It has been a roller coaster month for former Buckeye Local wrestler David Bertolino.

The May graduate of Iowa State University recently took second at University Nationals in Akron to put himself in position to qualify for the Olympics trials in Las Vegas.

“I have been there twice and I feel confident about qualifying out in Vegas,” Bertolino said in a phone conversation. “I just want to go out and have fun with it. I think there is a lot more pressure involved for Iowa State. In freestyle, which is what I am wrestling now, I can leave it all out on the mat.”

Bertolino managed to earn his spot in Las Vegas by placing second in Akron after falling to fellow senior Jake Herbert of Northwestern. His new goal is to finish in the top seven at the Saturday, April 26 event to put place himself in the actual Olympic qualifier which will take place later this summer in Las Vegas.

Since it’s an Olympic year, Bertolino said the number of participants increases drastically compared to a non-Olympic year.

He anticipates to have a 64-man bracket in his 84 kilogram (185 pound) weight class while in Vegas.

If Bertolino manages to qualify for the second Vegas event the competition will thin out with roughly 12 participants, but you will find only the elite left in the country at this level.

"He is still maturing and growing into his weight class,” Olympic legend and former Bridgeport native Bobby Douglas said about Bertolnio in a phone conversation. “I think his best days are ahead of him and I think he has a great future in international competition.”

Overtime

Like most collegiate athletes Bertolino is forced with one of the toughest decisions of his athletic career – to hang it up or continue chasing your dream. Wrestling isn’t like basketball or football where you can go on and become a multi-millionaire. Wrestling careers are typically short lived unless you go into the coaching spectrum.

A bright double major in finance and management, it is no surprise that Bertolino is juggling potential job offers in the Des Moines, Iowa area. However, a cast of good luck recently came over the 23-year old as he was invited to look at a graduate position at another highly respected Division I program in the Midwest region of the country.

“I was only asked a few days ago about coming down to see their program,” Bertolino said as the institution was asked to be kept anonymous until the two get together to iron out some details. “It has really been on my mind a lot lately. They are going to fly me down, like a recruitment trip, to see if we can make a package for me.”

This shows good things happen to good people. This opportunity would allow Bertolino an easier opportunity to continue training for international wrestling and work towards a masters degree at a very respectable university.

“He is in the same situation I was in after college,” Douglas said. “He has to make a living. Our Olympic program doesn’t allow stipends for living until he finishes in the top three at the actual Olympic trials.”

Mentoring Bertolino through college, Douglas encouraged Bertolino to dig deep down and make a list of the goals he wishes to accomplish in his life. Then to start working on them and that should let the wrestling community know if he is going to chase the dream.

Douglas said chasing the Olympic dream in the United States is nothing like being in other top wrestling nations in the world.

“Our stipends are small in comparison to the ones foreign athletes receive,” Douglas explained. “For instance, a Russian wins a gold medal and he is going to be a millionaire. An American wins a gold medal he is going to be struggling to pay off college debts."

Double overtime

As Douglas made his decision to chase his Olympic dream his heart went out to the people of the Ohio Valley as former Bridgeport coach George Kovalick sponsored his former wrestler by raising funds in the valley.

Kovalick wasn’t able to raise everything for Douglas, but all the funds raised were a huge help as Douglas went on to capture five national championships and a pair of U.S. Olympic Trials titles. He had a fourth-place featherweight finish at the 1964 Tokyo Games and he captained the U.S. Olympic freestyle team at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. Douglas captured silver and bronze medals, as well as a fourth-place showing in the World Championships.

He was named the nation’s outstanding wrestler in 1970, the year he retired. He accumulated a career record of 303-17-7 (.953) from his high school days through his World Championship competition.

Triple overtime

There is nothing like seeing someone succeed that truly deserves it and Bertolino is one of those competitors.

"When he went up two weight classes not too many thought he was going to make an impact. A few very credible coaches I spoke with didn’t think he was going to do much this year for the Cyclones,” University of Oklahoma coach Jack Spates said in a phone conversation. “I told (those coaches) at the beginning of the year. (Bertolino) is a warrior.

“It leaves me to believe cutting the weight he cut in the past impacted his performance. If he was an 184 pounders earlier he could have been an even better athlete as he finished his career at Iowa State as an All-American.”

If Bertolino does not manage to make it to the Olympic Trials he still has another option available.

Bertolino’s silver finished at University Nationals also made him a qualifier at the University World Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 23-24. The event in Colorado will determine the athletes who will compete in Greece at the World University Championships.

“I have always wanted to compete internationally,” Bertolino shared. “It has been one of the big goals I have set for myself and either opportunity would allow me to wrestle at that level.”