Coming out of high school, Ralph DeNisco had the opportunity to wrestle close to his hometown and to those who supported him. Despite being recruited by Rutgers, Hofstra, and Pittsburgh, DeNisco opted to travel halfway across the country from his hometown in Woodcliff Lake, N.J. to the University of Wisconsin and the toughest wrestling conference in the country.
“I came out of my senior year knowing I wanted to wrestle for the Big Ten,” DeNisco said.
The decision was a good one. Since coming to Wisconsin, DeNisco has compiled over 65 victories, three NCAA championship appearances, two most dedicated wrestler awards, and the title of team captain the last two years.
“My goal is to win a national title,” DeNisco said. “I want to be a national champ. That’s why I’m going down a weight. That’s why I’m changing my diet and working out more.”
DeNisco wrestled at 184 pounds the last two years and qualified for two national championships. While successful, he believes dropping down to 174 will give him a better chance at earning All-American status–a feat that has escaped DeNisco by one victory the past two years.
“I think I have a lot to prove going down a weight –that I have my weight under control, that I’m still strong at that weight, that I’m able to win there, and compete at a high level,” DeNisco said. “I felt like I was a small 184-pounder whereas now I’ll be a big 174-pounder. I feel like the guys at 174 will be quicker. The way I look at it is 184 is an upperweight, 174 is still kind of a middleweight. Those guys are a lot quicker. I’ll have to prepare in different ways and improve in different areas.”
Dropping the extra ten pounds won’t be a problem he says. During his senior year in high school, he was a state finalist at 152 pounds then jumped up to 184 his freshman year at Wisconsin. During the offseason, he says he has been focusing on staying in shape and working on his technique.
“I did a lot of weightlifting, wrestling, drilling, working on skills and things I need to improve on,” DeNisco said. “Mostly weightraining and working on staying in shape so when the season starts in September I won’t have to worry what shape I am in.”
Head coach Barry Davis said DeNisco has come a long way since his freshman year and believes dropping down to 174 might give DeNisco the edge he needs to become a national champion.
“He’s come close twice,” Davis said. “He’s come a long way the last two years. He’s really close to doing it and this may be the year for him.”
Going into this year, Davis said DeNisco’s strong point was on top and had to improve wrestling on his feet if he wants to become an All-American.
“I think what Ralph needs to work on, and he knows that, is on his feet,” Davis said. “He’s already good in the top position. He has to spend more time on his feet in practice. He’s doing more things on his feet like plate workouts, rope climbs, and things that will help him in that area.”
Last year, DeNisco was roommates with two-time NCAA champion Don Pritzlaff. During the season, Pritzlaff was an assistant to the team and practice partner with DeNisco. Davis said that relationship is one reason why DeNisco has been a perfect fit for team captain.
DeNisco has started off the year going 2-2 at the Michigan State Open then picking up a major decision in his match against UW-La Crosse. He said he is looking forward to wrestling near home when the Badgers wrestle Penn, Princeton, and Hofstra the first week in December.
“When we go out east in December and wrestle Penn and Hofstra I think those are two big tests for our team and I’m looking forward to them personally because I get to go back and wrestle near home,” DeNisco said.
He continued saying the start of the Big Ten season would be a big test for the team.
“Everyone is tough in the Big Ten,” he said. “All individuals and all teams are tough and you’ve got to be ready for all of them. You can’t take days off in the Big Ten.”
The Badgers’ next match is against 16th ranked Northern Iowa on Sunday, November 30 at 2:00 pm. In the match, DeNisco faces a tough 174 pounder, but says rankings and talk mean nothing.
“I just have to wrestle my match and not worry about my opponent’s record or how good he is,” DeNisco said. “I lost to Michigan State already this year and I obviously didn’t want that to happen. I just need to take each match one at a time and not worry about the guy’s ranking–basically just wrestle my match.”
