The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Tutolo will wrestle for Michigan State
Anthony Tutolo has been wrestling since he was 4, so given the choice to step away from the sport with one year of college eligibility remaining or compete in the nation’s top conference, the choice wasn’t difficult.
The Lake Catholic graduate and two-time state champion is set to graduate at the end of summer from Kent State with a degree in interpersonal communications. By mid-August, he’ll arrive at Michigan State and begin work in the school’s advertising graduate school, and wrestle as a Spartan for one final season.
It was the perfect situation for Tutolo, who had a successful run with the Golden Flashes the past three seasons. He compiled a 77-45 record competing at 133 and 141 pounds, and was an NCAA Division I tournament qualifier the last two seasons. In March, Tutolo was 29-13 and went 2-2 at the D-I tournament at Quicken Loans Arena.
He was set on attending graduate school, but Kent State didn’t provide the graduate degree he wanted to pursue. When he realized Michigan State was a fit for his post-graduate pursuits, and that the school was interested in him, it made for a match.
“Oh yeah, the Big Ten is some of the best wrestling out there. It’s something special to be a part of, and that was a big factor for me,” Tutolo said. “Every weekend I’ll probably have a top 20 guy, so the Big Ten schedule will be different, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Wrestling for MSU wasn’t something Tutolo planned — “It really was a last-minute thing” — but earning a graduate degree was the plan from the getgo.
“Graduate school is a big deal for me,” he said. “And wrestling is something that can carry me to those places. But wrestling is such a prevalent thing in my life. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
“I thought for a bit, ‘Should I continue wrestling?’ After a while, I knew I wanted to keep going. I think everyone that knows me would have been stunned had I not.”
Making the decision to attend MSU easier for Tutolo was having a close friend in the program. Two-time state champion Austin Hiles from Brecksville-Broadview Heights is a 165-pound redshirt sophomore for the Spartans. The two have known each other since Hiles grew up in Mentor, and Hiles’ father Joe coached them in youth wrestling.
“It will be really nice going there knowing someone,” Tutolo said.
Tutolo will remain at 133 for the 2018-19 season, and he’s expected to compete for the starting spot in the Spartans’ lineup.
“I’m pretty sure (133) is more of a open weight class for them,” he said. “I think it’s pretty much my spot, in my opinion. That’s the way I’m looking at it.”