|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 19, 2016Nico MegaludisNew York, New York THE MODERATOR: Now entering the room, your 125 NCAA champion, Nico Megaludis, of Penn State. Nico, a brief statement about your match. NICO MEGALUDIS: I'm the champion. I don't know, man, nothing else to it. I'm the champion. It's a pretty good feeling. Q. Nico, this has been such a long road. Two, two, three, one, I believe are the finishes. How does that feel to finally know that you're the national champ, you earned it ; it was never in question. You dominated -- first period take-down, was there any doubt after that first period takedown that you were going to win it? NICO MEGALUDIS: If I get a takedown early it's pretty tough, because I'm not going to get tired, you know. And I just want it. Yeah, I just want it. That's it. Q. Obviously here your senior year, your final year, what's it mean to cap it off. It seems like you're at a loss for words and you keep saying champion? NICO MEGALUDIS: I'm the champion. I don't know, man. Yeah, loss for words. I don't want to be talky by saying that or anything. But it just feels good. Feels good. Q. I've seen you win a lot of matches over the past four years but never have you been this happy afterwards. How do you celebrate this? How do you enjoy it? NICO MEGALUDIS: I don't know, it's not even celebration. It's just relief. I don't know. I'm just relieved. I knew I was going to be the champion. It was a done deal a year ago when I signed everywhere -- my room, Penn State, my room at home, my bathroom at home, my wrestling room at home, my car steering wheel: I am 2016 national champion. I come into my car every day on my steering wheel and I see that and I brainwashed myself. And I don't know, I brainwashed myself and I got it done. Got it done a year ago. Q. Explain the first takedown. We watched it on the TV in here, and it was like -- it's not a normal technique for either of you guys to be in. So if you could explain how you came out on that one. And the follow-up is you've qualified for the Olympic Trials. Will you wrestle in a couple of weeks up in Iowa City? NICO MEGALUDIS: Heck, yeah, I'll wrestle, man. That's the plan. Or that was the plan, like I said, a year ago. This is the first step, obviously. I wanted this. But Olympic Trials, champion, you know, that was what I was thinking about right after this. Obviously the whole season, the focus is this. But I'm training to be -- to beat those top guys in the U.S. and internationally because I've proven I've been there, you know. Two years ago I was in the World Trials Finals, yeah, the Challenge Tournament, and I lost on a point that doesn't exist, it actually doesn't exist. And I didn't deserve to win that match. But it's two years ago but I was right there. I was smaller then. And now I'm -- they said they wanted to drug test me. They said are my arms looking big or something. Q. How jacked up were you when you were running off the red carpet out to the match, and with the atmosphere and all did you have to temper yourself down a little bit? NICO MEGALUDIS: Yeah, of course you're jacked up. You're ready to go. But it's a calm ready. That's what it is. It's a calm and I'm ready. That's what it was. And I was pumped up, ready to go. I knew I was the champion. Q. All those signs you've got up the one on the steering wheel, do those stay there now or do they come down? NICO MEGALUDIS: I don't know, man. I think they're going to stay there for a little bit. Maybe right before -- I don't know. They're going to stay right before the trials. But, you know, I don't know. I'm going to obviously look at them as soon as I get in my car. I'll probably give it a kiss or something. I don't know, I'll be happy. But, dang, it will be cool to see that. Q. They have a one-year shelf life, don't they? NICO MEGALUDIS: With my writing, it's pretty bad. Q. Do you have a plan other than the Olympic Trials just coming up in a couple of weeks for what you're going to be doing with wrestling, sports over the next three, four, five, six years have you thought about that or is it too early? NICO MEGALUDIS: Yeah, I'll be competing in the Olympics in August after the Olympic Trials. I'll win that and I'll be in the Olympics in Rio. It will be a nice place there. I'm excited. Q. Could you have been content with your career without this moment? NICO MEGALUDIS: I'm a child of God. I'm very faithful. God has a plan for everything. If I didn't win this, obviously it would have stung, but I'm a child of God and there's a bigger purpose. This isn't the biggest thing in my life. I've got many more things and probably things that I probably won't plan that God has for me. His terms are way bigger than this (indiscernible). Q. You're a person that never really celebrates but today you've kind of let it go. Was this just a plan or just a relief? NICO MEGALUDIS: A relief. Just a relief. I don't know. I don't have anything else to say. Just relief. I said it on the interview, I don't know what I said, I don't even know what I said 30 seconds ago here. I've got my own (indiscernible). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|