Perrotti Surges in Senior Campaign
Dec 21 | Wrestling
By Tom Luicci
ScarletKnights.com
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - In his search for an explanation for what went wrong last wrestling season, Anthony Perrotti found something more useful instead: Motivation for this year.
The fifth-year senior still hasn't figured out why he couldn't follow up an All-American season in 2013-14 - Rutgers' first wrestler to achieve that status since 2002 - with a repeat performance.
But it no longer matters. Disappointment has given way to dogged determination for the Scarlet Knights'165-pound standout, who is on track to finish his career with a flourish.
"This sport can humble you," he said. "Mentally, you have to be mature enough to handle it. Last year was a tough year for me. I wasn't there mentally. This year I'm in the right mental state every match and before every practice. It really makes a big difference when your head is in the right place and you have the right habits. It makes it easier to compete and to win.
"This year I'm really focusing a lot on my technique and the little things in practice. Last year I was focused a little bit of weight toward the end of the year. I was getting bad habits in practice because all I wanted to do was lose weight. This year I'm fine-tuning everything. I've never felt more prepared when I walk on the mat than I have this year."
By most standards, Perrotti turned in a solid campaign a year ago, going 20-10 overall (with a 13-5 dual record), beating a top 10 opponent and qualifying for the NCAA championships - though he was a quick exit at 0-2. But compared to what he and others expected after his All-America season the previous year, it didn't check enough boxes for the Roseland, N.J. resident and former West Essex High School wrestling star.
This year is more than making up for that. Perrotti is off to a 10-1 start, having won his last eight matches, and is 4-1 against ranked opponents. His most recent victory, a 9-4 decision over No. 4-ranked Austin Wilson, helped Rutgers to a 17-16 victory over fourth-ranked Nebraska on Dec. 12 at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
In the latest Intermat rankings Perrotti is up to No. 10 nationally. As a team, Rutgers checked in at No. 9 in the USA Today/ NWCA poll released this week. Perrotti's resurgence is part of the reason for the program's highest ranking since 2011.
"Maybe I had a little hangover last year from the year before," Perrotti said. "I don't really know what it was. It could have been a bunch of things. I don't think I was as focused as I should have been the whole season with my training. Even in the offseason, the summer. I feel this year, not being an all-American last year, has me hungry again. I'm so focused on what I want to do. It's made a big difference."
Perrotti has set the bar as high as he possibly can for this year, with his sights on becoming Rutgers' first national champion.
It is, he says, "a realistic goal."
But no matter how his season eventually ends, Perrotti is certain it won't be for lack of effort.
"I don't want to leave any doubt this year," he said. "Even if it ends in a way I don't want it to end, I don't ever want to look back and say `if I didn't cut that corner back in December maybe things would have turned out differently.' I come in every day knowing this is my last go-around and knowing there's a goal out there that I want to reach. So I'm putting everything I have into it. I don't want any regrets, no matter how this year finishes."
Perrotti, who started wrestling at the age of seven, has known success throughout his career on the mat. He was the New Jersey state champion at 130 pounds in 2011, becoming just the second state champion in West Essex High history. At Rutgers, he has carved out a 70-40 record overall.
"Looking back on my career, I was a state champ in high school, I placed three times in one of the toughest high school wrestling states in the country," he said. "I came here and was an All-American. For a lot of people to say that in their wrestling career is something to be proud of - and I bet there are not a lot of people who can say that.
"But I'm not done yet. It's not enough. Until you win a national title it's not enough. You go to bed, you think about it. You go through the day, you think about it. It's all I've wanted to achieve since I started wrestling. The fact that it's realistic is something that drives me every day - especially after the season I had last year."
