Nick Piccininni


Nicholas Piccininni is an American graduated folkstyle wrestler. He is a three-time NCAA Division I All-American and a four-time Big 12 Conference champion out of Oklahoma State University and a four-time NYSPHSAA title holder as a high schooler.

High School

Piccininni was born on Setauket-East Setauket, New York and attended Ward Melville High School. He made the varsity team when he was in eighth grade, year in which he placed third at the state championships. He won the state title in every year of high school, making him a four-time NYSPHSAA champion at 4 different weight classes. He also competed at the FloNationals, tournament in which he was the runner-up on 2013 and the champion on 2014. He graduated with a record of 226-3 and the 2015 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award.

University

After graduation, he committed to Oklahoma State University and wrestled as a Cowboy.

2015-2016

Used this season as his redshirt season, in which he compiled a 16-4 record in open tournaments.

2016-2017

Compiled a record of 27 victories and 8 defeats overall. At the Big 12 Championships, he downed Josh Rodriguez in the finals to win the 125-pounds crown of the tournament. He also had a 5-2 run at the NCAA championships, placing 4th and earning All-American honors.

2017-2018

As a redshirt sophomore, he amassed 23 wins and 5 losses overall. He won his second Big 12 title in a row, pinning Zeke Moisey at the finals. At the NCAA championships, he had a 2-2 run, not placing high enough to earn All-American status.

2018-2019

As a junior, he amassed an incredible 34-2 record throughout the season. He captured his third-straight Big 12 championships in a decision at the finals. He also captured All-American status for the second time with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships.

2019-2020

In his final season he captured 26 wins and 2 losses. He became the ninth Cowboy to win 4 conference titles when he defeated Alex Mackall in the finals of the Big 12 Conference championships. Piccininni was seeded number 3 for the 2020 NCAA Championships, however, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making him and all the qualifiers unable to compete. After the season, Piccininni earned All-American honors due to his performance throughout the season.
Piccininni graduated from OSU with a 112-17 record, 4 Conference titles and earned All-American status three times throughout his four years of active competition.

Coaching

Piccininni has expressed his desire on becoming an assistant coach at OKSU. On April 2020, it was announced that Piccininni joined the coaching staff of the wrestling team at Gilroy High School along notable athletes such as Daniel Cormier and Deron Winn.

Freestyle wrestling

During his academic years, Piccinini never competed regularly as a freestyle wrestler but still attended a few youth level tournaments such as the World Team Trials and the UWW Nationals.

2018

In 2018, Piccininni competed at the 23U National Championships in the 61 kilograms weight class. He won four matches in a row but lost by technical fall in the semifinals and got thrown to the consolation bracket. He lost another match by fall and competed for the fifth place, match in which he was also pinned and due to that result he placed sixth.

2019

He competed at the US Open in his first tournament as a senior. He won his first match by technical fall before losing to Darian Cruz on points. He won two more matches before being eliminated.
Piccininni wrestled at Beat The Streets: Grapple at the Garden against Jack Mueller in his second and last senior freestyle competition. He lost the bout by technical fall.

Mixed martial arts career

On April 2020, Piccininni announced his transition to MMA and signed a contract with Zinkin Entertainment & Sports Management. He started training at American Kickboxing Academy, MMA powerhouse where former Cowboys such as Daniel Cormier and Kyle Crutchmer train.

Freestyle record

! colspan="7"| Senior Freestyle Matches
! Res.
! Record
! Opponent
! Score
! Date
! Event
! Location
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
New York City, New York
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Las Vegas, Nevada
! style=background:white colspan=7 |
Akron, Ohio

NCAA record

! colspan="8"| NCAA Championships Matches
! Res.
! Record
! Opponent
! Score
! Date
! Event
! style=background:white colspan=6 |2019 NCAA Championships 5th at 125 lbs
! style=background:white colspan=6 |2018 NCAA Championships at 125 lbs
! style=background:white colspan=6 |2017 NCAA Championships 4th at 125 lbs

Stats

! Season
! Year
! School
! Rank
! Weigh Class
! Record
! Win
! Bonus

Awards and honors

;2020
;2019
;2018
;2017