Title hasn’t changed Central graduate

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As Penn State’s head assistant coach and a former national champion wrestler at Central Michigan, Casey Cunningham doesn’t get too worked up over any one match — even on the NCAA’s biggest stage.

In March, though, he was willing to make an exception.

“I think I had a pretty good vertical that night,” Cunningham said.

The leap Cunningham speaks of came after Central Catholic grad Vincenzo Joseph’s stunning victory against two-time defending champion Isaiah Martinez in the 165-pound finals at the 2017 NCAA championships. The top-seeded Martinez, at the time a junior at Illinois, had never lost a match at the NCAA tournament and was heavily favored to win his third title in a row.

But Joseph, a Green Tree native competing at nationals for the first time, didn’t just beat Martinez. He stuck him flat on his back, ending the match less than 30 seconds into the third and final period of a wild, back-andforth battle.

“I don’t know if there’s a more memorable finals match,” Cunningham said. “... You see the pictures of the people in the stands from the match, and all their mouths are open, just in shock. That’s a cool memory.”

Let Joseph tell it, though, and you’d think his incredible accomplishment was just another day at the office.

“I kind of try to move on to the next thing,” Joseph said. “It’s not good to dwell on stuff like that. It was great, winning a national title was awesome, but it’s a new year. That’s over with.”

This time last year, Joseph was just a redshirt freshman competing for a starting spot on the best wrestling team in the country. Now, he’s one of the brightest stars in a Penn State wrestling room chalk full of them. But he insists his approach hasn’t changed a bit, a credit to the team’s world-class coaching staff ledby Olympic gold medalist Cael Sanderson.

After all, winning a national championship in such dramatic fashion as a redshirt freshman could easily go to a young student-athlete’s head. Things are a little different at Penn State, though.

“It’s hard to be cocky when you walk into our room because you’ve got so many talented guys,” Cunningham said. “If one of our five national champs can’t put you in your place, then we have Olympic champs and World Team members that can put you back in your place.”

As Joseph looks to defend his title, he knows he won’t be catching anyone by surprise next year — least of all Martinez.

Penn State and Illinois don’t have a dual meet scheduled for the 2017-18 season, but Joseph and Martinez are virtual locks to meet up for their highly-anticipated rematch in the 165pound finals at the Big Ten championships. And if all goes according to plan, the two could square off again with a national title on the line at the NCAA championships in March.

Assuming they do lock horns again, Joseph — one of only two men to defeat Martinez along with teammate Jason Nolf — knows he’ll need to be ready for the Fighting Illini senior’s best shot.

“I expect it to be a good match,” Joseph said. “Dude’s really tough. I’m looking forward to it, I’m sure he’s looking forward to it, too. It will be a good time.”

Martinez still leads their series, 2-1, but Joseph won the match that counts the most. And if he defeats Martinez again at this year’s Big Ten and NCAA championships, he’ll hold the advantage in their head-to-head record, too. Just don’t call it a rivalry.

“I respect the heck out of the guy,” Joseph said. “He won two national titles, he wrestles harder than anyone I’ve ever wrestled against. He goes to win every match, and he’s fun to wrestle. I wouldn’t say it’s a rivalry, it’s just a good competition.”

Joseph, a two-time PIAA champion at Central Catholic, is no stranger to the top of the podium. And while winning the NCAA championship is a big step up from winning a state championship in high school, Joseph was clearlyready for the moment.

“I always imagined, ever since I was a kid, that’s the goal, to be a national champ when you go to college. I envisioned it for years,” Joseph said. “It’s a blessing for it to happen, but you’ve just got to keep looking forward. It’s a new year, and I’m looking forward to hopefully winning a national title this year.”