Cranston West freshman Gian Richardson made a splash in Rhode Island’s wrestling scene last season as he went on to take sixth place at states in his first year at the varsity level.

He took another big step forward as he recently competed at the National High School Coaches Association’s National Championships in Virginia Beach and finished in fourth place overall in the 182-pound freshman division. The finish earned him All-American honors.

“I felt proud of myself. For me, there is always a bit of nerves before going out for any match I have, but it felt great to go out there and be able to test myself past just a state or New England level (and) to be able to use what I have worked hard at and learned on a national level.”

Joining Richardson at the tournament was West assistant coach Chris Lavallee, who was key in his development as a freshman this past winter season.

“Gian earning All-American status at NHSCA Nationals was special to witness. To see one of our faces of the program make serious noise on the national stage makes me very proud as one of his coaches. It’s a huge step in the right direction as far as his development and inspiring fellow West wrestlers to see that they can do it too through hard work and discipline,” said Lavallee. 

Richardson faced some late-season adversity as well after dealing with injury at the state championships. Lavallee has been impressed by Richardson’s confidence and mental toughness as a freshman. 

“Gian’s inner drive and belief in his training play a huge part in his success. It’s one thing to train hard, but it’s another thing to ignore the butterflies. I believe Gian’s ability to ignore the outside noise, remain calm and trust his training led him to his success at Nationals,” said Lavallee. 

Rhode Island has grown into one of the most competitive areas in the Northeast in recent years, with many grapplers winning New England championships and beyond. Nearby Ponaganset just took home the team New England title.

Richardson was proud to represent his home on the national stage and to help spread the word of the talent that resides in the Ocean State. 

“I feel like with Rhode Island being the smallest state it’s easy to overlook us, but RI is full of great wrestlers, both boys and girls, who are constantly working hard to be competitive.  I feel like we have a lot more to show and I have no doubt that RI wrestling is going to be a constant performer at tournaments just like this,” said Richardson.

With three more seasons of high school wrestling ahead of him, Richardson’s goals include winning a state and New England championship.

“I set the bar for myself at working hard to constantly improve and become a better wrestler. As far as the rest of my high school career, I’m working to become a state champion, then a New England champion and making a strong showing in Virginia every year. I hope to be able to make a name for myself and leave my mark on RI high school wrestling,” said Richardson. 

Richardson gave one last shout out to those who helped him reach All-American status. 

“I could not have done this by myself. There are so many people who helped me with this. For me it’s my brother Dante who got me started in the sport and is my number one drilling partner. He along with my father (Dennis) who are constantly pushing me every day to get better,” said Richardson. “My coaches at Iron Faith Wrestling who have coached me since I started wrestling and have made me progress to where I am now. The coaches at West and all the practice partners who have helped me improve.”