A.J. Ferrari

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AJ Ferrari
Personal information
Full nameAlbert James Ferrari Jr.
Nickname(s)Mr. Fast Twitch[1]
NationalityUnited States American
Born (2001-07-24) July 24, 2001 (age 20)
Dallas, Texas, United States
Height6'0"
Weight197 lb (Folkstyle)
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle
Folkstyle
College teamOklahoma State Cowboys
ClubCowboy RTC
Coached byJohn Smith
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Men's freestyle wrestling
Cadet World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Zagreb 92 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State University system logo.svg
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
NCAA logo.svg
Gold medal – first place 2021 St. Louis 197 lbs
Big 12 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 Tulsa 197 lbs

Albert James Ferrari Jr. (born July 24, 2001, in Allen, Texas) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler of Italian descent who competes internationally at 92 kilograms and collegiately at 197 pounds.[2][3] In freestyle, he claimed a bronze medal from the 2018 Cadet World Championships and was the 2020 US Junior National Champion.[4][5] In folkstyle, Ferrari is the reigning NCAA Division I National Champion and Big 12 Conference champion out of the Oklahoma State University, and was the top-ranked high school wrestler at the time of his commitment.[6][7]

Personal life[]

Ferrari is from Plano, Texas and he and his family moved to Dallas. It's after the family's move to Dallas that Ferrari's dad put him in wrestling for the first time.[8] Ferrari and his family are heavy Christians and proud Italian Americans.[9]

Folkstyle career[]

High school[]

Born and raised in Texas, Ferrari first attended Allen High School, where he became a US Junior National champion, two-time state champion and claimed a Walsh Jesuit Ironman title.[10][11][12] In 2018, Ferrari and his family moved to New Jersey, where he attended Blair Academy as the top-ranked 195 pounder in the country.[13] While in Blair, he claimed a Beast of the East title by beating the second-ranked wrestler in the nation Jacob Cardenas (helping to the team title)[14] and another Ironman title (also helping to the team title).[15] He then transferred to Bergen Catholic High School,[16] where he was also dominant but not eligible to compete in the post-season, like in Blair.[16] After that, he moved back to Allen, Texas,[17] where his senior year was derailed by an ankle injury.[18]

College[]

In October 2019, Ferrari, the top-recruit in the country, committed to the Oklahoma State University,[19] over others like Rutgers, Penn State, Nebraska and Ohio State.[20]

2020–21[]

During regular season, Ferrari compiled a 12–1 record, with his only loss being handed to him by the highly-ranked Noah Adams from West Virginia.[21] Entering the post-season, Ferrari ran through the bracket to claim his first Big 12 Conference title, becoming the first true freshman to be named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament since 2005.[6] At the NCAAs, Ferrari, the fourth seed, clinched three matches to make the semifinals, notably defeating All-American Jacob Warner from Iowa and highly–ranked Tanner Sloan, before facing the Olympian and B1G Champion Myles Amine.[22] Ferrari was able to prove himself by soundly defeating the highly skilled three-time All-American on points to advance to the finals, taking out the top–seed.[23] In the finale, he defeated Nino Bonaccorsi from Pittsburgh, becoming an NCAA champion as a true freshman, the third in the Cowboys' history.[24]

After winning the National Championship, Ferrari and Gable Steveson traded barbs but Ferrari says since then, the two have put their differences behind him.[8]

While he floated the idea of moving up to heavyweight in his next year, AJ Ferrari said he's torn on moving up or staying at 197 with the goal of becoming a 5x NCAA National Champion.[8]

Freestyle career[]

Age–group[]

After failing to place at the UWW US Cadet Nationals in 2016,[25] Ferrari went on to win the US Cadet Fargo Nationals in 2017,[26] and the UWW US Cadet National Championship in 2018, making the US World Team.[27][28] At the '18 Cadet World Championships, he claimed a bronze medal.[29] In late 2020, Ferrari claimed the UWW US Junior National Championship.[3]

Senior level[]

2021[]

The newly crowned NCAA champion, Ferrari bumped up 17 pounds to make his senior freestyle debut at age 19, at the rescheduled US Olympic Team Trials in April 1–3 as the sixth seed at 97 kilograms, in an attempt to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[30][31] In the first round, he was defeated by 2018 NCAA champion Michael Macchiavello, and lost once again to 2019 graduate Ben Honis in the consolation bracket.[32]

Post wrestling[]

Ferrari has signed a NIL Deal with the WWE and will become a Professional Wrestler after college. [33]

Freestyle record[]

Senior Freestyle Matches
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event Location
2020 US Olympic Team Trials DNP at 97 kg
Loss 0–2 United States Ben Honis 10–11 April 2–3, 2021 2020 US Olympic Team Trials United States Fort Worth, Texas
Loss 0–1 United States Mike Macchiavello 1–3

NCAA record[]

NCAA Division I Record
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event
Win 21–1 Nick Stemmet 16-3 November 13th, 2021 Stanford - Oklahoma State Dual
Start of 2021–2022 Season (sophomore year)
End of 2020–2021 Season (freshman year)
2021 NCAA Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 197 lbs
Win 20–1 Nino Bonaccorsi 4–2 March 18–20, 2021 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win 19–1 Myles Amine 5–1
Win 18–1 Jacob Warner 3–2
Win 17–1 Tanner Sloan 5–0
Win 16–1 Colin Mccracken TF 18–2
2021 Big 12 Conference 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 197 lbs
Win 15–1 Stephen Buchanan 6–1 March 6–7, 2021 2021 Big 12 Conference Championships
Win 14–1 Tanner Sloan 7–1
Win 13–1 Jake Woodley 8–4
Win 12–1 Jake Woodley 4–1 February 21, 2021 Oklahoma - Oklahoma State Dual
2021 Cowboy Challenge Tournament 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 197 lbs
Win 11–1 Luke Surber MFOR February 14, 2021 2021 Cowboy Challenge Tournament
Loss 10–1 Noah Adams 2–3
Win 10–0 Jace Punke TF 17–1
Win 9–0 Dylan Johnson Fall February 7, 2021 Little Rock - Oklahoma State Dual
Win 8–0 Jake Woodley 3–2 Oklahoma - Oklahoma State Dual
Win 7–0 Yonger Bastida 5–2 January 30, 2021 Oklahoma State - Iowa State Dual
Win 6–0 Kegan Moore 10–4 Oklahoma State - Northern Iowa Dual
Win 5–0 Kayne Hutchison TF 20–5 January 22, 2021 Oklahoma State - Air Force Dual
Win 4–0 Dylan Johnson TF 22–7 January 17, 2021 Oklahoma State - Little Rock Dual
Win 3–0 Austin Andres TF 18–2 Oklahoma State - Southern Illinois Edwardsville Dual
Win 2–0 JJ Dixon MD 16–3 January 10, 2021 Oregon State - Oklahoma State Dual
Win 1–0 Logan Andrew MD 16–5 Chattanooga - Oklahoma State Dual
Start of 2020–2021 Season (freshman year)

Stats[]

Season Year School Rank Weigh Class Record Win Bonus
2022 Sophomore Oklahoma State Cowboys #1 197 1–0 100% 100%
2021 Freshman #4 197 20–1 95.24% 38.10%
Career 20–1 95.24% 45.4%

[21]

References[]

  1. ^ "AJ Ferrari (@mrfasttwitch)". twitter.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "AJ Ferrari - 2020-21 - Wrestling". Oklahoma State University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  3. ^ a b Cain, Brandon M. (2020-11-15). "Oklahoma State wrestling: AJ Ferrari wins 2020 UWW Junior National title at 92 kilograms". Cowboys Ride For Free. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  4. ^ Hamilton, Andy. "USA Wrestling Medalist History at Cadet World Championships". Trackwrestling. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  5. ^ Duckworth, Seth (2020-11-15). "AJ Ferrari Dominates his Way to Junior National Title". Pistols Firing. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  6. ^ a b "Cowboy Wrestling Claims Ninth-Straight Big 12 Tournament Title". Oklahoma State University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  7. ^ NJ.com, James Kratch | NJ Advance Media for (2019-10-03). "A.J. Ferrari, nation's top-ranked wrestling recruit, commits to Oklahoma State over Rutgers, 3 other schools". nj. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  8. ^ a b c Blaine Henry (August 3, 2021). "AJ Ferrari: Future 5x NCAA National Champion". fight-library.com. The Fight Library.
  9. ^ Duckworth, Seth (2020-04-22). "OSU Wrestling: Q&A with Top-Ranked Recruit and OSU Commit AJ Ferrari". Pistols Firing. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  10. ^ "AJ Ferrari is your National Cadet Freestyle Champion". Wrestlingtexas. 2017-07-17. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  11. ^ "Ferrari Headlines OSU's Top Ranked Recruiting Class". Oklahoma State University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  12. ^ Smith, Earl (2019-12-12). "Walsh Ironman Champions from the Last Ten Years". The Open Mat. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  13. ^ "Blair Academy begins season No. 1 in Fab 50 for eighth straight season". InterMat. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  14. ^ NJ.com, Bill Evans | NJ Advance Media for (2018-12-23). "Colaiocco wins 4th Beast title; Ferrari captures 1-2 matchup, Blair rolls to team crown". nj. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  15. ^ "Blair Academy wins Ironman title by record-margin 100 points". InterMat. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  16. ^ a b NJ.com, Patrick Lanni | NJ Advance Media for (2019-01-22). "2 of nation's best wrestlers join powerhouse lineup after transfer". nj. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  17. ^ Kosko, Nick (2019-06-10). "Rutgers Going All In for Top Ranked Wrestling Recruit AJ Ferrari". On the Banks. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  18. ^ Duckworth, Seth (2020-04-22). "OSU Wrestling: Q&A with Top-Ranked Recruit and OSU Commit AJ Ferrari". Pistols Firing. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  19. ^ Duckworth, Seth (2020-11-23). "Anthony Ferrari Commits to Wrestle at Oklahoma State". Pistols Firing. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  20. ^ Miller, Zach. "AJ Ferrari commits to Oklahoma State wrestling". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
  21. ^ a b "AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State) Profile | WrestleStat". www.wrestlestat.com. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  22. ^ Press, Jason Elmquist/Stillwater News. "UPDATE: Ferrari joins Fix, Lewallen in NCAA semifinals". Stillwater News Press. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  23. ^ Guymon, J. Carl. "NCAA wrestling: Oklahoma State's AJ Ferrari upsets No. 1 seed en route to national final". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  24. ^ Goodwin, Cody. "'That's crazy, man': How Oklahoma State freshman AJ Ferrari won the NCAA wrestling title". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2021-03-21.
  25. ^ "2016 UWW Cadet Freestyle Nationals". Trackwrestling. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  26. ^ CalGrappler (2017-07-24). "FARGO: Cadet & Junior National Results". CalGrappler - The Home for California High School Wrestling. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  27. ^ "World Championship preview: U.S. Cadets head to Croatia for World Championships, July 2–8". Team USA. June 27, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ "AJ Ferrari headed to Croatia for Cadet World Championships". Wrestlingtexas. 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  29. ^ "Ramos crowned Cadet World champion, Facundo and Ferrari win bronze". Team USA. July 4, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  30. ^ "Gophers' Gable Steveson shares Hodge Trophy with Iowa's Spencer Lee". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  31. ^ "A.J. Ferrari: A Day in the Life for the NCAA Champ Preparing for Olympic Trials". Pokes Report. 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  32. ^ Duckworth, Seth (2021-04-03). "Fix, Ferrari Fall as Oliver Makes Olympic Trial Finals". Pistols Firing. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  33. ^ "WWE unveils inaugural NIL class". WWE. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
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