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player ready...From 2001 to 2013, 10 Fenwick wrestlers won a total of 14 state medals, including four state titles.
The last few seasons haven’t featured as much hardware, but a former standout at a rival school now leads the program and hopes to bring it back to notoriety.
First-year coach Pete Kowalczuk is an Oak Park-River Forest graduate with a long list of accolades as a 285-pound wrestler. He has big plans for his new program, and they start with 220-pound sophomore standout Jacob Kaminski.
Kowalczuk, who graduated from OPRF in 2007, was a two-time state qualifier and finished second in Class 3A as a senior. He went 40-2 with 32 pins in his last season with the Huskies.
Kowalczuk didn’t stop there. He went on to collect trophies in Greco-Roman wrestling at the the World University Games and top meets in countries such as Finland and Bulgaria. He qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials, won FILA Junior Nationals titles in 2007-08 and was a 2010 U.S. Open Wrestling champion.
He then spent five seasons as an assistant coach on OPRF’s staff.
“My passport is full,” Kowalczuk said. “I went everywhere in the world, experienced more than most, but I knew when it was time to move on.
“I had no regrets about leaving the sport, and to be honest, to work under Mike Powell and Paul Collins at OPRF was a dream come true.”
The stars aligned perfectly for Kowalczuk, who said he interviewed for the Fenwick coaching job and got a position as a teacher at nearby Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School on the same day.
This is not Kowalczuk’s first look at the Fenwick wrestling program, as he started as a youth wrestler within the Friar Wrestling Club.
Kowalczuk also had coached Kaminski before: They teamed up on Team Illinois, where Kowalczuk has served as the Greco-Roman coach. Kaminski, a Riverside resident who also plays football, has competed in freestyle and Greco-Roman events nationally.
Kaminski entered the week with an 11-1 record at 220 pounds.
“Coach K has been a great coach for me and our team and is the perfect person to help change the culture at Fenwick,” said Kaminski, the defending Catholic League champion at 195 pounds. He finished 22-2 last season and was fourth in Class 2A at the state meet.
Kowalczuk isn’t trying to avoid his alma mater’s wrestling success. Rather, he’s hoping to use the Huskies of an example for what he hopes to build at Fenwick.
“Thanks to Powell and Collins, the interest in wrestling in this town is at an all-time high, so we need to tap into that, and use it to our advantage because everyone doesn’t go to school there,” Kowalczuk said. “Kids come here (to Fenwick) for a variety of reasons: Parents or siblings have attended, while others look to focus on academics.
“But whatever the reason, it all begins at the youth level, and if we can get to 30-35 in the program, things will turn in our favor.”
Kowalczuk also noted the progress of several wrestlers within his program, including seniors Adam Aguilar (138, 16-6), Aidan Flaherty (182, 14-7) and sophomore Matt Zuber (132, 11-9).
“We’re still a work in progress, but the guys have bought into what we’re selling, and they know wins and losses do not measure ultimate success,” Kowalczuk said. “There’s a lot more to life and this sport than your overall record.”
Michael Garofola is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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