Suffield High School wrestler John Nieroda, a 2018 graduate, did exceedingly well in his high school athletic career. With a 33-8 record as a 113-lb. freshman, he was Conference champion and fifth at States. Going 21-9 as a 132-lb. sophomore, he took second place in Conference, and in his junior year, his record was 27-12 in the 145-lb. class, he ended up third in Conference, fourth at States and beat the L-class champion 5-4 at Opens.
Team captain in his junior and senior year, John wrestled in the 152-lb class as a senior and placed second in the Conference, second in States, and fifth at Opens. And at the New England Championship in Providence in March, he reached the semi-finals and placed sixth in his class. His coaches Matthew Mangelli and Bill Taggart recently confirmed that he is the most decorated wrestler in the school’s 80-year history. John says it’s essential to believe in yourself, and that attitude has helped him to become a winner.
This summer John has been busy driving a 27-ft. box truck delivering printers around the state, but he’s trying to keep in shape for the upcoming season. We look forward to learning about his wrestling record at Roger Williams University in nearby Rhode Island. He’ll be majoring in finance there, where his experience as an athlete may help him wrestle up an understanding of a topic that seems to defy simple explanation.