.
In week four Matt earned a pin that iced the match against Kenmore in the final bout giving the Crusaders and first year head coach Dave Wilcox their 9th straight win of the year. The next night Canisius took on a solid West Seneca West squad. In a pivotal match Baldwin defeated the Indians’ strong senior Corey Snyder (season record 17-7) at 170-pounds to earn a decision win and three points for the Crusaders. Going into the final bout the Crusaders held the lead 35-33 but ultimately fell to the Indians 39-35.
According to Coach Wilcox, Matt has a work ethic that can’t be beat. “He’s the hardest working kid I’ve ever had” stated Wilcox on his senior leader and captain. “I can rely on him to get warmups going every day without worrying about it. He is reliable and dependable.”
Matt maintains high grades in the classroom with a near 4.0 overage. At only 160-pounds he was a starting offensive lineman on the Crusader’s football team. On such a high powered team with the kind of schedule Canisius plays, finding a 160-pound starting offensive lineman is nearly unheard of.
Not only is Matt’s work ethic without comparison, Coach Wilcox recognized his character calling him “selfless” and that he “puts [other] people first.”
