Monroe’s Michael Macchiavello is a NCAA champion.
The Sun Valley High School product won the 197-pound title at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland over the weekend, competing for North Carolina State.
“I’ll tell you right now it was definitely not easy,” said Macchiavello.
The redshirt-senior defeated Virginia Tech’s Jared Haught for the championship, after losing to him twice during the regular season.
“It was a great challenge,” said Macchiavello. “I knew that was my challenge going forward. I was happy to take it head on.”
By winning, Macchiavello positioned the Wolfpack in fourth nationally, giving the program its first-ever national team trophy.
“That’s something we’ve been striving for. It’s not just for me it’s for the whole team,” he said. “I’m glad I could help put us in that position.”
At Sun Valley, Macchiavello won the 2013 4A state championship at 182 pounds, finishing 61-1 his senior year.
His overall high school record was 185-28.
