Matt Valenti goes 7 Minutes with TOM (Adam Frey Special)

TOM: Are you excited for your match at the Adam Frey Classic?

MV: I am really excited for my match against Matt. I’ve always thought that he was the greatest wrestler of all time. I think Matt and I will have a great match against each other. I consider it a win-win situation for myself. No matter who wins….Matt wins! Wait did you mean my match against Joe Dubuque?!

I am excited to wrestle Joe Dubuque this weekend. He is a great wrestler and I have world of respect for Joe and his accomplishments. I will be proud to be across the mat from him for this great event.

TOM: What does it mean to you to be part of this exciting event?

MV: This is an incredible event that is being done for all the right reasons. Adam Frey is an inspiration and I am humbled to be a part of the legacy that this event has become. It is a great cause in honor of a very special person.

TOM: For many fans this is somewhat of a dream match up, if you could pick any wrestler from any era, who would, you want to wrestle?

MV: Since this is a matchup of NJ State champs and 2x NCAA champions I’ll stick with that theme – a matchup with Mean Gene Mills would be a dream match.

TOM: Tell us something about yourself that most people would not know?

MV: I couldn’t remember either match that I wrestled in the NCAA finals. I’ve since watched the film but I initially couldn’t remember a single thing that happened.

TOM: What is your most memorable wrestling moment and why?

MV: My most memorable wrestling moment came back in the 2003-2004 season. Penn wrestled Wisconsin at home during a blizzard. It was the first year that we randomly picked the starting weight class and Coach Reina pulled 133 out of the hat (I was 125 that year). The dual came down to my match. We went into double overtime and I won on a flying cement mixer to win the dual for our team. Maybe 50 fans were in the stands because of the storm but the Palestra was rocking!

TOM: Off the top of your head who wins the NCAA Team title next year and why?

MV: Oklahoma State — they were a young team last year and there are a lot of young studs in the wings chomping at the bit.

TOM: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

MV: I’m not sure where I see myself in 5 years but I plan on keeping the sport of wrestling in my life.