Alec Pantaleo
Personal information
Full nameAlec William Pantaleo
NationalityAmerican
Born (1996-07-09) July 9, 1996
Canton, Michigan, U.S.
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight70 kg (150 lb)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle and folkstyle
College teamMichigan Wolverines
ClubCliff Keen Wrestling Club
Coached bySergei Beloglazov
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing  United States
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place2021 Guatemala City70 kg
World Cup
Gold medal – first place2022 CoralvilleTeam
Grand Prix
Gold medal – first place2020 La Habana70 kg
Gold medal – first place2021 Rome70 kg
Gold medal – first place2023 Nice70 kg
Gold medal – first place2023 Zagreb70 kg
US National Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 Las Vegas70 kg
Silver medal – second place2021 Coralville70 kg
Bronze medal – third place2018 Las Vegas70 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Michigan Wolverines
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Bronze medal – third place2019 Pittsburgh 157 lb
Big Ten championship
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Minneapolis 157 lb
Gold medal – first place 2018 East Lansing 157 lb
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Iowa City 157 lb

Alec William Pantaleo (born July 9, 1996) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 70 kilograms. In freestyle, he is the defending U.S. Open champion, was the 2021 Pan American Continental champion, claimed the 2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series and the 2021 Poland Open titles, earned silver and bronze medals (2021 and 2018, respectively) at the U.S. Open, and was a 2019 U23 U.S. team member.[1][2][3] As a folkstyle wrestler, Pantaleo was a three-time NCAA DI All-American and a Big Ten Conference champion out of the University of Michigan.[4]

Folkstyle career

High school

Born and raised in Michigan, Pantaleo attended Canton High School. While a high schooler, he became a MHSAA state champion as a sophomore and, after losing his junior season to injury, claimed runner-up honors at the state tournament as a senior, graduating with an 177–9 record and a 51–1 record in his last year.[5][6]

College

After his high school career, Pantaleo was recruited by the University of Michigan.[7]

2014-15

In his freshman year, Pantaleo made his collegiate debut at the Michigan State Open, claiming the title.[8] An unseeded wrestler, he then went on to place second at the prestigious Cliff Keen Memorial Invitational and racked up an 8–4 dual record during regular season.[9] At the Big Ten Conference Championships, he reached the consolation semifinals before being eliminated.[10] At the NCAA tournament, he went 2–2.[11]

2015-16

As a sophomore, Alec achieved All-American honors by placing sixth at the NCAA Division I national championships at 149 lbs. He pinned Drexel's fourth-seeded Matthew Cimato in 3:48 in the quarterfinal to secure his first All-American honor.

A few weeks prior, Alec took third at the B1G conference championship with a 4–1 record, avenging an earlier season loss to former NCAA national champion Jason Tsirtsis with a 8–4 decision in the third-place bout. He also earned third place at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec 4–5) with a 7–1 record.[12]

2016-17

Alec redshirted and did not compete in collegiate wrestling.[12]

2017-18

As a junior, Alec achieved All-American honors by placing fifth at the NCAA tournament at 157 lbs. He captured the B1G conference championship with a 3–0 record. At the conference championship, he defeated Ohio State's Micah Jordan with a 3–1 score in the final bout.

Earlier in the season, he went 5–0 to capture the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational title, including a 10–3 win over Micah Jordan in the final and a 9–3 semi-final win over Nebraska's fourth-ranked Tyler Berger.[12]

2018-19

As a fifth-year senior, Alec once again secured All-American honors by placing third at the NCAA championships. He carried a 6–1 record at his final collegiate competition, avenging his only loss of the tournament to North Carolina State's Hayden Hidlay. Pantaleo lost to Hidlay in the quarterfinals in overtime, but beat him in the third-place bout with a 5-3 decision.

Alec took third at the Big Ten conference championship with a notable 10–4 win over Northwestern's third-ranked Ryan Deakin in the medal match. Alec missed much of his senior season due to a serious case of mononucleosis.[12]

Freestyle career

Alec has garnered many levels of success in freestyle following his first appearance to the international circuit in 2015. Since then, Alec has finished top-eight at every United States Freestyle national-championships and represented the United States overseas in numerous notable sporting events.

2015

Alec finished with runner up honors at the Junior National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pantaleo fell to Wyoming's Archie Colgan in the championship bout.[13]

2016

Alec won the Junior National Championships at 66 kg, beating Princeton's Matthew Kolodzik in the first place-bout. In the weeks following he made the United States Junior World team at 66 kg by beating Kolodzik two more time times in a best-of-three final bout.[14] Pantaleo went on to represent the United States at the Junior World Championships in Macon, France later that summer.[15] While overseas he posted a 1–1 record, defeating Georgi Sulava from Georgia[16] in the opening round, but eventually falling to Viaks Vikas from India in the following preliminary match.[17] Pantaleo finished with a 10th-place finish at the 2016 Junior World Championships.

2017

Pantaleo placed 5th at the USA Senior National Men's Freestyle Championships at 70 kg in Las Vegas, Nevada[18]

2018

Pantaleo placed 3rd at 70 kg at the 2018 Senior National Men's Freestyle National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada.[19] He also placed 3rd at the 2018 Senior World Team Trials at 70 kg in Rochester, Minnesota[20]

2019

Alec won the 70 kg U23 National Championships in Akron, Ohio, and was bestowed the Outstanding Wrestler Award by USA wrestling following a remarkably dominant performance. Pantaleo posted a perfect 7–0 record and outscored his opponents by a margin of 69–2.[21] Additionally, he secured his spot as a 2019 U23 World Team Member. Later that year, Pantaleo finished 8th in the world at the U23 World championships in Budapest, Hungary. In the opening round Pantaleo defeated Stefan Tonu of Moldova by a score of 8–0. He then fell to Daud Ibragimov of Azerbaijan by a score of 9–8. Pantaleo finished with a record of 1-1.[22]

Domestically, Pantaleo also placed 4th at the 70 kg 2019 Senior National Men's Freestyle championships in Las Vegas, Nevada at and 8th at 74 kg in Fort Worth, Texas[23]

2020

Pantaleo won gold at the Cerro Pelado International in Havana, Cuba with a perfect 5–0 record while representing the United States at 70 kg. In the finals Pantaleo beat former United States national champion/ world team member Reece Humphrey by a score of 7–2.[24]

2021

Pantaleo earned a 3rd-place finish at the inaugural Flowrestling 150 lb 8-man bracket challenge in Austin, Texas. Pantaleo went 2–1 in route to a bronze medal, beating former NCAA national champions Jordan Oliver and Anthony Ashnault. Pantaleo fell to James Green by a score of 4–2 in the semi-finals.[25]

Pantaleo claimed the 70 kg title at the Matteo Pellicone International in Rome, Italy in April 2021. Pantaleo beat 2019 world-finalist Daulet Niyazbekov of Kazakhstan in the opening round and gold medal match with respective scores of 6-2 and 4–0.[26]

Domestically, Alec took 2nd at the 2021 U.S. Senior National Championships while competing at 70 kg. Pantaleo fell to James Green in the gold medal bout by a score of 2–7.[27]

In June 2021, Alec Pantaleo won gold at the 2021 Pan American Wrestling Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Pantaleo won all three of his matches by technical superiority, beating Carlos Romero Millaqueo from Chile with a score of 12–0 in the gold medal bout.[28]

Pantaleo also claimed the 2021 Poland Open championship in Warsaw, Poland. Pantaleo defeated James Green in the final bout by a score of 5–3. In his semi-final bout, Pantaleo defeated three-time world champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist Haji Aliyev of Azerbaijan with a score of 6-6.[29]

Pantaleo closed out his 2021 campaign with a medical withdrawal from the 2021 United States World Team Trials (wrestling). In his semi finals bout it is recorded that he sustained a rib related injury, causing for a medical forfeit. At that time of injury, Pantaleo was the top ranked wrestler in the world at 70 kg, according to United World Wrestling.

Freestyle record

References

  1. ↑ Andy Vance (2020-02-16). "Tomasello, Humphrey and Cox Compete for Gold at Cerro Pelado in Cuba". Eleven Warriors. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  2. ↑ "Pantaleo represents U.S. at U23 World Championships". cliffkeenwrestlingclub.com. October 28, 2019.
  3. ↑ Smith, Earl (2018-05-04). "Getting to Know: Alec Pantaleo, Michigan". The Open Mat. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  4. ↑ "Alec Pantaleo to continue international career with Cliff Keen Wrestling Club". Team USA. April 3, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Alec Pantaleo - Wrestling". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  6. ↑ "2012 MHSAA Division 1 Individual Wrestling Finals". mhsaa.
  7. ↑ "Michigan Wrestling Recruiting History". mwolverine.com. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  8. ↑ "Michigan State Open". Trackwrestling. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  9. ↑ "Pantaleo becoming "surprise" freshman superstar for Michigan". WIN Magazine. 2014-12-11. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  10. ↑ "McIntosh claims 197-pound title at Big Ten Championships | Penn State University". news.psu.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  11. ↑ "Morgan McIntosh Earns 3rd at 197 as Lion Wrestlers Continue on at NCAA Championships". Penn State University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Michigan Wrestling roster". mgoblue.
  13. ↑ "70kg Finals-Archie Colgan (Wyoming RTC) vs Alec Pantaleo (Michigan/CKWC)". youtube.
  14. ↑ "66 kg Final- Matt Kolodzik- Princeton vs Alec Pantaleo- Michigan Match 1". flowrestling.
  15. ↑ "Canton Wrestler Looks for Gold at World Junior Championship". patch.com.
  16. ↑ "Pantaleo-usa vs Sulava-geo". flowrestling.
  17. ↑ "Pantaleo-usa vs Vikas-ind". flowrestling.
  18. ↑ "Freestyle World Team Trials Preview at 70kg/154.5 lbs". Team USA. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Alec Pantaleo". Trackwrestling.
  20. ↑ "70 kg 3rd Place - Alec Pantaleo, Michigan Regional Training Center vs Ryan Deakin, Northwestern/ Chicago RTC". flowrestling.
  21. ↑ "Pantaleo captures 70kg title, Named OW at U23 world team trials".
  22. ↑ "Here's what we learned from the U23 wrestling world championships". NCAA.
  23. ↑ "74 kg 7th Place- Joey Lavallee vs Alec Pantaleo". flowrestling.
  24. ↑ "Pantaleo and Cox win Gold Medals at Cerro Pelado in Cuba". Team USA. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Bajrang tops Green to win Flo 8-Man Challenge at 150 pounds". intermatwrestle.
  26. ↑ "ALEC PANTALEO AND ZAHID VALENCIA ADD TO USA WRESTLING GOLD MEDAL HAUL AT MATTEO PELLICONE". Team USA.
  27. ↑ "70kg Finals: James Green vs. Alec Pantaleo". YouTube.
  28. ↑ "Several U.S. wrestlers win gold medals at Pan American championships". NBC Olympics.
  29. ↑ "U.S. Wrestlers Win Three Gold Medals And Nine Overall At Poland Open". Team USA.
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