Dan White, Class of 2008
Dan White etched his name in Peddie athletics’ history by becoming the first wrestler to win the Prep National wrestling tournament three times (2005, 2006, 2007) and being crowned the Beast of the East Champ. In his senior year, White attended the freestyle wrestling Resident Athlete Program at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, calling it “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
In 2006-07, he wrestled at 125 pounds and won Peddie’s first Outstanding Wrestler Award at Prep Nationals. He finished that year with an incredible 42-1 record, lifting his three-year record to 138-7. (52-2 in 2004-05, 44-4 in 2005-06, 42-1 in 2006-07). The year before, he won the title at 103 pounds.
White tallied a perfect 6-0 mark on his way to the top of the Prep National podium, including a 26-second win by pin over his opponent from Loomis Chaffee in the semifinals and a 17-2 technical fall in 2:54 over an Archbishop Curley opponent in the finals.
“Dan made a very tough weight class (125) seem insignificant,” said Head Coach John Leonardis at the time. “He was dominant in every way and really showed everyone that he is a force to be reckoned with in future national competitions.”
Later that year, as a sophomore, White wrestled at 127.75 pounds and captured a silver medal at the FILA Cadet National Championships in April. The event is one of the premier amateur competitions of the year.
White concluded the 2006-07 high school campaign with an incredible 42-1 record while taking top honors at the Beast of the East Tournament. His career totals stand at 138 wins and only seven losses in three seasons.
“Dan is undoubtedly one of the most successful wrestlers to ever wear the Peddie singlet,” Leonardis said. “There’s an unspoken pressure when you are top-ranked. And Dan was on top.”
Leonardis called White “one of the most dominating wrestlers in the nation.'”
In three Prep Nationals, White amassed a 16-0 mark with nine bouts terminated by pins. His closest match came in the 2005 finals, an 8-4 decision.
In December 2006, White, at 130 pounds, was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the prestigious Mike and Sandy Caruso Invitational held at St. Benedict’s in Newark.