Wrestler Matt Di Staulo earned a seventh-place finish at the CIS Championships held March 5-6 in Calgary.
After losing his first three matches, Di Staulo beat McGill University’s Henry Gass in his fourth and final match. Di Staulo, a rookie competing in the 57-kilogram division, previously wrestled for Regiopolis High School in Kingston. A neck injury he suffered in October left him out until January, when he returned to win a bronze medal at the OUA finals.
A first-time competitor at the national level, Di Staulo said some nervousness was to blame for his early losses.
“It’s more of a mental thing and a preparation thing. At first I didn’t really know what to expect, but as the tournament went on it felt more natural.” In his first match, Di Staulo lost to Concordia University’s David Tremblay, the eventual gold medalist in Di Staulo’s weight class.
Matches at the CIS level are structured around three two-minute rounds in which competitors gain points for various takedowns. If either wrestler pins his or her opponent, he or she is immediately declared the winner. Otherwise, the winner is decided by whoever wins the majority of the rounds.
Wrestling head coach Jamie Macari said he spent a lot of time working one-on-one with Di Staulo in the weeks leading up to the CIS Championships, adding that he has the potential to develop into a much better wrestler.
“He’s got the fundamentals and he’s committed,” he said. “He can become a really good wrestler if he commits his whole heart and his whole mind.” Technique aside, Macari said success in wrestling is determined by one’s willingness to battle through obstacles.
“Our [personal] characters need to be willing to grow for our potential to be seen,” he said.
Di Staulo said he hopes to improve on his results next season.
“I want to improve my position in the OUA and make it to the final match. And at nationals, I want to medal,” he said.
If he can avoid grappling with another season long injury, the experience on the national stage this year should leave Di Staulo in a good position to challenge for the podium in 2011.
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