Announcement
Andrew Campolattano will wrestle for Ohio State
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After an illustrious four-year career at Bound Brook, senior Andrew Campolattano found pinning down his college choice was a lot more difficult than pinning an opponent.
The four-time state tournament champion, who previously had committed to Rutgers for football, finally decided on Ohio State after giving careful consideration to Virginia Tech, Nebraska and Lehigh. Campolattano heads to the Big Ten school as New Jersey’s all-time career leader in victories and pins after compiling a record of 175-1 with 116 pins.
“It’s a great day to be a Buckeye,” Campolattano, who wore a white sleeveless sweater with gray and red trim as he made the announcement on Monday in the library at Bound Brook High School, said. “It was a tough decision. All three were great schools. I took some time these last couple of days to really think about it.
“I chose Ohio State because they are going to give me the tools to reach my goals. My official visit was to see what it’s like to be a student at Ohio State. It’s a large campus, but I think I can handle it.”
The announcement culminated four months of speculation on where Campolattano, just the second four-time NJSIAA champion in New Jersey history along with Mike Grey of Delbarton, would attend college. Grey achieved his feat from 2003 through 2006.
Video: Bound Brook's Andrew Campolattano signs a national letter of intent to wrestle for Ohio State
In January, Campolattano, whose only loss in his scholastic career came to Blair Academy's Mike Evans in December 2009, reneged on a verbal football commitment he had made to play linebacker at Rutgers. He also played fullback at Bound Brook, where he was a First Team All-Somerset County selection on defense by The Star-Ledger last fall.
“He would have signed in November,” Bound Brook's long-time assistant wrestling coach Marty Gleason said, referring to Campolattano’s initial decision to play football. “He’s a thoughtful kid. This is by far the most intensive process we’ve gone through.”
Once Campolattano had decided that his future was in wrestling, not football, Gleason, head coach Kyle Franey and assistant Bob Doerr put together a list of criteria to help Campolattano with the process.
“We tried to give him a bunch of qualifiers, like academics, coaching staffs and facilities,” Gleason said. “In January, Ohio State wasn’t even in the top five.”
But a meeting with Buckeyes head coach Tom Ryan and his staff and a visit to the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus, accredited by USA Wrestling, cinched it for Campolatanno a few weeks ago.
“This is a good fit for me,” said Campolattano, who plans to major in finance. “I want to be my own man, learn how to live alone and handle responsibilities. But of course I will miss my family and friends.”
Campolattano, who won the state title this winter at 215 pounds and at 189 the three previous seasons, should have an immediate impact on an Ohio State team that was just 2-11 this winter and finished 29th in the NCAA tournament. He will be wrestling for Ryan, a two-time All-America and two-time Big Ten champion at Iowa.
“I’m ready to be in the starting lineup,” said Campolattano, who finished 44-0 as a senior. He capped his brilliant career when he pinned Cherokee's Mike Zeuli in just 47 seconds in the state final at 215 pounds at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. He then received the state tournament's Outstanding Wrestler award, which was an unanimous selection.
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