‘Take the Risk’

Merlin DiLone ’25 was en route to wrestling practice when he got the news. The Bronx native who lives by the motto, “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in life is easy, ¹” earned a full four-year scholarship to Wesleyan University through QuestBridge. The news he said, “Lifted a huge weight from my shoulders, my mom’s shoulders and everyone in my family. I know a couple of teachers at Benedict’s who are still in loan debt. I’m grateful that’s something I won’t have to worry about.” 

 A standout wrestler since middle school, Merlin connected with St. Benedict’s Prep through Beat the Streets Wrestling New York City, a non-profit that utilizes the sport to advance the full potential of disadvantaged youth. Though he bonded with his Overnight group and gave 100% to Gray Bee Wrestling, it was a quirky Spring Phase project called Creative Content that inspired Merlin to get more involved in the community. Students wrote original skits that they filmed and edited, developing communication skills along the way. For then UD1 Merlin, “It was about being creative and also being yourself and letting other people see who you really are.” 

A Leahy House resident since freshman year, Merlin joined the Admissions Team, became a student ambassador for the Office of Advancement and participated in Building Bridges. A Project Acceleration course through Seton Hall University, taught by Ivan Lamourt, Psy.D. ’82, sparked an interest in psychology, which Merlin plans to study at Wesleyan. One assigned reading, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, was a lightning bolt moment as Merlin recognized parallels between his own circumstances and the late Rob Peace ’98. Subsequent talks with Dr. Lamourt have Merlin thinking about interning at the Grossman Family Counseling Center after college. 

For now, Merlin is concentrating on classes, wrestling and spending time with friends. “Take the risk,” is advice he’d give an eighth-grader from his neighborhood presented with the opportunity to attend The Hive. It’s an ethos ingrained from wrestling and his mentors, Athletics Director Frank DePiano ’01 and Head Wrestling Coach Harry Turner, who’ve shown him where discipline and persistence can lead. According to Merlin, “Taking risks, that’s what life is really all about.”

_{¹ Motto credited to Dan Gable, two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion and Olympic gold medalist.}