May 28, 2026 By Jonathan Guth 3 min read

Nolan Rice will have to change his colors from royal blue and white to maroon and white, but he will still be competing for the Falcons when he begins his collegiate wrestling career in 2027.

Rice, who will be a senior at Connellsville this upcoming season, selected the Fairmont State University Falcons to continue his academic and wrestling careers in college.

The current Connellsville Falcon publicly announced his commitment with a post on his Instagram account on May 1.

Rice wrote: “Thanks to all my coaches, friends, and family who have been on my side since day one. Can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for me.”

Rice’s message was accompanied with a photo of him in a Fairmont State singlet and “FAIRMONT STATE UNIVERSITY COMMITTED” written in large font.

Fairmont State was the first school Rice visited, and he was impressed with what he saw, but decided to take some time to weigh his other options. Edinboro, Kent State and Pitt-Johnstown were also on his radar.

“I was pretty much ready to go to Fairmont after that first visit, but my dad advised me to wait and see what happens,” Rice said. “It started out as a small process, then it turned into a big process.

“I think what separated Fairmont from the rest was the small size, great academics and the wrestling is solid. It just seemed like the right fit for me. The recruiting process is a little bit stressful. I’m glad I’ve made my decision and now I can just focus on my senior season of high school.”

Rice and his future coaches have discussed the possibility of him competing at 141 pounds at the collegiate level. He wrestled at 127 for Connellsville at the state tournament this past season.

“I have been hitting the weights pretty hard and also working on fixing my diet,” Rice said. “I plan on wrestling at 139 this year in high school, and I want to make sure I am eating the right foods and also building up my strength, which is key in collegiate wrestling.”

Rice, who prides himself on his top wrestling, will work to improve in all phases of the sport, but he pointed out hand fighting and finishing takedowns as two key components to be successful in college wrestling.

“Being on top is by far my best position in wrestling,” Rice said. “It has always been something I did well at, even when I was younger, then, I started to learn legs and other little nuances to help turn people. There is always something to learn, so I will keep working on that.

“I also need to work on hand fighting and finishing takedowns because it is completely different in college. I have wrestled multiple college guys, and that is always something I noticed.”

Rice has qualified for the individual state tournament in Class 3A his first three seasons, including an eighth-place finish as a sophomore. He has a career high school record of 121-37.

Rice will study electrical engineering in college.

“I was always told that I can’t wrestle unless I do well in school, and that has carried over,” Rice said. “I focus my time on my studies and improving in wrestling. I took three days off after the state tournament in March and was back in the room ready to work.”