#38 Jonah Wisch

Nickname: Hollywood, All American Quarter Back, J Shwisch, Joga
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 168
Position: handler
Years w/ESN: A 2014-2018
Major: Athletic Training
Hometown: Glenside, PA
Former Teams:

  • Cheltenham High School, Cheltenham, PA (2009-2013)
  • Philadelphia Gavel, Philadelphia, PA (2011-2012)
  • SouthPAW, Philadelphia, PA (2012)
  • DEVYL (Captain), (2012-2013)
  • Philadelphia Spinners, Philadelphia, PA (2013)

E-mail: jaw202 AT pitt.edu

Awards:

  • 2018 Ohio Valley 1st Team All-Region (5th Year/Grad)
  • 2017 Ohio Valley 2nd Team All-Region (Senior)
  • 2015 Ohio Valley 2nd Team All-Region (Sophomore)
  • 2014 Ultiworld Rookie of the Year First Runner-Up (Freshman)
  • 2014 Ohio Valley 2nd Team All-Region (Freshman)
  • 2014 Ohio Valley All-Freshman
  • 2014 Ohio Valley Freshman of the Year

Biographies
2017-2018
Jonah is back for his fifth and final year playing for En Sabbah Nur. Having played on the A team for the last four years, he is one of the many veterans on this team. Every team workout is organized by Jonah. His exercise science rating is a 99 which makes all his workout advice extremely important. If you haven’t heard, make sure to get his book that is coming out. It provides a lot of insight on training for college, but it is worthwhile to read even if you are a younger or older player.
His leadership along with his strong play is important for this young roster. Whether it be locking down the opponents best player, or sealing out his defender for an upline. Jonah does a lot and expects a lot from this team, he is truly a player people strive to become.

2016-2017
Jojo. J. Swisch. Boom Gainz. The leader of the Swole Patrol.

It doesn’t really matter what you call Jonah. You know what you’re getting from him every time you cross paths: a man on a mission who hasn’t forgotten how to smile. Jonah immerses himself in ultimate like it’s a foreign language, whether it’s programming the team workouts as the strength and conditioning coach of ESN, giving advice and offering a fresh perspective to others as a teammate, outfitting himself in a motion capture suit to analyze his throwing form as a student researcher, or doing yoga in the living room and cooking meals alongside the frisbee players he sleeps across the hall as a roommate. Jonah doesn’t balk at the commitment that our team demands of him; he takes it as a challenge.

On the field, Jonah fits the mold of hard-working field general. His persistent engine, quickness paired with physicality, and x-ray field vision prime him to step into the forefront of the national conversation for his senior year after missing the majority of 2016 with a shoulder injury. Jonah’s crafty throws and unpredictable movement make him a nightmare for any handler-cover. Trust us when we say that Jonah is going to hit the ground running.

At the same time, Jonah is always game for late night Fuel & Fuddle or just sitting on a couch and trading banter with the guys. For every second he spends training or studying, he matches it laughing or grinning like an idiot. If somebody farted, and Jonah was in the room, it was him.

Most inspirational activist: Tie between Gaindhi and Morgain Freeman
How he likes his defenders: Heavily toasted
Present he would give everyone if he were Santa: The gift of lift
Favorite President: Donald Pump
Favorite hairdresser at Puccini’s: Mary Beth because she lovingly shampoos your hair
Signature uniform: A reversible tank top so tight, it cuts off your circulation (Refer to CCC 2016)
Favorite throw: Whichever one breaks your soft, lazy mark

Motto: Let’s get better.

2013-2014
Jonah Wisch could be the first athlete ever to go professional before going collegiate. Of course, the obvious exception here is that his college team is probably better than his pro team.

Still, though, Wisch walks onto the Pitt Ultimate team as one of the most polished players The Program has seen in years. With smooth breaks, quick steps and smart decision-making, this freshman is the kind handler Pitt hopes to lean on in the years to come. Despite Wisch’s experience in top-level Ultimate, he admits that he’s never been explicitly taught the strategy of the game.

“Most of what I do on the field is instinctual,” he said. “Now that I am at Pitt, I have all the resources to heighten my understanding of complex strategy.”

While Jonah is certainly concerned with his academic career, he doesn’t hide the fact that Frisbee is a big reason for his decision to come to Pitt. Apparently, when asked why he chose Pitt, Wisch usually drops the clich? line about “being in state” or “having a good rehab sciences program,” but he’ll quickly admit that the real reason he came to Pitt to is to win a National Championship.

With a Philadelphia background, Wisch joins some fantastic Pitt alum the likes of Sean McComb, Zach Kauffman, Pat Hammonds, Rich Coker, Kyle Baynes, Jason Kunsa and many more that came from the City of Brotherly Love and crossed into western Pennsylvania to compete with En Sabah Nur.

Quickly, Wisch has found players to look up to.

“On the track I try to emulate Aaron Watson,” he said. “Someday I will hold the record for 400 knockdowns.”

Asked about his dream girl and the player whose game he looks up to the most, one of Jonah’s answers is probably going to surprise you: “Megan Fox in Transformers 2 when she is on the motorcycle and Chen Su.”