Sparked by a state title, Broad Run wrestler Michael Battistas dedication leads to a dream offer
Broad Run’s Michael Battista stood atop the podium with a state championship medal around his neck and thought about the future. After winning the 160-pound Virginia 5A state title as a sophomore, he recognized that he had more to give.
“My mentality was put it in the past. My goals are way higher than this,” Battista said last week. “It was a huge moment for me because it made me realize what hard work and really handing your life over to something can do. After that, I got serious.”
Now a senior, Battista verbally committed to wrestle at the University of Virginia last Wednesday.
Between his sophomore and junior seasons, Battista began working out seven days a week. To improve his technique, he studied film and endlessly repeated moves. To boost his endurance, he varied his cardio workouts between short bursts and long endurance tests to mimic the ebbs and flows of grueling matches.
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“I set more discipline for myself. Basically, I had to cut some stuff out of my life. It’s weird to say, but wrestling becomes the sole focus of your life,” Battista said. “There are very few times where I can not care about what I eat. I have to work out year-round. It’s a day-in, day-out thing.”
In a tournament match last January, Battista broke a bone in is hand that kept him out of the remainder of the high school season. After two months in a cast, he returned to the mat to qualify for USA Wrestling’s junior nationals. In July in Fargo, North Dakota, Battista finished in the top 16 in the Greco-Roman tournament.
Battista first became acquainted with Virginia wrestling by attending the program’s camps in middle school. While he examined other options, he always hoped he would end up in Charlottesville.
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“Coach [Steve] Garland called to offer me. That was it, I accepted right there. I didn’t need time to think about it,” Battista said. “U-Va. has always been my number one school.”
NUMBER CRUNCH: 203
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