All eyes were on junior Angelo Ferrari as he won his match and received his second first place title at the 2022 Ironman Championship. Ferrari won gold in December 2021 at the same tournament. Over Veteran’s Day weekend in November, he did it again.

Ferrari made his way to Cleveland, Ohio, to compete in the Ironman Championship. Ferrari has been a wrestler since he was young. He comes from a long line of Italian-American wrestlers, including both of his older brothers. Even though he’s wrestling on a mat, there’s still lots of pressure, including other people wrestling on the mat next to him and coaches yelling at him for his next move.

Ferrari was asked how he remains humble and content in a loud and stressful environment.

“I remain relaxed in stressful situations by thinking about what I need to do, and I focus on staying calm throughout my matches when I am wrestling,” Ferrari said.

Ferrari had multiple opponents before he could make it to the championships. His championship tournament was two days long, Friday and Saturday.

This year is Ferrari’s junior year. He has multiple colleges offering him scholarships and he’s narrowed it down to five: University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Rutgers University, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Virginia Tech.

Ferrari reflected on his goals for this school year.

“What’s most important for me this year is the Ironman tournament…and also the state tournament in February,” Ferrari said. “I [also] want to get my deadlift to over 500 lbs.”

Today, lots of student-athletes are succeeding in their sports and at school. They get all the cameras and fame, but lots of them struggle behind the scenes. Sometimes cameras and popularity isn’t everything. Ferrari was asked what he thinks the current biggest struggle is for student-athletes.

“The greatest challenge for good athletes nowadays is the hate people get off Instagram and dealing with it,” Ferrari said. “A lot of people use it as a negative, but I use it as motivation and a positive.”

With being such a strong force in wrestling, Ferrari faces many adversaries. Before a match with a wrestler from Blair High School, coaches and spectators whispered about Ferrari. But, after a decisive win against Blair, Ferrari “flexed on” Blair coaches as he walked off.

Coming from a line of wrestlers, like his two older brothers and his dad, Ferrari naturally has gained lots of advice and instruction from his family. Ferrari reflects on some of the best advice he’s gained from his father.

“I’ve gained a lot of advice from my dad but the biggest thing is definitely mental toughness,” Ferrari said. “I try [to] focus and just give 100% at whatever I am doing. Don’t get caught up in wins or losses in the beginning, just focus on you and getting better.”