As a sophomore, St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto was already a world champion and a state champion heading into the state meet in February at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
That made his 4-2 loss to Marmion’s Nicholas Garcia in the 113-pound final for the Class 3A title all the more shocking. But as he’s always done, Munaretto looked inward after that setback.
“I couldn’t sugarcoat it,” he said. “I had to get better. Every time I’ve lost in the past few years, I knew I had to get better.”
That loss carried Munaretto, who will wrestle at 120 pounds this winter for the Saints, into the offseason. And he took it out on the rest of the world.
Munaretto became only the fourth wrestler to ever win two U-17 gold medals at the World Championships in August when he went to Jordan and toppled Puerto Rico’s Joe Bachmann in the finals at 51 kilograms.
The previous summer, Munaretto came up short of qualifying for the World Championships, another setback he used as fuel. He’s ranked as the No. 6 college recruit in the 2026 class.
“It’s a blessing,” Munaretto said, recalling the few losses he’s had in his career. “Being one of only four to win two U-17 titles is crazy to think about. It’s almost unbelievable for me at this point.
“It wasn’t easy. There were good times, but there were hard times, too. The hard times define me.”
Munaretto was philosophical about the summer win and his loss last winter to Garcia.
“If I hadn’t lost, I don’t know if I would have won at worlds,” Munaretto said. “I would rather be a two-time world champion than a four-time state champion.”
St. Charles East coach Jason Potter can relate. His wrestling career for the Saints ended over 20 years ago.
“I can list all the guys I lost to in high school and I can still remember it,” Potter said. “It sticks in your head. That was my motivation. Dom does an amazing job of doing that.
“He was not happy with how things went in February. Being on top is not easy. It’s hard to stay there and stay driven. He took that loss to drive him and get another world title.”
Munaretto even qualified for worlds in Greco-Roman wrestling in addition to freestyle, even though it’s not a discipline in which he regularly trains.
Justin Pearch, his coach at SPAR Wrestling Academy and Aurora University’s coach, marveled at how Munaretto gets the job done.
“He’s a beast out there,” Pearch said of Munaretto. “He’s definitely unique. He knows what he’s good at and he sticks to it. He’s a bully. He’s just trying to dominate every single position.
“He’s not super technical. He’s not going to do a lot of cool, high-level fancy moves, but he’s going to beat you up and bully you and be where he wants to be at all times.”
St. Charles East’s Dom Munaretto, left, faces off against Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes in the Illini Classic at Lincoln-Way Central in New Lenox on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2022. (Andrew Burke-Stevenson / Daily Southtown)
Four-time state champion Ben Davino, who is now at Ohio State, was Munaretto’s sparring partner and ran St. Charles East’s wrestling room.
Now, as a junior, that job falls to Munaretto and teammate Anthony Gutierrez. Potter, for one, has been impressed.
“He’s setting an amazing example,” Potter said of Munaretto’s leadership. “He wrestles hard and shows them what being successful looks and feels like. That characteristic is something I’m now just seeing.”
Munaretto also is enjoying his new role.
“It’s so great to be in the spotlight and help build the team,” Munaretto said. “Being a leader is great. I felt like it came naturally. I love helping people out and setting an example.”
Munaretto has a lot going on off the mat as well. He’s one of the most sought-after college recruits in the nation and recently secured a spot with Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, sponsor of the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.
He has objectives that most wrestlers could only dream about.
“That’s the main goal coming up, the 2028 Olympics, and also being a four-time NCAA champion,” Munaretto said. “I’m just constantly working toward that and visualizing those in my future.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
