Sports Newsmaker of the Year: Exeter wrestler beats the best to be the best

Unless you're a college wrestling fan, Kyle Dake probably isn't the correct answer you'd come up with if the Final Jeopardy category was: "Cornell's greatest grappler."

More than just the Big Red's best, Dake is one of the NCAA's best - of all time. He is one of just four wrestlers to win four Division I championships - and the only one to win those titles in four different weight classes.

"He was one of the most special athletes I've ever coached," said Drexel head coach Matt Azevedo, who spent two years as an assistant at Cornell. "Kyle Dake's work ethic was second to none."

Was.

Austin DeSanto, an Exeter grad and a freshman at Drexel, has raised the seemingly unraisable bar and redefined work ethic for his college coach.

"I would say I've never seen anything like it; I've never coached a kid that's even been close," said Azevedo, the amazement obvious in his tone. "(Dake) trained as hard as anybody, but what Austin does is on a different level, because of the amount of work that he does."

And the relentless intensity with which he does it.

DeSanto's unyielding drive is fueled by what Azevedo called his "unmatched focus" - the ability to identify a goal, view it as if wearing blinders and do whatever it takes to achieve it.

The mission began March 12, 2016, when DeSanto lost to Franklin Regional's Spencer Lee in the 120-pound Class 3A state final, in what amounted to being mercy-ruled.

The match ended with Lee, ranked No. 1 in the nation, winning by technical fall in the second period.

Probably before Lee's hand was raised in victory, DeSanto was all-in on avenging the defeat.

"I wanted to win (a rematch) every single day for a whole year," he said.

One day short of that year later, DeSanto defeated Lee for the 126-pound championship.

But it wasn't just that he won; it was also how he won, scoring the clinching points at the buzzer.

For his dramatic victory over Lee, one of the best wrestlers in Pennsylvania history, Austin DeSanto has been named Reading Eagle Sports Newsmaker of the Year.

To read the rest of the story, please check out the full Mike McGovern article on the Reading Eagle Website