ISU wrestling coach Bobby Douglas said he’d hate to think where the team would be without 165-pound star Nick Passolano.

Passolano, only a redshirt sophomore, is already becoming an integral part of Iowa State’s wrestling squad.

Last year, he qualified for the NCAA Championship at 174 pounds and tallied a 21-19 record.

This year, Passolano is ranked seventh in the nation and has amassed a 15-6 record.

“Other wrestlers see the progress that he’s making and that motivates them,” Douglas said.

Passolano is a native of New Lenox, Ill., where he lived with his father, Marty. He also has two older brothers, Dominique and Tony, and a younger sister, Nicole.

He got an early start in his wrestling career.

“I got into wrestling around second grade,” Passolano said. “I found out about it from a flyer they were giving out at junior football practice.”

Passolano said his dad, a former high school wrestler, encouraged him to get involved. He then went on to wrestle at Providence Catholic High School.

He has found quite a difference between high school and collegiate wrestling.

“In high school, you get away with wrestling some easy matches, but in college, every match is like a high school state championship match,” Passolano said. “You have to be ready for every match.”

Passolano has also found college wrestling to be trying in other ways.

“Nick has had to overcome some huge obstacles that not many wrestlers are faced with,” Douglas said.

Some obstacles have been physical, but others have been emotional.

“I’ve had a few knee injuries, but the toughest thing I’ve had to deal with is the loss of my mom,” Passolano said.

His mother, Donna, passed away during his 2000-01 redshirt year at Iowa State.

“He’s overcome that and he’s a very important part of our program,” Douglas said.

Passolano said that his best quality is that he doesn’t view himself as an athlete.

“I’m just like everyone else,” he said. “I’m here to be a college student and live the college life.”

On the mat, it’s a different story.

Although he is only a redshirt sophomore, Passolano does his part to lead the team by following what the team captains are doing.

“It’s like a snowball, it’s going to keep rolling,” Passolano said. “The freshmen are going to look up to us and so on.”

Douglas also had much praise for the image that Passolano presents to the younger wrestlers.

“Nick is a quiet leader with a tremendous fighting heart and an excellent work ethic,” Douglas said. “For just a [redshirt] sophomore, he is doing an outstanding job.”

Although he only has one full year of collegiate competition under his belt, Passolano already has a few career highlights.

“Beating Minnesota was pretty nice,” he said.

The Cyclones defeated the No. 3 Golden Gophers in the first round of the National Duals last month.

Passolano also said his win at Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena and making Nationals last year were important accomplishments for him.

Passolano’s goals this year include being an All-American, returning to the NCAA Championships and “just having fun and going out and wrestling every match.”

Passolano is a marketing major and he knows that school is his No. 1 concern at Iowa State.

“I want to stick to business because I know that wrestling’s not going to be around my whole life,” Passolano said. “As a student athlete, you have to have a good work ethic in the classroom as well as the wrestling room.”

He plans to attend graduate school and has a positive outlook to the future.

“I’m really looking forward to getting myself situated with a good job after wrestling,” Passolano said.

Douglas sees Passolano’s wrestling future as very bright.

“I think he’s on his way to greatness,” Douglas said.

“And if he continues to improve, he’s going to make life miserable for a lot of people.”