Chris DiIorio hadn’t wrestled in five years, but didn’t think twice about strapping on the singlet and hitting the mat for LIU Post in its first season of wrestling since 1988.
The former All-State wrestler and All-County football player at Sachem East, and starting defensive back for Post football, picked up where he left off and has been a veteran leader for the Pioneers this year.
Wrestling at 197 pounds, DiIorio won his debut match, 25-9, beating Stony Brook’s Connor Watson earlier this winter. Post beat the Seawolves, 47-3, but has dropped nine straight dual meets since.
Majoring in health science, he hopes to get a job as a teacher and coach after graduating from Post. He spent the fall as a varsity assistant football coach at Sachem East, helping the Arrows to the most wins in a single season in program history.
This past fall he also dealt with the emotional ordeal of losing his brother and fellow Sachem East alum and grappler Paul DiIorio, who lost his bout with cancer. He wrestles in his honor.
Sachem Report caught up with DiIorio recently to talk about his decision to wrestle again.
What’s it like being the old guy on a team for a chance?
Being one of the older guys in the room you immediately have to step up and be the leader of the wrestling room. It’s tough being the older guy from a conditioning standpoint. I had to work extra hard to get back in “wrestling” shape. I would work out two or three times per day to get back to the best shape I could be in to wrestle at my highest level.
How difficult was it to wrestle competitively after five years away from the sport? Why wrestle again?
It was very difficult at first, the coaches were persuading me a lot to wrestle and they still believed I had a lot of potential. Another difficult part was cutting weight. I weighed around 230 pounds last year playing football and this year I’m wrestling at the 197-pound weight class. The reason why I decided to give wrestling another shot was I lost my last wrestling match in my high school career so I wanted to get another chance at winning again. In high school I wrestled at 189 pounds and now I wrestle at 197 pounds but playing football for four years and not wrestling for five years full time was the difference.
Talk about your first match back. What was that like? What were you feeling?
It was a home match and I was extremely nervous because all of my friends and family would be there. Even though it was not like high school I always tried to make my matches exciting and have the crowd be as loud as possible.
What has been your best moment as a student-athlete in your career so far?
During my sophomore year and we were playing the No. 2 ranked team in the nation, Bloomsburg. We played this game in the snow and it was one of the best moments I was a part of in my life. Beating this team helped our team become Co-PSAC East Champs.
Your brother passed away this past fall and it’s been tough for your family and the Sachem family. How much are you motivated to honor him?
It’s an honor to wrestle for my brother, even though I would rather have him in the stands or helping me drill but before every time I go out I close my eyes and talk to him and he gives me more strength and confidence to face my next opponent.
You’re fortunate to wrestle for legendary coach Joe Patrovich and his son Ryan, a very gifted wrestling talent from Islip and Hofstra. What has it been like to learn from them?
Coach Patrovich is a great coach and I am honored to wrestle for him. Ryan is a great mentor with a great wrestling skill set and background, which helps me tremendously since I have not wrestled full time in five years. Coach Patrovich believed that I would become an All-American wrestler and I truly believe that and I know he will be there when I’m at Nationals.
-As told to Chris R. Vaccaro