Exclusive: Nick Gravina granted sixth year of eligibility
Regardless of which sport a college athlete is involved in, there are two opponents that will never go away. One is injury as it is always remains a very real threat. The other is eligibility and, sooner or later, it will have its way with every student-athlete.
For the time being, Rutgers fifth-year senior Nick Gravina has managed to defeat both of those opponents.
Gravina was recently granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, meaning he still has two more years to wrestle as a Scarlet Knight.
“It’s incredible. I have been given another year to build my knowledge and my academics, so that is awesome,” said Gravina, who is Rutgers' returning starter in the 184-pound division. “We weren’t sure how it was going to pan out. But over the summer, I ended up getting that sixth year. I have another year to do what I love. There is no professional wrestling, unless you become an Olympian and even then it is a different sport. It’s not scholastic wrestling, it’s freestyle or Greco. “
Gravina, who hails from Allendale, N.J., joined the Rutgers program in 2012 out of Northern Highlands Regional High School.
He would go onto redshirt his first year and then his second season is what allowed him to qualify for a sixth year of eligibility,
“I was never able to compete [freshman year] because my shoulder kept dislocating,” Gravina said. “Then, my next year, I beat out Ethan Orr, a two-time state champion from New Jersey and I also beat out Nick Visicaro, who was a fifth-year senior at the time. He won states a few times as well. So I started the season, wrestled a few matches and I couldn’t continue because my shoulder kept coming out. I was at 165 [pounds] so I was told if I put on more weight, I would have less problems.”
Gravina did just that and compiled a 40-18 record over the last two seasons. Now, his recently-granted sixth year of eligibility not only gives him an extra season on the mat, but it allows him to keep pursuing his academic goals.
“I am going to get my master’s by the end of this year and then I plan on applying for the Psy.D program at Rutgers. It is like a doctorate for psychology," Gravina said. "That is going to take another three to four years, so I am going to be here for a while.”
And once eligibility finally emerges victorious, Gravina has other plans for his future.
“I want to be a sports psychologist. I think a lot of people think about sports differently and they can get super anxious. I think if you can get kids to focus the right way, you can get optimal results and make athletes the best they can be. If I can do that by changing their mindset, I think that can really help out a lot of people.”