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12/5/03 Friday varsity wrestling vs. wisconsin matt valenti Credit: Ryan Jones

While Jerome Allen and Al Bagnoli have hung up their shoes to pursue coaching full time, assistant wrestling coach Matt Valenti isn’t ready to call it quits on his athletic career just yet.

“Since I was a little kid, I’ve had the dream of becoming an Olympic champion,” Valenti said after running a Quakers practice.

While attending Penn from 2002 to 2007, Valenti was a two-time NCAA champion and a three-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion in the 133-pound weightclass. He holds program records for career wins with 137 and wins in a season with 36 ­­— a feat he accomplished twice.

“To be honest, [competing] was something I lost sight of after my college career,” he said. “Being back in the sport, though — coaching and seeing guys I had success against in college doing well on the international level inspired me to not have the regrets of not chasing that dream.”

Valenti is currently ranked No. 4 in the country at 60 kilograms and has seen his share of success on the international level, winning a bronze medal at the 2009 Pan-American Championships in Maracaibo, Venezuela. In May, he finished in sixth place at the World Team Trials and this past October, he won the Sunkist Open in Phoenix, Ariz., his first tournament win.

“I’ve done well internationally, but I haven’t been anywhere near where I need to be,” said Valenti. “The best guys in the world are still a little step ahead of me, but fortunately I’m closing the gap.”

After graduation, Valenti spent two years coaching at Columbia, an experience that taught him how to recruit and run a practice. When head coach Rob Eiter asked him to join the Penn staff in July 2009, the College alumnus jumped at the opportunity.

But Valenti now must juggle the double life of an athlete aspiring for success and a coach helping others reach their potential.

On a typical Monday, Valenti comes in with the team at 7 a.m. for a lifting session and will work out by himself immediately afterwards. At noon, he trains with former world bronze medalist Alex Karnitsky before heading off to Penn’s 3:30 p.m. practice.

In between the workouts, Valenti deals with the administrative tasks of coaching and he works on recruiting before heading home around 10 p.m.

“He’s a really good technician because he sees things on tape where we can improve,” junior Mark Rappo said. “He brings flawless technique to the program. He’s someone you can call whenever and he’ll always pick up, but at the same time, there’s a level of respect.”

When not working with the Penn team, Valenti trains with the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club, a wrestling club headed by Lehigh coach Jason Kutz, and wrestles regularly with Karnitsky.

“Matt has progressed very well,” Kutz said. “He’s doing a phenomenal job juggling the different hats of coaching and wrestling. There is a time to focus on yourself and there is a time where he has to focus on the team.”

Valenti puts his personal competitive season on hold from November to February for two reasons: to focus on Quakers wrestling and to give his body a break from the constant grind of wrestling at a top level.

On the international circuit Valenti competes in freestyle wrestling, which differs from collegiate wrestling primarily in its scoring style. Points are assigned differently to different escapes, takedowns, throw, reversal and nearfalls.

In addition, unlike collegiate wrestling matches, freestyle matches consist of three separate periods with the goal being to win two of three.

Though Valenti has only competed in freestyle wrestling for six years, his time on the professional tour has already provided him with a plethora of unforgettable experiences.

On Oct. 9-10, Valenti traveled to compete in the Ramzan Kadirov Cup in Grozny, Russia, one of the most dangerous cities in the world, according to Valenti. Although he was accompanied with armed guards while traveling from his hotel to the arena, the episode was one of the most memorable of his career.

“The fact that American wrestlers came over there to compete was the greatest thing for the people over there,” Valenti said. “We were local heroes for a little while.”

And while coaching at his alma mater may not seem quite as glamorous, the impact that Valenti brings as a Penn coach on a daily basis demonstrates an ability to be successful on and off the mat.

“A lot of people use the excuse that because [Penn] is an Ivy League institution, winning an NCAA championship can’t be done,” Rappo said. “Seeing a guy that’s in the room who has done it, not once, but twice, means that it is possible.”

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