Mount Olive’s Hagensen Wins State Championship

ATLANTIC CITY –

Move over Anthony Guidi. Here comes Tyeler Hagensen.

The 113-pound Hagensen, a Mount Olive senior, captured a state championship with a 5-2 victory over St. Joseph-Montvale’s Johnathon McGinty at the state tournament held at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

He became the Marauders’ first state champion since Guidi won it all in 1988. Those are the only two in school history.

Hagensen had a strange odyssey on the way to winning gold. Two years ago, he worked his way up to fourth on the Boardwalk Hall podium.

Then last year, he thought he could skate by without putting in the effort.

Bad idea.

Hagensen failed to place.

Ouch.

Former Marauders teammate Jack Bastarrika, who DID place last year, summoned Hagensen up to the bleachers for a heart-to-heart. Bastarrika’s message: Roll up your sleeves, get back to work, and then you’ll return to the podium.

Hagensen not only got back onto it, he reached the very top.

“I slacked off a little bit,” Hagensen said. “I thought I was that guy and I didn’t have to work as hard. Everyone passed me by a little bit. So I was able to push myself harder.”

He often stayed late at practice with new assistant coach Brian Schneider, a former state qualifier from Hackensack who moved into town. Schneider had such an impact on Hagensen that he was in the Mount Olive coaches’ corner with another assistant who worked hard with Hagensen, Bill Romano.

Those two and the rest of the coaching staff worked with Hagensen, whose confidence was restored. His mat skills returned as well. 

“The goal was to come down here and get on the podium,” longtime Mount Olive coach Sean Smyth said. “Tyeler reached the ultimate goal and we are so happy for him. This year he was a lot more motivated and he put himself into a great position once he got down here. He had a goal in mind and he obtained it.”

Hagensen had to push hard to get to the top of the podium. In the state semifinals Friday night, he had a late takedown to beat CBA’s highly regarded Paul Kenney, who is a decorated U17 freestyle world champion.

That gave Hagensen the confidence boost he needed. 

“Once I beat Kenney in the semifinals, I knew I was the best in the bracket,” Hagensen said.

In the final, Hagensen had an escape and takedown on McGinty and then clinched the match with a takedown with 10 seconds left in the third period.

Hello, state championship.

The celebration went far and wide. Hagensen made the rounds around Boardwalk Hall with coaches, teammates, family, and friends. He hugged everyone in sight.

A few hours later, the Mount Olive wrestling entourage was escorted back onto the school campus by the township’s police and fire departments. Hagensen was mobbed by more friends in the Mount Olive school parking lot in a wild, noisy scene fit for royalty – or the first state champion in 36 years.

Slide over, Anthony Guidi. 

Make way for Tyeler Hagensen, Mount Olive’s newest state champion.