Ethan Fernandez certainly made his last high school event count.
At the Junior Nationals in Fargo, Fernandez picked up five victories at 132 pounds in Greco Roman to earn All-American honors with a fourth place finish. Earlier in the week, he got his hand raised four times at the same weight in Freestyle while representing Team New Jersey.
In the Garden State, Fernandez trained with Cornell upperweight Chris Foca at Red Nose Wrestling Club, so when Fernandez committed to the Big Red in April, he ensured that they would work together again.
The Westwood High graduate racked up a 125-22 record for the Cardinals, qualifying for the state tournament all four years.
As a freshman, Fernandez won 35 bouts at 106 pounds, before moving up to 113 as a sophomore.
In his junior campaign, Fernandez competed at the state tournament at 120 pounds. He started with a major decision before dropping his second round match. However, Fernandez bounced back with five consecutive victories in the wrestlebacks on his way to a fourth place showing.
In his Covid-abbreviated senior season, Fernandez once again captured fourth place at the New Jersey championships, this time at 126 pounds. He was the highest finisher for Westwood since Ramel Meekins was third in 2003.
In addition to Fargo, Fernandez has hit the mat at some of the top tournaments around the country, including NHSCA Nationals and Super 32, where he won three matches in 2020.
A top 300 Class of 2021 recruit according to Matscouts, Fernandez projects at 133 or 141 pounds.