Steve Marianetti As competitor, Marianetti became one of the most accomplished wrestlers ever at the University of Illinois. He was a three-time All-American and won the NCAA title at 150 pounds in 1995 -- defeating University of Iowa all-time great Lincoln McIlravy in the NCAA finals. He holds the Illinois single-season record for wins with 44 during the 1992-93 season. Marianetti ranks second on the school's career wins list with 120. After his collegiate career, he earned a gold medal at the 1997 Pan-American Championships, silver medals at the 1998 Goodwill Games and World Cup, and a gold medal at the 1998 U.S. Nationals. He also represented the United States at the 1998 World Championships in Tehran, Iran.
RevWrestling.com recently went one-on-one with Marianetti to discuss his expectations for the season, his future outlook, and his memories of beating McIlravy.
You were the second assistant at Illinois before coming to Elmhurst. How did you become interested in the Elmhurst position?
Marianetti: A few things happened. My wife and I are from this area, so we eventually wanted to get back here. It was a combination of my wife finding a job in this area and me wanting to have my own program.
While you were at Illinois -- you were coached by Mark Johnson and Jim Heffernan. And then you spent seven years on the same coaching staff. What did you take away from that experience of working with them?
Marianetti: They formed the foundation of my coaching philosophy. When I first got to Illinois, they weren't there. They came my sophomore year. My freshman year, I had a record of 13-9. The year they came, I had a record of 44-9 and finished fourth in the country. That's when it really hit me how important coaching was. That's when I first even became interested in coaching -- and it really seemed like a pretty rewarding career.
Last season, you had a 16-3 dual meet record. You guided your program to its first conference title since 1958 and an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. What are your expectations from a team standpoint this season?
Marianetti: I think we're going to be good again. I have goals for my team. After last year, we have high goals and high expectations now. We have some very good kids on the team. But we also lost quite a few of our starters. We have some young wrestlers who will have to step up, so I'm interested to see how they're going to do in competitions.
Last March, you were named Divsion III Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). What does that honor mean to you?
Marianetti: It's certainly an honor to be recognized by your peers. It told me that we're at least on the right track and that we can have a successful program at Elmhurst College.
What was the biggest change coming from a Division I program to a Division III program?
Marianetti: I think initially it was expectations -- expectations of success and expectations of work ethic. But now that I've been here a few years, a lot of those differences have changed. You've got kids who want to be successful wrestlers. At both places, you've got guys who are working very hard. So a lot of the differences have lessened greatly.
The Elmhurst program has made great strides since you took over in 2002. What was the program like when you took over in comparison to where it is now?
Marianetti: The good news is that I had nowhere to go but up. I think there are a lot of wrestlers out there who want to be a part of a competitive program. But at the same time, there just aren't enough scholarships. Now we're starting to get some outstanding wrestlers who are looking at us -- and want to wrestle in our program.
Steve MarianettiMarianetti: Yeah, I mostly focus on Illinois. I'll have some kids contact me from other states. Just from a numbers perspective, I know Illinois well. There are only so many hours in a day to be recruiting, so I really focus on our state.
What are some of the key attributes you look for in high school wrestlers when you recruit?
Marianetti: Obviously, they have to have good grades … because it's a good school. The biggest thing, though, is finding out from coaches what their work ethic is like. Certainly you want success, but if I get guys who have strong work ethics, I'm confident that I can teach them to be better wrestlers. But they have to want that. So the desire is the biggest thing I look for. And I look for that by talking to their coaches.
You have had a lot of success coaching in Division III, but you came from a Division I program. Do you have aspirations of becoming a head coach at a Division I program?
Marianetti: I would say that I haven't given it much thought. So the answer to that question is no, not necessarily. I want to be somewhere where I can be successful. If we continue to be successful at Elmhurst College -- that's where I want to stay.
In 1995, you defeated Lincoln McIlravy of Iowa in the NCAA finals -- in one of the most historic matches in NCAA history. What was your mindset like going into that match? And what were your emotions like after you won?
Marianetti: I had been an All-American for two years before that -- and it just wasn't enough anymore. I know there is big chasm between being an All-American and being a national champion. So there was a certain sense of urgency. I didn't want to make excuses and decide that, 'Well, I shouldn't win this match and second place is really good.' I really felt it and built it up in myself that excuses weren't going to be good enough.
Winning a match like that, it was a culmination of a really long, stressful year -- one that was focused on one specific goal. To see all of the mental preparation, all of the physical preparation come down to a seven minute match, and for it to go your way, it's obviously just an incredible experience.
When was the last time you watched your match against McIlravy? Do you ever pull out the video -- just to relive some of those memories?
Marianetti: I don't. But my wrestlers do. So I end up seeing it every once in a while. But it's not something that I go back to very often. My guys enjoy watching it. When the new recruits come in, somehow the older guys usually show it to them.
After your collegiate career was over, you wrestled on some national teams with McIlravy. Did you workout out with him much? And did you get to know him on a personal level?
Marianetti: Yeah, we competed at the World Cup together, at the Goodwill Games together, and at the World Championships together. We didn't necessarily train so much together. But I got to know him better. He's really a fantastic guy and a very sincere guy. As a wrestler, I have unbelievable respect for him. I think he is an amazing wrestler. I think I was very fortunate to beat him on that given day. He's not somebody that I would want to have a rematch with in the national finals.
Buvaisar SaitievMarianetti: As far as going from college to international, he was the first superstar that I wrestled. Frankly, I was a little starstruck when I wrested him and very intimidated. I think it would have been different if I would have wrestled him a second time. He is very unorthodox and he destroyed me.
Last question, who was the toughest wrestler you ever wrestled here in the United States?
Marianetti: I've definitely wrestled some good guys. Well, the toughest guy had to be McIlravy because wrestling him is not just a battle of wrestling -- it's a battle of wills. He takes you to a place physically where you've probably never been. I wrestled him three different times throughout college. The first time I wrestled him was when he was a freshman and I was a sophomore. Then I wrestled him once in the Big Ten finals and once in the national finals. Wrestling McIlravy was pure torture.
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