MORGANTOWN – When faced with a season-ending knee injury, University High School senior wrestler Kaden Nieman could’ve easily focused on himself and his senior wrestling season being stolen from him.
But instead of hanging his head in defeat and staying away from the UHS wrestling program, Nieman has done the exact opposite, going from one of the top-ranked wrestlers in his weight class this season to becoming one of the top-ranked teammates he could be for the Hawks.
Even though he can’t take the mat to compete, Nieman has remained a key member of the UHS wrestling team without missing a moment despite facing one of the toughest challenges of his wrestling career.
“No matter what I’m going through, at the end of the day, that is my team,” Nieman said. “Nothing changes that, so as long as I have the ability, I’m going to be there and stay with them. Obviously, my goal coming in this year was to win a state title, but just because I’m hurt now doesn’t mean I can’t be there in the end to support my team and be there when they accomplish that goal at the state tournament.
Since his injury, Nieman has found his own way to impact his team by being one of the best teammates he could be, and his team has recognized his efforts.
During the UHS senior night ceremony, the entire senior class revealed shirts they had made with the message “#NiemanStrong” written on the back in support of their brother.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know that was happening and didn’t see it coming,” he said. “All I noticed was everyone wearing the same shirt, and that I didn’t have one. I started to exit the floor until I saw the back of the shirts. That meant a lot to me that my teammates did that.”
Making its rounds on social media was a photo from the WV State Duals Tournament (won by UHS) showing Nieman celebrating a teammate’s victory as if he were the one wrestling the match.
“I mean, it’s definitely a bummer, being my senior year, but it happens, and the way I have to look at it is to recover and be stronger for the future,” he said. “There can be positives in the situation just like the negatives, and it all just depends on how I handle it.”
Nieman held the starting role at 126 pounds for the Hawks and was ranked 2nd in the state prior to his injury.
Filling his spot has been Jacob Hensely, who hasn’t missed a step, capturing the Division I North Regional title this past weekend.
“Jacob is aggressive and practices just as hard as he wrestles in real matches,” Nieman said. “He’s fast, and he works really hard.”
So if you happen to attend the 2026 WVSSAC State Wrestling Tournament in Huntington next weekend, and it looks like University High added another coach, that’s just senior Kaden Nieman being a great teammate and showing up for his team in the best way he can.
