Virginia Wrestling Association, the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond team up for Dick Glover Virginia Wrestling Scholarship

The Virginia Wrestling Association (VAWA) has partnered with the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond to manage the endowment, applications, and selection process for a merit-based college scholarship for Virginia athletes who have been involved in USA Wrestling activities during their wrestling career.
The Dick Glover Virginia Wrestling Scholarship Fund was established in 2015 for the purpose of supporting academic pursuits of young wrestlers. Annually, the fund awards two $1,000 scholarships to college freshmen who are attending a community college or a college/university in the United States.
To be eligible for this scholarship, the student must have been an active member of USA Wrestling during their high school years while demonstrating academic achievement, community commitment and financial need. Athletic achievements are not part of the criteria.
This scholarship honors the legacy of Dick Glover, a legendary teacher, coach and leader at Woodberry Forest School and Blue Ridge School in Virginia. The first recipients were selected in 2016, and the fund became permanently endowed in the spring of 2019.
This merit-based scholarship is funded by private donations. To support the Dick Glover Virginia Wrestling Scholarship, contributions can be made through the Foundation’s website.

Jay Aiello, a current wrestler at the University of Virginia and 2021 U23 world bronze medalist, was a recipient of the scholarship in 2016. Aiello attended Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia.
In 2013, the NCAA released a study that recognized wrestling as having the highest percentage of first-generation students of all NCAA sports. Seeing that study motivated VAWA’s leadership to support and incentivize all young Virginia wrestlers as they transition to college, not just those who continue to compete at the next level.
The 2022 scholarship application will open on January 3rd, and can be accessed through the Foundation’s website.
Scholarship Eligibility
• An eligible student must be a graduating high school senior of a public or private high school in Virginia.
• An eligible student must be, or must have been, an active member of the Virginia Wrestling Association (VAWA), Virginia’s USA Wrestling state association, during their high school years.
• An eligible student must be a candidate for high school graduation at the end of the current academic year, and plan to enroll in an accredited 2-year or 4-year community college, college or university in the continental United States the following academic year.
• An eligible student must demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, community commitment and financial need.


Scholarship Selection Criteria
• Academic achievement will be evaluated based on grade point average and test scores (SAT and/or ACT).
• Financial need will be evaluated on the basis of the completed student financial forms and information regarding pending scholarship applications, if any.
• Leadership in school activities and community service evaluated on the basis of the student's extracurricular involvement, academic standing, honors and awards, and involvement in the community through public service.
• Written response to personal statement: “Share about one or more relationships that have positively shaped you during your high school career.”
Dick Glover Bio
After graduating from Wabash College, Dick Glover served in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years reaching the rank of Captain. He earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia and taught history, coaching wrestling and football at Blue Ridge School and Woodberry Forest School until he retired in 2003. His wrestling teams won 535 dual matches, 25 league championships, 13 state championships and Virginia’s lone National Prep Championship. His football teams were undefeated 11 out of the 35 years he coached. Woodberry Forest School awarded Glover the E. Craig Wall Jr. Family Mastership in 1996, the George O’Connor Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2003, the Distinguished Service Award in 2005, and named the new fitness center after him in 2002. Coach Glover founded the Virginia Independent School Wrestling Association, which held the state’s first private school state tournament in 1971 with 11 teams (the 2019 VISWA tournament featured athletes from 29 independent schools). Coach Glover was elected to the Wabash College Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992, received a commendation from the Virginia House of Delegates in 1999 for his years of coaching excellence, was awarded the Wabash Alumni Award of Merit in 2002, then a year later he was elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (Virginia Chapter) in 2003.


Past Glover Scholarship Recipients
'16 - Jay Aiello (Westfield High School, Chantilly, VA – University of Virginia - 2019 & 2021 NCAA qualifier)
'16 - Lio Quezada (John Champe High School, Winchester, VA - George Mason University - Wrestled for 2 years, graduated early and began coaching. Was recently named head coach at Fairfax HS)
'17 - Bri Csontos (Culpeper County High School, Culpeper, VA - Columbia University - Represented USA Wrestling on numerous international tours including Jr. Pan Am gold medalist)
'17 - Stan Smeltzer (Smithfield High School, Smithfield, VA - Virginia Tech - Graduated from the engineering program while also wrestling for VA Tech throughout)
'18 - Jesse Kirby (Culpeper County High School Culpeper, VA - University of the Cumberlands - Finished the season ranked 6th in her weight class in the WCWA)
'18 - Ian Baker (Monacan High School, Chester, VA - University of Notre Dame - Graduated 4th in his HS class, plays in the Notre Dame marching band, dual degree candidate in chemical engineering and studio art at Notre Dame)
'19 - Solomon Harris (Richmond Community High School, Richmond, VA – VMI, currently wrestling at VMI)
'19 - Nic Sansone (Kellam High School, Virginia Beach, VA – UVA - Wrestling at UVA)
’20 – Elizabeth Dosado (Caroline High School, Ruther Glen, VA- University of the Cumberlands, currently wrestling in college)
’20 – Daniel Tohti (Chantilly High School, Fairfax, VA – UVA - Aerospace Engineering undergraduate program)
’21 – Liam Gordon (JW Robinson High School, Fairfax, VA – University of Pittsburgh - Freshman in the engineering program)
’21 – Marshall Lee (Lancaster County High School, Lancaster, VA – Virginia Tech)