The JUCO Route: How Three Philly Area Programs are Helping Shape the Region’s Wrestling Future

Junior college wrestling is not a place for the faint of heart. It is a blue-collar haven. It’s where raw talent gets refined, where forgotten prep stars reclaim their trajectory, and where young men find out whether they truly love the grind when there are no packed arena lights or massive NIL deals waiting for them on a Tuesday night. For the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), the 50 mile radius around Philly provides the kind of talent dedicated to that grind.

Across our region, Region 19 to be exact, three NJCAA programs anchor this vital community: Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ) in Sewell, NJ, Camden County College in Blackwood, NJ, and the newly revived program at Valley Forge Military College in Wayne, PA. Each holds a distinct identity, but all three share a common mission: serving as a launching pad for athletes who refuse to let their wrestling stories end at high school graduation.

To understand the heartbeat of RCSJ wrestling, you only have to look at the coaching staff leading the Roadrunners into the season.

Head Coach Paul Toppin, who has been a staple of the program as a volunteer, assistant, and head coach since 2018, doesn't view junior college wrestling as a second-choice route. He views it as an essential proving ground.

“The RCSJ Wrestling program, as many other NJCAA programs nationwide, are legitimate proving grounds for aspiring athletes who want to continue to grow in the sport,” Toppin says. “JUCO sports, and especially wrestling in JUCO, are a perfect fit for a majority of wrestlers who still want to compete and possibly move up into a D3, D2, or even a D1 program. It is not uncommon for those who compete on the national NJCAA level to be picked up by four-year schools and be offered opportunities they might not have received straight out of High School.”

That development pipeline isn't just theoretical; it’s baked into the program's DNA. Toppin’s two assistant coaches, Curtis Thomas and Riley Onorato, both wrestled at RCSJ under Toppin before advancing their careers. Onorato went on to wrestle Division I at Drexel University alongside his brother. Now, both have returned to Sewell to pay it forward.

For Onorato, coming back to the Roadrunner room was a direct response to what the program gave him during a critical juncture in his life.

“When I finished my senior high school season, I was mentally at a point where I kind of was done with wrestling, and JUCO wrestling ended up being the perfect spot for me to find a real passion for wrestling,” Onorato reflects. “There are a ton of wrestlers that need the right team and coaches to help them continue to develop, or the guys needing a place to bounce back to an NCAA/NAIA program. RCSJ showed me how important JUCOs are, and I want to be a coach that can really help wrestlers achieve their goals, both in their time with us and their future goals on and off the mat.”

The historical pedigree at RCSJ is staggering. Dating back to the 1970s, the Roadrunners have captured six national team titles, crowned seven individual National Champions, and produced 94 JUCO All-Americans. For eight consecutive seasons, RCSJ has sent qualifiers to the NJCAA National Tournament. Yet, last season left a sour taste in the room. RCSJ possessed the talent to capture both the Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) and Eastern District team titles, but a wave of late-season injuries decimated their lineup, leaving them just shy of their postseason hardware goals.

This year, optimism is soaring in Sewell, fueled by roster health and unprecedented depth. The Roadrunners boast a 24-wrestler roster, their largest in nearly six years, blending seasoned postseason veterans with a hungry recruiting class.

“Our outlook this year is really strong,” says Onorato. “We are returning three national qualifiers, have seven total returners, and brought in around 17 new wrestlers. It’s a South Jersey-heavy group, but we actually have a strong Delaware presence as well with five wrestlers from there. We have a few transfers, some guys who took a gap year and are coming back to wrestle. We’ve been building for the last few years to get to the team we have now, and we hope to take a big step forward towards winning our conference and region.”

What separates RCSJ’s philosophy is a relentless commitment to mat time for every single wrestler. The staff schedules exhibition matches after duals, enters the entire roster into open tournaments, and even organizes events following the Region tournament so non-postseason starters keep getting reps. Additionally, the staff runs the Runners Wrestling Club, a completely free offseason club open to local high school and college wrestlers, to keep South Jersey wrestling growing collectively.

For Toppin, the ultimate trophy isn't just podium finishes in late February; it's watching his athletes transition into successful adults.

“I am most proud of how many of our wrestlers have moved on from wrestling to successful professionals in multiple fields: police officers, engineers, contractors, business owners,” Toppin says. “If you haven't considered the NJCAA as an option, it might be worth an honest look.”

Drive twenty minutes northeast to the Blackwood campus of Camden County College, and you’ll find the reigning kings of Region 19. The Cougars executed a stellar campaign last season, sweeping both the 2026 GSAC Championship and the Region 19 Title before marching into the NJCAA Division III National Championship tournament and securing an 8th-place national finish.

Camden County proved that small-college wrestling in South Jersey can compete with anyone in the country. The standard in Blackwood was set high by standout Anthony Evangelista, who captured individual GSAC and Region 19 titles at 197 pounds before capping his year as an NJCAA All-American.

Following the departure of longtime head coach John Chillem, the Cougars transitioned leadership to a familiar face: Alex Velez.

Velez, a former Camden County College wrestler and dedicated assistant coach, officially took the reins of the program. Supported by assistant coaches Jason Carter and Johnny Stanton, Velez inherits a culture accustomed to winning, but one that faces the unique JUCO challenge of replacing elite turnover every two years.

Camden County's success lies in its local recruiting footprint. The Cougars draw heavily from the tough, wrestling-dense public school programs of Camden, Gloucester, and Burlington counties. The practice room in Blackwood operates as a mixer of South Jersey styles…scrappy, technically sound, and aggressive on top.

As Region 19 competition heats up, Camden County enters the year not as the hunter, but as the hunted. With RCSJ loading up its roster with 24 athletes, the cross-county rivalry between the Roadrunners and Cougars promises to be one of the most intense team battles in the tri-state area.

While RCSJ and Camden County battle for regional supremacy, a remarkable resurrection is taking place just across the Pennsylvania border in Wayne.

Valley Forge Military College (VFMC), "The Military College of Pennsylvania", officially reinstated its men’s and women’s wrestling programs. For a program whose legacy includes past NCWA National Champions like LtCol Justin M. Bellman (’99), returning to the mat was a long-overdue homecoming. The rebirth became official on January 22, 2026, when the Trojans stepped onto the mat against Williamson College of the Trades for their first dual meet in nearly a decade, sporting VFMC's newly debuted athletic logos.

To build a program from scratch inside a disciplined military environment, VFMC needed a leader with a proven pedigree. They found it in Rob Hjerling.

Hjerling was appointed Head Coach and Director of Athletics after an extraordinary 21-year tenure as the head coach at Division I military college The Citadel. During his time leading The Citadel, Hjerling was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year twice, led his 2004 squad to both SoCon regular-season and tournament titles, coached four D-I All-Americans, and developed over 30 NCAA qualifiers.

A former NCAA qualifier and Conference Most Outstanding Wrestler at American University, Hjerling brings an elite level of technical and organizational expertise to Wayne.

“Rob is exactly the leader we want building this program,” said Colonel Stuart B. Helgeson, USMC (Ret.), President of Valley Forge Military College. “He understands the balance of athletic excellence, academic responsibility, and character development. His experience in a military college environment makes him an ideal fit for VFMC and for the cadet-athletes who will help us reestablish wrestling as a flagship sport.” (Quote from VFMC Website)

VFMC initially launched its return by competing in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) during the early months of 2026. However, the program’s long-term vision moved swiftly. In May 2026, VFMC was officially accepted into NJCAA Region 19. The Trojans are aggressively recruiting to launch full NJCAA Division I intercollegiate competition for both men and women starting in the 2027–2028 academic year.

Combining a military structure with Division I coaching gives VFMC a unique recruiting proposition in the region. For cadet-athletes seeking high-level accountability, leadership development, and top-tier technical coaching, "The Forge" offers an atmosphere unlike any other in junior college wrestling.

“VFMC has a proud history of developing disciplined, motivated young leaders, and I’m honored to be part of bringing wrestling back to The Forge,” Hjerling said. “There is tremendous potential here. We’re going to recruit talent, build a strong culture, and create a program the Corps of Cadets and alumni community can be proud of.” (Quote from VFMC Website)

When you look at the 50-mile radius around Philadelphia City Hall, it’s easy to focus on high school state tournaments or Division I duals. But the core of regional wrestling development sits firmly within the NJCAA.

Whether it’s Rowan College of South Jersey providing a fresh start for 24 athletes through open tournaments and free offseason club practices, Camden County College proving that local talent can win on the national stage, or Valley Forge Military College building a premier military-style JUCO option from the ground up, the junior college ecosystem in our back yard is thriving.

JUCO wrestling isn't just a detour. For dozens of young men and women in the Delaware Valley every year, it is the bridge that keeps their athletic dreams alive while building the foundation for the rest of their lives.