FARGO, N.D.—The Gilroy High wrestling program has a storied history of producing elite athletes. The Mustangs have sent several wrestlers to the Asics/Vaughan Cadet and Junior Nationals tournament in Fargo, N.D. before, but none have ever won it—until now.
Gilroy freshman Nicolas Aguilar took home not one, but two national championships July 18-26 at the FargoDome in Fargo. The 94-lb. wrestler claimed the Greco-Roman crown with a 7-2 decision over Brandon Meikel from Utah and won the Freestyle title by tech fall over Dylan D’Emilio from Ohio.
The newly minted Mustang trained for two months before the tournament, but all the physical preparation couldn’t prepare him for the thrill of wrestling on the national stage.
“It was really exciting being on the stage in front of tons of states and especially hearing your own teammates cheering you on,” Aguilar said. “My adrenaline was flowing and afterwards I called my dad and heard everyone in Gilroy cheering for me—there’s no describing how that feels.”
Gilroy wrestlers 2014 alum Nikko Villarreal, two-time NCAA champion Jesse Delgado and Hunter Collins, who went on to wrestle at Michigan, are among those who have wrestled at Nationals. Collins was the only one to come close to Aguilar’s accomplishment as the runner-up at the 2006 Cadet Nationals. He also placed fifth in the 2007 junior tournament.
“Knowing that my name is going to be in books for Gilroy makes me really excited; I was just really happy,” Aguilar said. “I’ve always looked up to those guys. Knowing that I did something they couldn’t is just really big for me; it’s a really big confidence booster.”
Aguilar did more than just win two titles in Fargo, he also caught the attention of Division I coaches from around the country. Gilroy coach Greg Varela said this tournament opened Aguilar’s eyes to possibility of winning world and Olympic titles, too.
“It’s exciting because all this does is light a fire under him,” Varela said. “Before this he was already one of the hardest workers on the team, so it’s a good thing.”
College is still four years away, however, and the freshman said his focus is solely on bringing home another California Interscholastic Federation state championship to Gilroy.
“I know the competition is going to get tougher because I have a big target on my back,” Aguilar said. “It just opened my eyes to how hard I have to push myself to train this year. I’m just taking things one step at a time and trying to win the high school state title.”
Varela believes that Aguilar can be Gilroy’s next state champ because of his commitment to the sport. That quality, the coach said, is what sets the young wrestler apart from everyone else.
“He’s not taking his athleticism for granted; he’s not resting on his natural abilities,” Varela said. “He’s added to it with his sacrifice, hard work and dedication. He wants to wants to master what he’s doing and he puts the time in.”
