University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics

       Brandon Newill made his mark on the Pitt-Johnstown wrestling program by winning a pair of NCAA East Region Tournament titles and earning three All-America honors, including winning the 2002 NCAA Division II National Championship at 125 lbs.
        Mr. Newill, a native of Mount Pleasant, Pa. and a Mount Pleasant Area High School graduate, joined the Mountain Cats after one season at Capital (OH) University where he went 30-6 and placed seventh at the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
        In 1999, Mr. Newill came to Pitt-Johnstown and promptly filled the void left behind by two-time national champion Jody Strittmatter.  As a sophomore, he was 29-6 overall and 16-3 in dual meets on his way to placing third at the NCAA Championships and leading Pitt-Johnstown to a fifth-place finish.
        Mr. Newill, the Outstanding Wrestler at the Wilkes Open, continued to dominate the following season.  He put together a 35-5 overall record and a 13-1 dual meet mark with a team-best 15 wins by fall.  Newill was named the 2001 East Region Tournament Outstanding Wrestler after winning his first of two regional tournaments.  He also finished fourth at the NCAA National Tournament, third at the Division I-dominated Oklahoma Gold Classic, and won titles at both the Slippery Rock Open and Wilkes Open.
        As a senior in 2001-02, Mr. Newill reached the pinnacle of Division II wrestling by becoming Pitt-Johnstown’s sixth individual NCAA National Champion with a fall over Central Oklahoma University’s Chris Saferite of Central Oklahoma at 4:12 at the National Tournament in Parkside, Wisc.  Mr. Newill was 39-6 overall and 17-2 in dual meets and led the Mountain Cats with 19 falls.  He made it back-to-back championships at both the Slippery Rock Open and East Regional Tournament and placed seventh at the prestigious Midlands Open at Northwestern University.
        When his stellar career wrapped-up after the 2002 season, Mr. Newill compiled a 100-20-0 overall record as a Mountain Cat and a 130-26-0 overall record with his 30 wins from Capital University in 1998-99.  Mr. Newill finished his career ranked fourth of the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Wins List, and currently stands in fifth-place.
        In 2002, Mr. Newill graduated from Pitt-Johnstown with a Bachelor Degree in History/Education.  He went to the University of Buffalo to begin working on his graduate degree in Adolescent Educations and serve as a graduate assistant wrestling coach.  In 2004, Mr. Newill was promoted to Assistant Wrestling Coach.
        Mr. Newill returned to the Pittsburgh Area in 2009 and began his career in education with the Allegheny Valley School District as an Aide for Special Needs Students at Springdale Junior High School.  The following year, Mr. Newill accepted a teaching and coaching position at Kittanning Junior/Senior High School in the Armstrong School District.  Mr. Newill currently teaches history and serves as the head Armstrong High School wrestling coach where he has amassed four individual PIAA State titles and ten individual PIAA State medals over 11 years.
        Mr. Newill, his wife Elizabeth and son, Knox currently reside in Cheswick, Pa.
        “I am more than overwhelmed with the honor bestowed upon me to be a part of this prestigious group of decorated individuals in the Pitt-Johnstown family,” Mr. Newill said.  “I cannot express my gratitude in mere words.”