ALBANY — The Vito Arujau era came to an end Saturday night at the Times Union Center. He left us with a lasting memory, his four fingers extended from his right hand to show his four state titles. His shoes left in the middle of the mat signifying the end of his high school career.
Arujau left little doubt as to who was the best wrestler in the 138-pound weight class. The Syosset senior rolled through the bracket with two quick pins and a major decision before punctuating his career with an 8-3 win over Hauppauge’s Jake Silverstein before a crowd of more than 6,000.
He capped one of the most celebrated high school wrestling careers in Long Island history by becoming the second Nassau wrestler to win four state championships.
The wrestling community was fortunate to watch him grow for five years from a junior high phenom to an untouchable senior. The accomplishments were many.
Arujau finished with a Long Island record 174 consecutive victories and a 216-1 career mark. He won 24 tournament titles, including a Nassau record five county crowns.
His last loss came as an eighth-grader in the state final in 2013. He was edged in the ultimate tiebreaker, the third overtime, by Hilton’s Yanni Diakomihalis, a four-time state champion who finished his career with a 256-3 record and a state record 201 wins in a row. They never wrestled each other again.
Coincidentally, the great ones, Arujau and Diakomihalis, will both wrestle for Cornell next year.
The superlatives flow easily when describing Arujau. He’s as good in the classroom as he is on the mat. But what should define him is the way he went about his business and the way he took care of it.
