Syosset product Vito Arujau wins NCAA wrestling title for Cornell

Vito Arujau of Syosset, one of Long Island’s all-time great high school wrestlers, won the NCAA national championship at 133 pounds on Saturday night. The Cornell junior, the No. 3 seed, defeated No. 1 seed Roman Bravo-Young of Penn State, 9-4, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Bravo-Young brought a 56-match winning streak into the tournament.

“I had great coaches behind me and a strong desire to prove [myself] to everyone,” the elated Arujau said at the side of the mat minutes after his victory.

Arujau got off to a quick start, scoring a takedown on the highly accomplished Bravo-Young about 40 seconds into the first period. Arujau’s quickness was a superb asset.

After Bravo-Young made an escape, Arujau made another immediate takedown, led 4-1 at the end of the first and never was really threatened after he ran the score to 8-2 at the end of the second.

Wrestling for Syosset, Arujau finished his high school career with a Long Island-record 174 consecutive victories and a 216-1 career mark. He won 24 tournament titles, including a Nassau-record five county crowns and four state championships.

A two-time All-American, Arujau finished fourth and third at the nationals in his first two seasons at 125 pounds. He brought a 22-1 record into this season’s tournament.

When asked about going up a weight class for this season and all that entails, he said: “Don’t forget to enjoy what you are doing. I love this.”