- May 2, 2024
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After his undefeated wrestling weekend, Flagler Palm Coast senior Michael DeAugustino posted this on his Twitter page: "A sad ending has lead me to the success I was searching for."
Michael went 11-0 in the 126-pound division to help Central Florida Wrestling Academy secure a third-place finish at the National High School Coaches Association Duals Saturday, May 27, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
For two straight years, DeAugustino left Silver Spurs Arena (where the FHSAA state wrestling tournament takes place) brokenhearted and disappointed. Unlike the first year, he handled his frustration differently.
After losing in the championship match in 2016, DeAugustino didn’t wrestle or practice for months. But, after losing this past season, he went back to work after three days.
DeAugustino linked up with CFWA, which has developed him into a better wrestle, helping him beat some of the top wrestlers around the country.
During the dual meets, DeAugustino won five matches by pinfall, another by tech fall and the other five by point decisions. He was never taken down
Some of his opponents included J.J. Wilson and Joe Klock, Pennsylvania All-Americans, Jake Cherry, a University of Pittsburgh signee, and Tyler Wetzel, a three-time Ohio state placer and West Point (Army) signee.
“A bounce back is one of the biggest things to help you grow in wrestling, as a competitor and as a man,” DeAugustino said. “You take a hard defeat, but you can get better from it, while the guy that beat you might be taking a break. Or you can dwell on it and just stay complacent.”
Looking back at the last few months, DeAugustino is now thankful he lost his big match this past season. He’s convinced he wouldn’t be training as hard and would have been satisfied with his results. Instead, he’s become hungrier. His offseason dedication has already paid off with results, and he’s getting looked at by some of the biggest wrestling schools in the country.
And, he’s discovered the one of the greatest lessons life teaches us all: We can learn from our failures.
