DLN’s Wrestler of the Year: Malvern Prep’s Dayton DelViscio

MALVERN — Malvern Prep’s Dayton DelViscio wrestles with a visible passion that matches the scowl he bears during many of his matches.

Part of it is that natural fire he was born with, another part is having a little Delco in him, growing up in the Penncrest school district.

“I come from a different breed, I guess,” DelViscio said. “I definitely have a little angry edge and I think that helps.”

As a junior, DelViscio took the next step in an already successful career by reaching the Prep National finals at 113 pounds. That, along with a runner-up finish at the prep state tournament, as well as placing at three other national tournaments, earned DelViscio the 2019 Daily Local News’ Wrestler of the Year honors.

While the postseason success elevated DelViscio to No. 16 in the country on flowrestling’s rankings, that’s not the motivation of the fiery Friar.

“I don’t wrestle for other people, I wrestle for myself,” said DelViscio, who went 45-14 this season. “I don’t try to make a name for myself, I let that happen by wrestling well.”

As a freshman, DelViscio wrestled for Penncrest and qualified for the PIAA tournament with a fourth-place finish at 106 pounds in the Southeast Regional.

A year ago, getting his first of the prep scene, DelViscio reached the national semifinals, but settled for sixth.

“When he came from Penncrest he was very good, but he has continuously gotten better the last two years,” Malvern coach Nate Lautar said. “He got a lot better this season, too. We have a tough schedule early, and if you look at the results, he got better and finished strong.”

In the Walsh Ironman tournament in early December, DelViscio went 2-2, but bounced back with a seventh-place finish at the Beast in the East, a fifth-place medal at the Powerade tournament and climbed to third at the Escape the Rock tournament.

His progression carried him to the state finals, where he fell short against Wyoming Seminary’s Troy Spratley.

To face Spratley again, at nationals, DelViscio would have to get past St. Paul’s Will Guida, who knocked off DelViscio in the Escape the Rock semis. DelViscio discarded Guida in the quarterfinals and then avenged his loss to Spratley with a 5-3 win to make the finals, where he fell to two-time prep champ, Ryan Miller of Blair Academy.

“Walking into the tournament I had basically lost to everyone I was going to see, so I knew I had to beat them if I wanted to make the finals,” DelViscio said.

DelViscio began wrestling when he was five years old and plans continue after he graduates at the Naval Academy, where he committed to in early-April.

Despite the wear and tear and grind of being good in a brutal sport, DelViscio loves the challenge of going up against the best in the country too much to give it up.

“I sometimes think, ‘why am I doing this? Why did I pick this sport?,’” DelViscio said. “But then I step on the scale and it all goes away. I definitely love the sport and I’m glad that I picked it.”

Malvern finished fourth at nationals, despite the loss of Penn State recruit, Michael Beard, as well as other All-Americans. DelViscio, along with Dalton Harkins, are leading the transition at Malvern with another strong, young core coming up. As he takes the reins as one of the big names at Malvern, DelViscio will surely dip into that inherent spark that always seems to ignite when he needs it.

“He’s one of those dudes who’ll knock your block off,” Lautar said. “He’s one of those kids who puts it all on the line. It makes me nervous sometimes because you don’t know what he’s gonna do. … He wanted to be in the big tournaments. He wanted to compete against the best kids in the country and he’s done that. He’s gone out and proved to himself against the best that anything is possible.”