Cameron Matthews has had a remarkable wrestling career, marked by consistent success and high achievement at both the high school and collegiate levels. His dedication and skill have earned him numerous accolades, establishing him as a formidable competitor in the wrestling community.
A wrestling match demonstrating the intensity and skill required in the sport.
High School Career at St. Ignatius High School
While wrestling for head coach Mark Sullivan at St. Ignatius High School, Cameron Matthews established himself as a dominant force. He was a four-time Ohio state place winner. As a junior Matthews won the 145 lb. state championship with a 4-3 decision over T.J. Rigel of New Carlisle Tecumseh High School, capping a 40-3 campaign.
His high school achievements include:
- A 147-16 record.
- Second place at the 2010 state championships at 152 lbs.
- Pair of third place finishes as a sophomore and freshman.
- A year ago finished the season with a 28-4 record, reaching the 152 lb. championship bout before suffering an 8-6 loss to Waquiem Comar of Twinsburg High School.
- Was third at the state championships as a freshman at 135 lbs., ending with a 42-5 record, and a year later was third at 140 lbs., ending up with a 37-4 record.
- Was ranked ninth by InterMat at 152 lbs.
Collegiate Career at Edinboro University
Matthews continued his wrestling career at Edinboro University, where he achieved significant success and earned numerous accolades. He redshirted while competing in open tournaments at 149 lbs in 2010-11... posted a 17-4 record with 2 falls, a technical fall and 6 major decisions. He took first place in the Ashland Bill Harris open, going 5-0 with a fall and three major decisions. Matthews was fourth in the UB?Open and fifth in the Cleveland State Open. He is 29th in career victories with a 98-24 record, and is 17th in career winning percentage (.803). He became a three-time national qualifier and earned All-American honors for the first time in 2014. Also Matthews is a two-time EWL champion and three-time PSAC titlist.
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Key highlights of his collegiate career include:
- Three-time national qualifier.
- All-American honors in 2014 with a fourth-place finish at 149 lbs. at Nationals.
- Two-time EWL champion.
- Three-time PSAC titlist.
2011-12 Season
In his first season, Matthews earned a trip to the NCAA Division I National Championships with a second-place finish at the EWL Championships. He went in as the ninth seed but would finish 1-2 at Nationals to end the year at 36-9. Matthews had two falls, six technical falls and six major decisions. He lost a 3-2 decision to tenth-ranked Tyler Nauman of Pittsburgh in the EWL finals, the fifth meeting between the two. Matthews captured third place at the Midlands Tournament, going 4-2 at one of the toughest tournaments in the country. That included upsets over sixth-ranked Eric Terrazas of Illinois and 12th-ranked Nick Lester of Oklahoma, the latter in the third place match. He won the PSAC Championship. Matthews also finished third at the Michigan State Open and UB Open. Seven of his losses came to nationally-ranked wrestlers. He defeated Nauman twice, both in the Las Vegas Invitational, including a 5-3 decision in the third place match at the Las Vegas Invitational. Matthews also defeated 15th-ranked Cam Tessari of Ohio State in Las Vegas, 7-6 in a tiebreaker.
2012-13 Season
Matthews made a second trip to Nationals and would go 3-2, reaching the Round of 12 and finishing one win shy of All-American status. He ended the year with a 30-9 record, including three wins by fall, four technical falls, and four major decision. Matthews claimed first EWL Championship thanks to a 7-0 major decision over Pittsburgh’s Ronnie Garbinsky. His first EWL bout was a 17-0 technical fall (6:36) over Tyler Bedelyon of Clarion, a national qualifier. He won second PSAC championship, winning by technical fall and major decision before winning by medical forfeit over Bloomsburg’s Josh Roosa. Matthews later defeated Roosa 4-0. In MSU Open, Matthews dropped 5-4 decision to 15th-ranked Steve Santos of Columbia in the finals. He had second place finishes at UB Invite and MSU Open. Matthews had tough early draw, facing top-seeded Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State . He would lose by major decision, but came back to run off three straight wins in the wrestlebacks - 13-6 over Ian Paddock of Ohio State, 3-1 over Cornell’s Chris Villalonga, and by fall at 59 seconds over Nick Lester of Oklahoma. Matthews was eliminated via a 5-2 decision to tenth-seeded Ivan Lopouchanski of Purdue. He went 2-2 at Midlands Championships.
2013-14 Season
Matthews earned All-American honors for the first time with a fourth place finish at 149 lbs. at Nationals. He finished the year with a 32-6 record with 2 falls, 5 technical falls, and 11 major decisions. Matthews qualified for Nationals for third straight year after winning second consecutive EWL title. Matthews also picked up his third PSAC championship, again defeating 16th-ranked Busler via a 5-3 decision. He opened the season with a third place showing at the Clarion Open while wrestling at 157 lbs. Matthews went 6-2 at Nationals, defeating the top two seeded wrestlers in the process. He opened with a 16-3 major decision over Lock Haven’s Mac Maldarelli before dropping a 15-10 decision to ninth-seed Eric Grajales of Michigan. Matthews would run off five straight wins, beginning with a 13-3 major decision against Northern Iowa’s Robert Jillard. He posted the biggest win of his career in the next match, handing second-seeded Nick Dardanes of Minnesota a 9-3 defeat. His next match was an 8-3 decision over the 14th seed, Scott Sakaguchi of Oregon State. Matthews won by fall at 4:52 over Penn State’s James English, then upset top-seeded Drake Houdasheit of Missouri 5-4 in the consolation semifinals. Run finally came to an end as he dropped a 4-2 decision to Grajales in the third place match. He posted 6-0 decision over Bloomsburg’s Bryce Busler in EWL Championships. Matthews went 2-2 at Midlands Championships, losing to 19th-ranked Mitch Minotti of Lehigh (7-0) and Iowa’s Brody Grothus by fall . He had defeated Grothus by major decision 13-5 in dual.
The following table summarizes Cameron Matthews' key achievements at Edinboro University:
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| Achievement | Details |
|---|---|
| National Qualifier | Three-time qualifier |
| All-American | Earned in 2014 (4th place) |
| EWL Champion | Two-time champion |
| PSAC Champion | Three-time champion |
| Career Record | 98-24 |
Mississippi State senior Cameron Matthews talks NCAA Tournament invite
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