Entering the season as the underdog, the wrestling team came back with a vengeance and finished with a record season for the school.
“Led by senior captains, Michael Olgiati, Anthony Castano and Jonathan Lobo, the team ended the season on a high,” junior Rick Schneider said. “We had a strong group of returning wrestlers and are excited for next year’s season.”
The seniors led the wrestling team to victory against their Island rivals: St. Peter’s and Tottenville High Schools. Furthermore, Olgiati, Castano and Lobo each triumphed into the 100 Win Club, with 106, 109, and 109 wins, respectively.
“The number of students on the team increased since last year, and everyone improved,” Michael Olgiati said. “This was shown by our performance in CHSAA Cities, where we placed third for the first time in seven years.”
The increase in members allowed the wrestling team to have a complete team, able to compete in many events.
“It was fun to have many new freshmen on the team this year,” sophomore Daniel DePalo said. “This added to my overall wrestling experience because we had such a large, energetic group, and we didn’t have to forfeit any matches.”
Overall, the wrestling team surpassed its expectations. Each member of the team had a successful year. However, wrestling proves to be not only an individual sport, but a team sport as well.
“I had a lot of fun being on the wrestling team under the guidance of coaches Christopher DiGregorio, Matt Lobo, Jeff Vetrano, and Jesse Cusimano,” freshman Brendan Sierp said.