LebCo Male Athlete of the Week: Aaron Seidel (Week Ending December 17, 2023)

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Aaron Seidel

Aaron Seidel is a unique athlete and arguably a generational talent. The two-time PIAA State Champion just started his junior campaign as a Northern Lebanon Wrestling Team member. Last weekend, he went 5-1 to claim silver in the 120-pound weight class at the prestigious Beast of the East Tournament at the University of Delaware. As a result of this impressive performance, Seidel was selected by the readers of LebCoSports.com as the LebCo Male Athlete of the Week.

This is just another part of Seidel’s resume that includes his two State Championships, a Super 32 Championship, and the National High School Coaches Association National Championship. He currently holds a high school record of 109-2. The loss in the Beast of the East Finals to a University of Iowa commit was his first in 90 matches.

Despite the accomplishment of finishing 2nd, the loss will serve as motivation for the hardworking Seidel. When asked about his goals for the rest of the season, Seidel told LebCoSports.com that he would “Try not to lose any more matches.”

Northern Lebanon Coach Rusty Wallace spoke to the driving factor that will help his star athlete reach his goals for the season: “Aaron is an amazing athlete with a tremendous work ethic. It’s hard to imagine another person on the planet who works harder.”

Wallace went on to say, “More importantly, Aaron is an unbelievable human being, a great student, and a remarkable role model for young athletes. Northern Lebanon High School and the NL Wrestling program are blessed to have him as a member of our Viking family.”

Regarding that “family,” Seidel credits his coaches and teammates Sam Wolford, Karter Adams, and Julian Zaragoza for preparing him to be his best. His “best” is something he was not always sure of, as he had to develop the confidence to go out there and compete against older, more experienced grapplers. Having a solid support structure around him has aided that development.

This is not the first time that Seidel has been surrounded by some of the area’s best athletes. Growing up in the ELCO community before transferring to Northern Lebanon, he played Baseball on a team with Jake Williams, Dallas George, Morgan Shaman, Logan Kless, and Elliott Kreider.

It is also worth pointing out that Aaron is not the only National Champion in the Seidel Family. His sister, Jessica, just finished her sophomore season playing on the East Stroudsburg Field Hockey Team. As a freshman, the ELCO alumna was a team member that won the 2022 NCAA D-II National Championship.

As a long-term goal, Aaron hopes to join Jessica as an NCAA Champion. He recently verbally committed to continue his wrestling career at Virginia Tech. Beyond college, he hopes to continue his development to someday vie for a world championship.

For now, Seidel will continue working towards winning his third straight State Championship.

Read about this week’s Female Athletes of the Week: Morgan Kline & Mya Doster

For a full list of this week’s nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: Week of December 11th.

Previous Winner Updates

Micah Gray (Week of 12/4): Scored a team high 16 points against Middletown after scoring 9 in the win over Wyomissing at the Wells Fargo Center.

Elisha Slabach (Week of 12/4): Missed the game against Lancaster Mennonite due to injury.