It’s not a rare occasion that a sport becomes incredibly prominent in a high school student’s life, but for junior Luke Sipes, wrestling has single-handedly shaped him into the person he’s become today.
On Oct. 10, Sipes committed to the admissions process with Princeton University for his successes as a wrestler throughout his high school career. Sipes began wrestling at six, and even took a year off after eighth grade to re-complete the year at a charter school.
“When COVID-19 lockdowns began, I was in eighth grade. Most schools around the area shut down, and I felt like I didn’t learn sufficiently that year being online. I decided to take a year away from the AASD and redid eighth grade. I came back to Altoona as a freshman in 2021,” Sipes said.
The work Sipes put in did not go unnoticed. Sipes has won many prestigious awards throughout his career such as: Being recognized as the fifty-fourth junior pound for pound in the country, being a two-time PIAA state placer, as well as a two-time district and regional champ.
However, Princeton was not originally on Sipes’ mind at all. After getting offers from different schools such as North Carolina State, Brown, Princeton, North Dakota State and Pitt, Sipes only decided to go to an Ivy League school about two weeks ago.
“It came down between Brown and Princeton,” Sipes said. “I decided to go Ivy League just recently, so it came down to Princeton. I didn’t even want to go to Princeton until I took my visit there, but then my mind totally changed. And when I left Princeton, I left thinking, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to tell the Brown coaches I’m not coming—but I’m not.’”
The decision was made, and Sipes felt quite at home after being able to meet the coaches and teammates from Princeton.
“The kids on the team are really cool. They’re all really welcoming,” Sipes said. “They all treated me like I was a part of the team, and I became friends with most of them. I’m just really excited to get better at wrestling, get a great education and make a lot of new friends.”
Besides just having a wrestling career record of 77-8, Sipes has managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout his high school career. Sipes owes it all to his coaches and friends in acknowledging where he’s gotten today.
“Obviously I’m thankful for my family,” Sipes said. “For driving me to classes, paying for clubs my whole life—all that stuff. My coaches are amazing, like Coach Gilbert for the high school. And, I wouldn’t be here without all my friends, always motivating me in good sport.”
Sipes is set to graduate in 2025 and continue his wrestling career at Princeton University.
