Biography
2016-17
Was named the PSAC Wrestler of the Year after earning All-American honors for the first time … ended the year with a 37-8 record, leading the Fighting Scots in wins … had four falls, 2 technical falls, and 15 major decisions … seeded seventh at 125 lbs., ended his second trip to Nationals as an All-American thanks to a seventh place finish … in addition, won his second straight EWL championship and is now a two-time PSAC champion … also finished fourth at the Southern Scuffle, while winning the Southeast Open and finishing third at the Las Vegas Invitational … opened his second appearance at Nationals with a technical fall over George Mason’s Ibrahim Bunduka, 21-3 (4:50), before suffering a 5-2 loss to tenth-seeded Jack Mueller of Virginia in the second round … would go on to run off three straight wins to earn All-American honors, starting with a 4-2 decision over Johnny Jimenez of Wisconsin, followed by a 5-2 decision over 15th-seeded Drew Templeton of Wyoming, and an 8-2 win over 12th-seeded Sean Fausz of North Carolina State in the All-American round ... would suffer a 6-4 loss in sudden victory to Oklahoma State’s Nick Piccininni, the eighth seed, in his next match … finished 5-2 at Nationals while capturing seventh place with a 10-3 decision over 16th-seeded Nathan Kraisser of Campbell … was dominant in winning PSAC and EWL crowns … won all three of his matches at the PSAC Championships by major decision, including a 14-5 win over Willie Bohince of Mercyhurst … won by fall, decision, and major decision at the EWL Championships, posting an 11-3 victory over Clarion’s Jake Gromacki in the finals … all eight of his losses came to nationally-ranked wrestlers, with two needing extra time … dropped a 6-2 decision to Mueller at the Southern Scuffle, but came to post a 6-5 decision over Kraisser, followed by a 5-2 decision over Piccininni … in the third place match, suffered a 2-1 loss to sixth-ranked Darian Cruz of Lehigh … also defeated Piccininni in the dual with Oklahoma State, capturing a 3-2 decision … went 5-1 at the Las Vegas Invitational to take third place … the lone setback was to second-ranked Joey Dance by a 4-2 decision, but came back to win the consolation final with a 7-1 decision over Northern Colorado’s Trey Andrews.
2015-16
Won EWL championship in first season as the starter at 125 lbs., ending the year with a 28-9 record with 11 wins by bonus points … had six falls, five technical falls and eight major decisions … named to Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie … entered Nationals ranked 19th by Amateur Wrestling News and TheOpenMat.com and 23rd by the WrestlingReport.com … went 1-2 in first trip to Nationals while facing seeded wrestlers in each match … opened with a 9-8 decision in a tiebreaker over 12th-seeded Paul Petrov of Bucknell … faced fifth-seeded Ryan Millhof of Oklahoma in his next match, losing 1-0 … was eliminated by fall at 4:41 by 11th-seeded Ronnie Bresser of Oregon State … won first EWL title with a 20-8 major decision over Jake Field of Lock Haven in the finals … won by fall and two major decisions in his three matches … co-winner of the EWL award for Most Dual Points … went 14-4 in duals, including 6-0 in the EWL … won first PSAC championship with 7-3 decision over Evan Link of Pitt-Johnstown in the finals … was second at the Roadrunner Classic … competed in the NWCA Classic undercard, winning an 8-2 decision over Devane Dodgens of Life.
2014-15
Enjoyed excellent redshirt season, going 18-8 in open tournaments with three falls, two technical falls and eight major decisions … placed in four tournaments, including a first place finish in the Mercyhurst Open … won a 13-4 major decision over Forrest Glogouski of Lake Erie in the finals … came in second at the ESU Open, winning his first four matches by technical fall or major decision … squared off against Brown University's Billy Watterson, a national qualifier in 2013, in the semifinals, and won an 8-4 decision to reach the finals … would suffer a 2-1 loss to Darian Cruz of Lehigh in the finals … Cruz was a returning All-American who placed seventh at 125 lbs. at the 2014 NCAA Division I National Championships … was named the EWL Freshman of the Week for his performance … also earned the honor after finishing second at the Edinboro Open … suffered a 4-2 loss in sudden victory in the rematch with Cruz … reached the fifth place match at the Nittany Lion Open but the match against Cruz was not wrestled.
HIGH SCHOOL
Highly-acclaimed recruit who was four-time Georgia state champion while wrestling for head coach Josh Stephen at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Ga. … became just the 27th wrestler in state history in over 50 years to win four state titles … finished with a 240-11 career record … won the 120 lb. Class 6A state title with a 23-8 technical fall over Mountain View’s Adam Flatt to end the year at 68-1 ... dominated the state tournament with a pin and three technical falls … competed in the 2014 Wrestling USA/Cliff Keen Dream Team Classic, wrestling for Team Georgia and defeating Cott Parker of Team USA 5-3 in the 120 lb. match … ended the year ranked third by InterMat and fourth by The Open Mat … was a 2014 honorable mention ASICS All-American … won the 113 lb. state title as a junior thanks to a 3-2 decision over Blake Walker of Cherokee to end the year with a 54-3 record … was named to 2013 ASICS All-America Third Team … won the 2013 NHSCA junior national championship with a win over Delaware’s Brent Fleetwood, the number two ranked wrestler at 113 lbs. by Flowrestling.com, in the finals … won 106 lb. state championships as a freshman and sophomore, helping Collins Hill to state championships both years … was 50-2 with 19 falls as a sophomore, winning a 14-4 major decision over Acher’s Sam Bullard in the 106 lb. state finals … had a 54-5 record as a freshman with 18 falls, claiming first state championship with 3-2 decision over Ryan Millhoff of Archer in state final … the loss avenged a setback to Millhoff in sectional tournament … Millhoff, now at Oklahoma, would transfer to Collins Hill and win three state titles …finished third at East Sectional and won the Region 7 championship, and would go on to finish with four regional and three sectional crowns … won a Georgia-record eight straight youth state titles … father George wrestled at Gardner-Webb University.
PERSONAL
Born December 12, 1995 … son of Laura Demello and George Russell … Health & Physical Education major … has three brothers (Codi, Dallas, and Ryan) and a sister (Giorgia) … brother Codi is a wrestler at Appalachian State.
