Coming out of high school, Alejandro Herrera-Rondon was one of the most sought after wrestling recruits in the nation, having won three Pennsylvania state championships and posting a 175-14 record at Seneca Valley (2017-2021).

The redshirt senior initially elected to attend Oklahoma. A coaching change at the end of the 2023-2024 season, however, led him to explore other options.

Ultimately, he chose Clarion.

"When it came to picking a new school, I really wanted to be closer to home and smaller," relayed Herrera-Rondon, a Criminal Justice major. "I grew up in a Catholic school setting with 15-20 kids in a classroom, so that was something I was used to. I learn better in smaller classrooms than bigger ones."

"The academic experience here has been great. The great thing, as well, is that I'm actually in the same classroom as a lot of my teammates and other athletes. You're around each other, learning beside each other. That's one of my favorite things."

While the academic environment has been to Herrera-Rondon's liking, the atmosphere surrounding the wrestling team suits him as well.

Observed Herrera-Rondon, "I've seen so much development, character development through all of our team. I can't tell you how much more mature we've gotten, just getting through workouts and stuff.

"I think our upperclassmen do a really good job of welcoming everybody with open arms. It's not a judgmental atmosphere. I feel like everyone always has each other's backs. The coaches are always looking out for us."

He continued, "Some teams say 'we're a family' because you're on the same team. That's not the case here. Winning or losing, no matter, we're always wanting the best for each other, off the mat as well.

Head wrestling coach Keith Ferraro has seen Herrero-Rondon mature during his time at Clarion, becoming an individual his teammates can emulate.

"His time here has been good because I've gotten to see him become not just a better wrestler, but he's become a better person," reported Ferraro. "He's better at dealing with adversity and challenges in his life the older he gets and the longer he's been here."

"It's a good example for other guys on the team to see him mature that way, not just in a wrestling sense, but in everything. The way he conducts his life is much more mature and calculated and responsible."

Added Herrera-Rondon, "Sometimes people aren't prepared to grow up. That's just another thing you have to fight with yourself. That's part of the reason why some people succeed and some people don't."

Herrera-Rondon's maturer outlook helped him persevere through a leg injury that caused him to miss the latter portion of last season.

"Just being able to get through last year was a challenge," he said. "Watching my whole team grind through the season, I felt useless, I was in a dark place. Every day in the dark place I always strived for a better day, a better light."

A new love for the sport was born out of that injury and his subsequent time away.

"Sometime last year, I had to really decide, 'Are you going to do this because you want to do this, just because you have to do it, or is it because you love it,'" offered Herrera-Rondon. "I found out last season in the dark times that I still love it, that's why I'm still here."

"That whole switch in my mentality; it's just a sport, not necessarily life or death. I'm actually having more fun now than I did the past three, four years. I was thinking about all external matters, now I care about the internal things, "Am I happy doing this?'"