Wrestling co-captain Michael Savino '06 earned a wild-card bid to Nationals after his fourth-place performance this weekend at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships, hosted by Lehigh University. His effort led the Bears to a ninth-place finish. The grappler will finish out his Brown career next weekend in Oklahoma City at the NCAA Division I Championships.
Herald: Was making Nationals a goal for you throughout the season or more of a dream come true?Savino: This year, it was my goal definitely to make it to Nationals as a senior. Coming from such a hard conference, it has always been hard to make it out ... It's been something I've wanted to do since I've come to Brown.
What is your goal at the tournament?I want to go out, win some matches and place. Of course, the overall goal is All American, which is top eight. There are 30 guys in my weight class. I'll be around 25th once the seeding comes out, but I've wrestled five or six guys who are in the top 20 right now, so we're all right there. It's about who comes out, shows up and has a great day.
Apparently you had one of those great days at the EIWA Championships.For me that's what it was about against Lehigh. I've wrestled (second seed Derek Zinck) several times, and he was one of those guys that just had my number. There was some controversy in the seeding meeting. ... I was disappointed that night about (being seeded seventh and) not getting the seed I wanted, but I wound up (wrestling) him in the quarterfinals. He was an All-American as a freshman, and I knew I would have to keep it close, and I was able to score a take-down. ... I think it was one of my biggest college wins.
What's your favorite move?I have a sweep-single, an outside single. It's my go-to move. ... It's about sweeping their leg for the take-down.
What's your role on the team off of the mats?As co-captain, I try and be a leader for the younger guys. I'm 23 years old, and you have 18-year-old kids coming in as freshmen. I guess it's about being a role model in everything you do. For me, I have the added responsibility of a little brother (Mark Savino '08) on the team.
Do you two ever practice wrestling together?We don't really go live. I'm a little too heavy for him. If we did though, I think I'd give him a little big-brother beating. We wrestle more off the mats than we do on.
What are your weight classes?I wrestle at 157 (pounds), Mark is 141.
Do you have other family nearby?My mom is originally from Rhode Island and my grandma lives right up by Federal Hill. My aunt and grandma always come to matches and my parents make the five-hour trip from New Jersey.
Do you get to enjoy home-cooked Italian food?I was actually up at my grandma's yesterday. She came from Italy. ... I've always wanted to go there but never gotten the chance. ... I should speak more Italian than I do. I took four years in high school, so I can understand it conversationally, but that's about it.
Are you on meal plan?I'm off-campus, but yes, I'm on meal plan. I'll go out and put in the running miles, have hours of practice, I don't want to come home and cook and do dishes. ... I probably get an omelet from Dawn or Paula every day.
Why did you choose to attend Brown?I think the combination of athletics and academics was unbeatable. I could have gone to Lehigh, the national champs, where wrestling is your life, but I think I will be happy graduating with an Ivy League degree (in Business Economics), especially since I have reached my athletic goal of making nationals. I'll miss the atmosphere of Brown. I'm a people person and it's the perfect environment for it.
Do you know what you will be doing next year?It's hard to do the interviewing process during season. I have some contacts in New York City, but ideally I'd like to take a little bit of time off first.
More short-term then, how about for spring break?Ten of my friends from the team are going to Jamaica. It's not Disney World for this guy after Nationals, it's Jamaica. I've never gotten to go on a real spring break trip, so I'm really excited.
After nationals, you'll just be a normal senior. Any immediate plans?All season you're used to running, training, watching your weight. The first thing I want to do is relax and celebrate. I don't go out during the season; I almost become a hermit. I'm excited to get my face out there.
What will you miss the most about being an athlete?During a hard workout when you're really going at it on the mats - we call it "battle" because it's like a controlled fight without the punching - you get into an intense rhythm. After showering and you're walking to the Ratty, you get a great feeling about how hard you pushed yourself. I know I won't work out to that level after college.
What will you miss the least?Cutting and making weight. It would be like any other sport if you didn't have to do that. It's in the back of your mind constantly. When we get our food money to spend on away trips and we go to supermarkets before weigh-ins it's depressing. Afterwards though, you get re-hydrated and refueled before the match. I think you wrestle a bit better when you're hungrier though anyway. Get a little edgier.
