Wrestling Alumni Series: Steve Marianetti
February 21, 2018 | Wrestling
Four years that changed the Illini and Marianetti
One of the great wrestling careers in Illinois history not only helped head coach Mark Johnson and assistant coach Jim Heffernan lay the foundation for the revival of Illinois wrestling, but also redirected the career path of the wrestler himself.
A three-time All-American, capped off by an NCAA title at 150 pounds in 1995, Steve Marianetti can be found in multiple spots in the Illinois record book, from his 44 wins in a single season, to 118 career wins to his senior season capped off by an individual NCAA title and a top-10 team finish. However, the long-term impact that those four years had on Marianetti extends beyond what can be measured numerically.
"My experience on the wrestling team completely changed my career path," said Marianetti. "I was a marketing major, but, after my experience as a wrestler and assistant coach at Illinois, I decided that I wanted to make coaching my life goal. I loved being a student-athlete, but had no idea how gratifying it would be to switch roles and help our younger guys reach their goals."
From Illinois, Marianetti continued his wrestling career at the international level, earning gold medals at the 1997 Pan-American Games and 1998 U.S. National Championships. After a brief assistant coaching stint at Illinois, Marianetti got the chance to take over a program of his own, on that he has since reshaped much like he once did as an athlete at Illinois.
Taking over at Elmhurst College in 2001-02, Marianetti has turned the Blue Jays into a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) power, winning seven conference team championships with the most recent coming last season. In each of those seasons, Marianetti has been named the CCIW Coach of the Year.
At the national level, Marianetti has guided Elmhurst to multiple top-10 finishes at NCAA Division III Championships. In 2012-13, Marianetti led Elmhurst to its best finish in program history, placing runner-up with two NCAA Champions and five All-Americans. The accomplishment earned Marianetti his second NWCA Division III Coach of the Year honor.
Despite the prolonged success early in Illinois' wrestling history, the Illini had gone more than three decades without an NCAA champion. Although Jon Llewellyn snapped the streak with his heavyweight title in the spring of 1991, the Orange and Blue still found itself at the bottom of the Big Ten in Marinetti's freshman season.
Following another bottom division finish in 1992, coach Johnson's took over the program and immediately changed the tune. After a 2-11 record in the year prior, Johnson guided the Illini to a 9-4 record in 1993, the first winning season in six years. A part of turning that tide was a historic season for Marianetti who tallied an Illinois record 44 wins at 142 pounds that has yet to be matched.
"I had the opportunity to be part of a program that went from last in the Big Ten to ninth the nation," said Marianetti on the growth of the program. "I was lucky enough to be on the team when Mark Johnson and Jim Heffernan took over and completely changed the culture and expectations. They instilled a deep pride in the Orange and Blue and that pride has never left me."
After a second straight winning season in 1993-94, the Illini broke through on the national level in Marianetti's senior season. After collecting 13 dual victories and placing fourth at Big Ten Championships, the Illini had a breakout 1995 NCAA Championships. Earning the program's first top-10 finish since 1958, Marianetti and teammate Ernest Benion led the team with each winning an NCAA title.
"My biggest thrill was competing on the big stage at the 1995 NCAA Championship," Marianetti said of his senior season. "Years of training, sweating, and dreaming finally came down to seven minutes. I remember being too tired to raise my hand at the end of the match, but I will never forget the feeling of walking off the mat and hugging my coaches."
Since Marianetti graduated, the Illini have 13 times finished in the top-10 at NCAA Championships and have crowned nine individual titles with at least one All-American in every year.
Those four seasons from 1992 to 1995 changed the course of Illinois wrestling, but also changed the course for Steve Marianetti. A couple decades later and both are continuing to reap the benefits.
"The sport and my coaches taught me so much," Marianetti said. "Perhaps the biggest lesson I embraced from wrestling was that 'I will always find a way.' That attitude carried over to staying up late to finish a paper in college, interviewing for my first coaching position, and now putting in the extra work necessary to build a great college wrestling program."
Marianetti and Elmhurst will compete this weekend, February 23-24, at the NCAA Upper Midwest Regional in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NCAA Division III Championships will be held two weeks later, March 9-10, in Cleveland, Ohio.
