WRESTLING DUO
Brothers and teammates
Tucker Ribman ‘18 and senior Cooper Ribman served as co-captains of the Lions wrestling team three years ago. Now, with Cooper committing to compete in Division One wrestling at Harvard University, the duo will once again be teammates on the mat.
HEAD-TO-HEAD Tucker Ribman ‘18 (left) and senior Cooper Ribman (right) shake hands while lining up against each other for a sparring match on the Lions home mat. Tucker, who is in his junior season at Harvard University, won multiple SPC championships and prep-state championships during his time on campus, among many other accomplishments.
B
March 11, 2021
Sports
The ReMarker
24
rothers, best friends and –– now –– teammates once again. Growing up together, they found a common love for wrestling. Dedicating their lives to the sport and competing against each other, they strived to become the best they could be. These Lions became captains, broke records and won championships. Their dominance on the mat left a family legacy. But the three-year difference between them only allowed for their paths to cross for one season. The unbreakable bond they both have, however, was too strong to keep them apart. It almost felt like it was destined to happen. These brothers’ wrestling careers will collide again this fall, and the duo will compete together on the Division One stage. Senior Cooper Ribman committed Dec. 18 to continue his wrestling career and join his brother Tucker Ribman ‘18 at Harvard University. The dynamic duo will be teammates on the wrestling mat once again as they were three years ago at 10600 Preston Rd. Cooper decided to follow in his brother’s footsteps because of both Harvard’s longstanding wrestling program and its prestigious academics. “As much as I like the fantastic wrestling program at Harvard –– they have great coaches and a great team –– Harvard also has world-class academics, which I was really interested in,” Cooper said. “Having an older brother that goes there is certainly an upside, but I think I definitely would have been looking at Harvard even if Tucker wasn’t there.” Tucker, who has wrestled at Harvard for the past three years, says he has loved his experience and enjoyed being surrounded by other fully committed student-athletes. “Everyone there is 100 percent committed to getting better on the mat and to performing well in the classroom,” Tucker said. “Division One wrestling is definitely a massive jump up from high school wrestling. Everyone is a lot faster and a lot stronger. They’re on diet plans, and it’s just a whole different level of competition, but I really embrace it and look forward to getting on the mat each and every time.” While the pair has wrestled around the house for all of their lives, Tucker was the first in the family
to start wrestling. His background in martial arts as a five-time USA Taekwondo National Sparring Champion and third degree black belt helped inspire his decision to begin. “I started in seventh grade at St. Mark’s because I was never really interested in basketball or soccer or anything, so I just gave wrestling a shot,” Tucker said. “It turned out I really liked it. At the time, I was doing taekwondo, and it was just too much of a commitment to keep doing that outside of school, so I figured I’d try wrestling instead.” While Cooper has found his own love for the sport, he says he initially began wrestling because of his brother. “I definitely would not have started if it wasn’t for Tucker,” Cooper said. “When he was in seventh and eighth grade, he’d come home and teach me all the new wrestling moves that he learned that day, so I kind of had to learn to keep up with him. Then, once I got into Middle School, we had such a great program with [former wrestling head] coach [Justin] Turner, so I just started from there.” These brothers, being three years apart, overlapped for one year in Upper School with both serving as varsity team captains. Cooper has been a captain for four years now, while Tucker served as team captain starting his sophomore year. “We overlapped one year when I was a freshman, and he was a senior, and it was awesome,” Cooper said. “It worked out really well that we got to share one year –– that way Tucker could keep leading the team and teach me how to be captain. But then, once he left, I was in a good position to take over the leadership of the team. I was able to learn a lot from Tucker that one year.” Tucker, one of the winningest wrestlers in school history, is a member of the Lions Wrestling Hall of Fame. During his time here, Tucker won two SPC championships, two prep-state championships and was a prep-national All-American. Despite his accomplishments, Tucker says he has learned a lot from his younger brother. “It’s always important to throw your ego out the door a little bit and take what you can from everyone and learn,” Tucker said. “The sport of wrestling is always evolving, and you can never learn everything there is to learn. Cooper has taught me a lot because
everyone has a unique style of wrestling. He pushes me just as much as I push him.” Like Cooper, Tucker is excited to be reunited with his brother as teammates. “Just like St. Mark’s, Harvard has a longstanding wrestling culture,” Tucker said. “I’m just excited I get to share that with my brother now. There will definitely be challenges, but we will get to tackle those challenges together.” STORY Peter Orsak, Dillon Wyatt PHOTOS Ekansh Tambe, Courtesy Tipton Edits
TAKEDOWN Senior Cooper Ribman picks up and drops his older brother, Tucker Ribman ‘18, with a smile on his face.
Senior five-star basketball captain Harrison Ingram named McDonald’s All-American by Luke Nayfa enior basketball captain Harrison Ingram was granted high school basketball’s highest honor: McDonald’s All-American. Growing up, Ingram devoted himself to basketball at an early age. In Middle School, Ingram played AAU basketball and gained attention from recruiters across the nation. Going into his freshman year ranked in the top 100 players in his class, Ingram wanted to take his game to another level with help from his father Tyrous Ingram, his brother Will Ingram ‘17 and head basketball coach Greg Guiler. “Before my first year on varsity as a freshman, I sat down with my dad and Coach Guiler to talk over some of the goals I envisioned achieving at some
S
point in my high school career,” Ingram said. “The three goals were: win an SPC title, rank as a top 10 player in my class and become a McDonald’s All-American.”
ALL-AMERICAN Senior Harrison Ingram was named a McDonald’s All-American along with 23 other players nationwide.
Throughout his varsity career, Ingram surged in the national rankings and is now ranked ninth in his class, according to Rivals.com. “I never worry about what people think of me as a player,” Ingram said. “I have had this mentality my whole career and this has really helped me keep my head down and focus on being the best player I can be. If I do this, all the ranking stuff will come on its own.” After the MCDAA committee released the announcement Feb. 23 on national television, Ingram couldn’t help reminiscing on his fourteenyear basketball career that led to this moment. “It’s any young basketball player’s dream to become a McDonald’s All-
American and to be a high-ranked player,” Ingram said. “For me to accomplish that with the help from my teammates, coaches and my whole inner circle really means the world to me.” Now, Ingram is focused on competing at the Divison One level. “The only thing on my mind now is winning a national championship with Stanford next year,” Ingram said.
Five notable MCDAA • • • • •
Magic Johnson, 1977 Michael Jordan, 1981 Shaquille O’Neal, 1989 Kobe Bryant, 1996 Lebron James, 2003
