Published on Monday, May 12, 2008

Top 10 athletes of 2008-2009: No. 2 Pat Castillo

By STEVE NITZ

Pat Castillo did it all during his senior season. While the NIU wrestler moved up from 125 pounds to 133, that didn’t change anything.

Castillo had a 31-7 record on the season, helping him earn the No. 2 spot on the Northern Star’s top 10 athletes of the year list.

Castillo led the nation in major decisions with 16. A major decision is when a wrestler wins a match by eight or more points, earning his team four points instead of three.

The senior earned his second straight MAC Championship and was named the MAC Tournament’s outstanding wrestler for the second straight season. He also earned his third-straight place at the Midlands Championships.

Making his third straight trip to nationals, Castillo came just one victory shy of becoming an All-American and earned his 100th victory as a Huskie.