A pair of Class 2A state champion wrestlers from Lovell will join the Northwest College wrestling program this fall, Coach Jim Zeigler announced this week.

They are heavyweight champion Coy Trainor and 132-pound champion Quinton Hecker. Their coach at Lovell, Nick DeWitt, has a strong connection to NWC wrestling and is a former Trapper assistant coach under Zeigler.

Trainor put his signature to a Northwest College wrestling scholarship this week. Hecker has committed to wrestle for the Trappers as a walk-on. Coach DeWitt is proud of what each accomplished for the Bulldogs.

“Both of these athletes put in a lot of time,” DeWitt said. “Their dedication to the sport in general is very high. They’re going to be able to take that energy and that excitement and their love of the sport to be successful at a higher level.”

Trainor had over 40 wins in his senior wrestling season for the Bulldogs on his way to the second state heavyweight championship of his career. He was a four-year state place-winner for Lovell, winning heavyweight titles as a sophomore and a senior; he finished second as a freshman and third as a junior. His overall four-year record for Lovell was 96-28.

“He’s not tall; he stands 5-9 or 5-10 and weighs 240 pounds,” Zeigler said of Trainor. ”It’s the mobility factor. He outmoves some of those 270-pounders. I am excited about him wrestling for us.”

Hecker is also a four-time state place winner for Lovell in the 2A ranks. He will wrestle for the Trappers at 133 or 141.

Coach Zeigler watched Hecker wrestle at the Ron Thon tournament in Riverton and described him as “a real hustler, a hard worker with a real firm foundation.”

The Trapper head man paid special tribute to LHS coach DeWitt, formerly of Greybull, and his substantial ties to NWC. He was a manager for Zeigler’s wrestling teams in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and was Trapper wrestling’s Apodaca Award winner in 2006-07.

“He was such a vital part of our success,” Zeigler said.

The DeWitt connection to NWC didn’t end there: After graduating from the University of Wyoming, he returned to Northwest as an adjunct faculty member in the Physical Education Department and later became a full-time representative in the admissions office, as well as serving as an assistant wrestling coach.

“He served in so many roles here,” Zeigler said.