Frank Molinaro (born December 27, 1988) is an American

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

and coach. He was the 2012 NCAA champion at 149 lbs. with an undefeated season record of 33–0, helping him become a four-time NCAA Division I All-American at

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

. In 2016, Molinaro won the US Olympic Team Trials, earning the ability to qualify and represent the United States at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

at 65 kg. Molinaro would finish the Rio Olympics in fifth place after losing to Italy's Frank Chamizo Marquez in the bronze-medal match 5–3.

Career

High school

A native of

Middletown Township, New Jersey Middletown Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in northern Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township was List of municipalities in New Jersey, the ...

, Molinaro was a three-time New Jersey State Champion at Manahawkin's

Southern Regional High School Southern Regional High School is a regional comprehensive public high school located in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in the ninth through twelfth grades and ope ...

and placed second at High School Nationals.

College

After a redshirt season in his freshman year at

, Molinaro claimed All-American honors four times, becoming the fifth Penn State wrestler to be a four time All-American. Molinaro was also a two-time Big Ten champion in 2011 and 2012. At the 2012 Big Ten championships, Molinaro earned a pin and two technical falls on his way through the finals without giving up a point, winning the Outstanding Wrestler Award. While Molinaro was at Penn State University,

Cael Sanderson Cael Norman Sanderson ( ; born June 20, 1979) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an Olympic gold medal and was undefeated in four years of ...

was hired as head coach of the program, developing a national championship program with Molinaro claiming an individual title in 2012 at 149 lbs.

Professional

Molinaro is a Competing Member of the Association of Career Wrestlers. He is also currently pursuing an international wrestling career training with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. In 2017, Molinaro was hired as an assistant for the

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

wrestling program. He left in December 2018 to train at the Oklahoma Regional Training Center. After failing to qualify for the 2021 Olympic team due to a loss to

Yianni Diakomihalis John Michael "Yianni" Diakomihalis (born April 11, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 70 kilograms. A two-time US National champion in freestyle, he formerly competed at 65 kilograms, where he was the 2022 ...

in the quarterfinals of the US Olympic Team Trials, Frank left his shoes on the mat signifying his retirement from competitive wrestling.

International

Molinaro won the gold medal in 2019 & 2014 at the Dave Shultz Memorial International, winning the Outstanding Wrestler Award in 2014. Also in 2019, he won Silver at both the Continental Cup and the Bill Farrell International. In 2018 he won a bronze medal at the Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin. In World Cup competition he took silver in 2017, and in 2016 during the Olympic year, Molinaro peaked at the right time becoming the 2016 World Cup Champion at 65 kg. going 4-0 for Team USA. At the Pan American Championships, Molinaro won the gold medal in 2016 and Bronze in 2014 for the United States. Other International tournament results for Molinaro include, a silver medal at the 2016 Grand Prix of Germany, a gold medal at the 2015 Grand Prix of Spain, and a gold medal at the 2013 New York Athletic Club International, winning the Outstanding Wrestler Award. *Molinaro is a five-time USA Freestyle National Team Member - (2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2014). At the 2017 US Open Final - Frank Molinaro vs. Jordan Oliver, was a match that lived up to the excitement surrounding it. Molinaro went up 2-0 after the first period, but a takedown and exposure put Oliver up 4–2. With less than 45 seconds left in the match, Molinaro scored a go-behind takedown to tie it, but in the end, it was Oliver holding criteria, 4-4. However, after a doping violation by Oliver, USA Wrestling announced that Molinaro would in turn be named the 2017 U.S. Open National Champion at 65 kilograms.

2016 Summer Olympics

In 2016, Molinaro won the US Olympic Team Trials, earning the ability to qualify and represent the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

at the

at 65 kg. Molinaro originally failed to qualify in Istanbul after losing to Borislav Novachkov. Molinaro eventually gained entry to the Olympics due to other wrestlers being disqualified for doping offenses and the transfer of licenses from other qualifying tournaments. In his case, it was Novachkov's license transferred to the earlier Mongolia qualifier that opened a spot for Molinaro. After his loss in the quarterfinals to

Toghrul Asgarov Toghrul Shahriyar oghlu Asgarov (; born on September 17, 1992, Ganja, Azerbaijan) is an Azerbaijani wrestler. He is an Olympic and European champion in freestyle wrestling. In 2012 Summer Olympics Toghrul Asgarov won Olympic wrestling gold medal ...

, Molinaro was pulled into the

repechage Repechage ( , ; , ) is a practice in series competitions that allows participants who failed to meet qualifying standards by a small margin to continue to the next round. A well-known example is the wild card system. Types Different type ...

to wrestle Andriy Kvyatkovskyy. Molinaro defeated Kvyatkovskyy with a score of 8–5. In a moment of controversy, a frustrated Kvyatkovskyy bit the arm of Molinaro. Molinaro would finish the Rio Olympics in 5th place, after losing to Italy's

Frank Chamizo Marquez Frank Chamizo Marquez (born 10 July 1992) is a Cuban-Italian freestyle wrestler who competes at 74 kilograms. Starting his career in Cuba, Chamizo became a World Cup champion, World Championship medalist, and Pan American champion at 55 kilog ...

Career

High school

College

Professional

International

2016 Summer Olympics

Coaching History

Personal life

References

See also