Reading 2023 grad Lukas Selph heads to Indiana Tech to continue wrestling career
2023 Reading graduate and 4.0 student Lukas Selph will look to continue his academic studies at Indiana Institute of Technology (Indiana Tech). The Fort Wayne university will also welcome Selph into their athletics programs. Selph was joined by his coaches and family when he signed his national letter of intent to join the Indiana Tech wrestling team.
The prestigious wrestling program is one of the top N.A.I.A. teams in terms of athletic success and academics. It will be a perfect fit for Selph, who had a 4.0 GPA and an impressive wrestling career for the Reading Rangers. The Indiana Tech Warriors men's wrestling team took fifth overall at the N.A.I.A. nationals and was the number one team nationally for their academics in the NWCA Men's Scholar All-American Awards.
Choosing Indiana Tech
The success of the wrestling program in the classroom and on the mat were the main selling points for the 2023 graduate. Selph had several other wrestling programs in his final circle of schools, including Adrian College, Sienna Heights and Rochester.
He also was considered other universities and colleges beyond the wrestling sphere. Selph said the combination of a great engineering program and wrestling were the final marks that sold him and his family that the Fort Wayne university was the right choice for him.
“They had the best wrestling program and best engineering program that I was looking at,” said Selph.
Selph and his family took a visit down to Indiana Tech, where Selph was introduced to the team and to potential professors in his future classes.
“Everything was super nice,” said Selph. “I talked to some of the professors, and they seemed super nice and inclusive.”
Selph has already begun the transition to his collegiate academic and athletic career. The former Ranger has met weekly with his new team for wrestling training and practices. For Selph, this next chapter is a continuation of a journey that he has been on for most of his life.
"I’ve wrestled for most of my life,” said Selph. “About my freshman year, I was thinking about wrestling in college. Last year, I started getting recruited to different places. I reached Indiana Tech after they wrestled a different college I was looking at. I’m just looking forward to continuing my career. I love wrestling."
With his eyes set on his future athletic and academic collegiate career, Selph leaves behind an impressive resume of athletic accomplishments that will become a part of a family legacy that spans decades at Reading High School. His father, Jason Selph, was a member of the Reading wrestling program, and Selph's other family relatives are also tied to the Ranger athletic programs, with his uncle being one of the first Ranger wrestlers to place at the state finals.
Journey to All-State
During his wrestling career, Selph had earned multiple tournament wins, milestone career marks, all-state honors and top three medalist finishes at conference, districts and regionals.
He took second place in the 130-pound weight class at the conference championship his junior year. That would be the start of a postseason run that saw him take the district championship at the same wight class. He then won a regional title to qualify for the state finals.
At Ford Field, Selph entered the 2022 MHSAA state finals looking to add another all-state honor to his family's legacy. After losing in the opening round, Selph battled his way back to a seventh-place finish and all-state honors. He defeated the wrestler that had beat him by major decision in round one to earn the all-state honor.
He started his senior year off with a first-place win at the Concord-Grover Invitational. He would go on to place fourth in the Big 8 Championship at 132-pounds. He then took third at the MHSAA District Finals to qualify for regionals. He would unfortunately have his state-finals journey end at the regional championship.
A senior year to remember
During his senior season, Selph helped lead Reading wrestling through one of the toughest schedules the program has faced and helped lead the team to one of their best seasons in program history.
He was a part of a 13-senior class of wrestlers, many of whom earned career milestones. For a portion of the season, Michigan Grappler had Selph as the number one ranked wrestler in his weight class. All of their losses as a team this season were to state qualifying teams and to regional qualifying teams from every Division. The team had wins against top 10 ranked opponents, including wins against Union City in their only home jamboree of the season.
That home jamboree this past 2022-23 wrestling season was a big one for both Selph and for his family's history with the program. The senior helped break the 'Spartan' Curse, a 26-year-old losing streak to the Springport Spartans that started back when his dad wrestled for the Rangers. His dad's team was the last team to beat Springport before the losing streak began.
That family legacy came full circle when Selph earned his win via pinfall after 52 seconds in the dual. His match was the winning points that gave the Rangers a 36-35 win over the Spartans, breaking the curse. This win didn't just break the curse, but also gave the Reading graduate his 100th career win. The moment was celebrated by teams and family members, but it wouldn't be the last win the Ranger would celebrate that night.
The team would pull of a 39-31 upset over the state ranked Union City Rangers, who would go on to have multiple state champions this past season. In the defining match of the dual, Selph would battle Charger and (now) two-time state champion Landyn Crance.
The match was about as evenly fought as any that night, and it took Selph using a headlock move that, while from the Ranger 'playbook', is one Lukas rarely used. He got the win via pinfall. Crance would go on to repeat as a back-to-back state title winner at Ford Field. But for Selph, the win would be one of the defining moments in his career and for the Ranger program this past season.
Closing one chapter and starting a new one
Lukas Selph credited everything he had accomplished in his career to the support of his teammates, coaches and parents.
“I want to thank head coach Mark Draper, coach Strine and coach Hassenzahl for everything that they’ve done,” said Selph. “They helped me out a lot and helped build me into who I am.”
Selph thanked his mom, Lisa Selph, and dad, Jason Selph, for their support, encouragement and help throughout his academic and athletic career in Reading.
“They’ve helped me out the entire way,” said Selph. “They’ve been a huge part of my life and have been there the entire time, and I appreciate that.”
Jason Selph says that they are proud of Lukas for making the decision that fit both his athletic aspirations and his academic and career aspirations. Selph is excited to see Selph wrestle at the next level, but like every parent he hopes to see him find his footing with his academics and future career.
“I hope he goes down to school and focuses on his academics,’ said Jason Selph. “Really, college is about his academics and his career in the future. I’m also excited to watch him wrestle again. I wish him the best of luck. I want to thank the coaches and staff at Reading High School for helping prepare him for the next stages of his life.”
Lukas was also an important member of the Reading varsity football team during his high school athletic career. Head coach Rick Bailey was Jason Selph's football coach during his career, and Selph credited coach Bailey and the football team for helping prepare him for his wrestling season every fall and winter.
“I’m glad coach Bailey gave me a chance to play,” said Selph. “Being a lineman at my size definitely made me a lot stronger, mentally.”
In addition to his athletic career, Selph had several other interests and extracurricular activities at Reading High School. At the end of his junior year, Selph took part in the MITES Skills competition for woodworking. He took first place in the regional woodshop competition with his handcrafted table.
Indiana Institute of Technology
Indiana Tech is a private university in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was founded in 1930. The campus is split into three colleges. The Warriors compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). They are a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (since 1998). Indiana Tech has had near 100 national tournament appearances.
The Warrior men's wrestling program had 12 student-athletes recognized as Scholar All-Americans this year, the most in the country for the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-American Awards. The team is led by head coach Thomas Pompei. This will be his ninth season as head coach and 13th with the program this upcoming season. The coach holds the record for most wins in program history. This past season, they placed fifth at the NAIA national wrestling championships.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Reading 2023 grad Lukas Selph heads to Indiana Tech to continue wrestling career
