Penn State Wrestling: Inside the Singlet – Wrestler Profiles for 149

Paul Feite

Year: Senior
Weight: 149/157
Major: Telecommunications
Hometown: Dillsburg, Pa.

Penn State Career

Paul has been with the Penn State wrestling program since late summer of 2018. During his first two seasons on campus, Feite competed in 19 matches at 157 pounds at the Shorty Hitchcock Open, Messiah Open, Clarion Open, Black Knight Invitational, and Wilkes Open.

Then during his junior season Paul dropped down a spot to 149 and completed in three matches in the 2021 Journeyman Classic.

Feite has not suited up for any matches during the current 2022-2023 season.

Prior to Penn State

Before coming to Happy Valley, Paul attended Northern High School in Dillsburg, Pa. While wrestling for the Polar Bears, Feite amassed a 120-43 career record, was a four year starter, a multiple qualifier for the state championships, and placed fourth in states his senior season.

Paul was named the team captain for all four seasons and he was selected to the Pennlive.com All-Star Team.

While in high school, Feite set his sights on wrestling for a DI program and he wanted to be a two time All-American. He felt that getting more scholarship money and competing on a DII team would possibly be a waste of time.

And going into he senior year, Paul was getting some wrestling offers and it appeared West Virginia might be his DI landing spot. Until his incredible finish in the 2018 PIAA Championships.

His razor thin loss in the semi finals combined with the grit and toughness he displayed got the attention of Cael Sanderson, who was in attendance at the Giant Center. Shortly after the state championship, Cody Sanderson reached out to Paul’s father and he told him to expect a call directly.

Which Feite originally thought was a prank.

That is until Cody called Paul and told him how impressed the Nittany Lion coaching staff was with his toughness and his energy. Following the call, Feite said he probably didn’t sleep that night and did somewhere north of 1000 pushups because he didn’t know what to do with the excitement.

“I don’t think there’s anyone who can hold my pace. Once I can control my stuff in my wrestling, I think I’m going to excel. I want to slow things down a little bit in a good way and stay relentless on the attack.”

Later that spring Paul took his visit to Penn State and right away he knew that was going to be the place for him.

Paul’s mother, Tanya, remembers the day he got started in wrestling, “Paul came home one day when he was in elementary school and said ‘Hey, I want to give this a try’. He handed me a paper from school and it said ‘try wrestling’.”

Feite’s father accompanied him to the first practice and he loved it from the word “go”. It wasn’t until Paul was 11 and he and his parents had to make a tough decision about his future playing soccer. Paul wanted to quit soccer so he could focus more on wrestling, and ultimately they all agreed.

Growing up, Paul was also a tremendous athlete. He played soccer, ran track, and ran cross country. Tanya said he always enjoyed sports where he could decide the outcome and not have to depend on others to win.

Hmm, that sounds an awful lot like another sport, but I can’t seem to think of it.

Outside of the world of sports, Feite enjoys hunting and fishing in the great outdoors. His family owns a cabin in Lycoming and that’s where you’ll find Paul and his brother and friends during the weekends when he’s not wrestling.

"“If you have not had the chance to meet Paul then you would not understand why it’s funny to know that his major is Communications. Paul can communicate with anyone. I have often joked that Paul can make friends with the wall. I have yet to meet a person who has not been blessed by Paul’s ability to make everyone feel like his friend. By the time he is finished in a room, everyone knows who he is because of his eagerness to welcome people in.” -Tanya Feite"

Paul also likes to spend his free time growing his faith.

Back in 2019, Roman Bravo-Young traveled back to his home state of Arizona to talk to fifth graders at the local Gallego Intermediate School. And Feite also accompanied RBY.

All Sports Tuscon was there to interview both grapplers following their meeting with the students.

Paul spoke about the challenges he had to overcome in life to get to where he was in wrestling. Just to be able to be a fellow wrestler in the best wrestling room in the country is an incredible feat.

He told the crowd of youngsters that wrestling without a left hand was nothing different to him. Feite said that he’d been adapted to it his entire life as it was everything he knew.

“Everyone makes a big deal about me wrestling with one hand and everything but I don’t think much any of it.”

The fifth graders broke into applause.

Feite doesn’t want people to focus on his arm and he doesn’t want it to be about what he can’t do. It’s all about what he can do. And what he’s shown he can do on the mat and off, speaks for itself.

While in high school, Paul spent a lot of his free time fundraising for kids in similar situations to him. He knew what they were going through and his time and devotion helped bring awareness to the community and help to those who needed it.

Paul even volunteered to council a young boy who had one arm. Just seeing what Feite was able to accomplish so far in his life, and to see how eager he is to help others, paints an excellent portrait of who he really is as a person and a teammate.