Nick Martino Places at Prep Nationals

[atlantaal]

It's two weeks old news now but former RI and New Champ Nicholas Martino of Bishop Hendricken placed 5th at 285 at the National Prep Wrestling Championships on Feb 23. Nick lost 5-3 to the 4th place finisher in the quarters then lost 5-3 to the 3rd place finisher in the consi semis. Along the way he beat the 7th, 8th and 9th seeds in matching his 5th seed position. I knew Nick was at Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania, one of the top 10 high school wrestling teams in the country (not just prep school teams) along with another former New England champ, Tim Kane of Connecticut. However, I didn't know that post-grads could wrestle in the National Preps anymore and I know he put in four years at Hendricken and was still building himself up for football in college. He beat another New Englander for fifth, Minch of Loomis-Chaffee prep in Connecticut.

It was nice to see a Rhode Islander place in a national tournament, especially since he came the closest to placing of all of the RI entrants in last March's NHSCA championships (including all the Ponaganset, Coventry, Chariho and Hendricken standouts). He was one win away from placing at Senior 285, losing by one point to both the national runner-up and the 3rd place winner.

Link for the National Prep brackets and results from Floarena below. Note there were numerous place-winners from New England prep schools.

arena.flowrestling.org/event/30190d10-59b8-ff0e-3e95-12f1281dc544