'Gritty' Comunale is tough on the mat

It's been less than a year since Tony Comunale was a 119-pound high school senior, wrestling his way to fourth-place in the Pennsylvania state championships. But in the few weeks that he has hit the mat for Princeton, Comunale has already established himself as one of the wrestling team's most consistent performers.

Comunale hails from Bangor, Pa., a small town in Pennsylvania's Lehigh valley. The area was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution; its grittiness is paralleled by Comunale's own toughness on the mat.

"I never quit. I always try to keep going, keep fighting, keep working and keep scoring points. The match is never over until the ref says so," Comunale said.

Head coach Chris Ayres concurred, seeing a fierce competitor in Comunale.

"Tony just lets it rip. He does everything in his power to win. Each time he goes out on the mat, he doesn't hold back and is willing to do whatever it takes to get a W," Ayres said.

Comunale's collegiate resume is already chock full of impressive accomplishments. Prior to last Sunday's comeback overtime win over Duquesne's Jonathan Bittenger, a 2007 NCAA qualifier, Comunale recorded two wins at the competitive Nittany Lion Open, placed fourth at the East Stroudsburg Open and placed first at the Central Jersey Open — his first collegiate wrestling match ever.

These accolades are especially impressive considering the transition from high school to collegiate wrestling is one of the most difficult in sports.

"I've seen the best kids in the country come to college and do nothing. But Tony has shown a lot of promise," Ayres said. "There's a lot of room for improvement, but he's shown that he can win right now with what he has. He's only going to get better with every competition and every year. This has been a wonderful start for a freshman."

Despite his quick success, Comunale recognizes there is still a lot of work to do in transitioning to collegiate wrestling.

"I still need to work on learning new techniques that all the coaches have to offer. Each one of them has a lot of information to offer. I know it'll help me greatly if I can pick up a little bit of information from each one every day," Comunale said.

A wrestler from a young age

Comunale started wrestling with his father when he was five years old. He was attracted to the sport because of the challenge and because of the life lessons he felt he could learn from it.

"My dad wrestled in high school, and he told me about the lessons he learned. I've tried to learn those same lessons," Comunale said.

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His surroundings also enhanced Comunale's love for the sport, as high school wrestling is very popular and often televised in Pennsylvania. Comunale knew he wanted to get serious when he made it to the finals of the District 11 tournament in eighth grade.

"I knew I could do better than second. I knew I could take first," Comunale said.

By his sophomore year, Comunale had dropped all sports but wrestling. He finished high school with a 173-14 record, having placed seventh, third and fourth in the state championships his sophomore, junior and senior years, respectively. He was first attracted to the University when Ayres, who previously coached Lehigh's team, took over the program.

"Coach Ayres opened my eyes to the school itself, and I was overcome by all the things it had to offer, between the coaching, academics and prospect of a good team," Comunale said.

Ayers soon noticed the talented wrestler and the similarities between themselves.

"He was a three-time placer in the toughest state for wrestling, and just in meeting him, you could tell he was a kid of good character. He comes from a hardworking family, kind of like mine, and is a very competitive wrestler."

Looking back on his wrestling career so far, Comunale has enjoyed the team aspect of the sport more than anything else.

"I've always enjoyed being part of a team. The team is always like a family, and my family has always been involved with the team. Many of the people that I've encountered and friends that I've had were on the team. There's even more camaraderie in college, so it's even better," Comunale said.

As for the rest of his college years, Comunale has a few goals in mind.

"For the season, I'd like to qualify for nationals. And like that of many college wrestlers, my ultimate goal is to win NCAAs. The important thing is to work hard each passing week so as to get closer to that goal," Comunale said.

Comunale has helped spearhead the resurgence of a team that did not win a single meet last season. And if he continues to improve as the season goes on, Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association 125-pounders will be in for a freshman surprise at the postseason tournament.