Alec Pantaleo: Record, Net Worth, Weight, Age & More!
Posted by Benjamin Strusnik on
Who is Alec Pantaleo?
Alec Pantaleo is an American wrestler who competed as a University of Michigan Wolverine from his freshman year of college in 2015 until his graduation in 2019. He was nationally ranked in the Big Ten and a consistent contender for NCAA honors in three of his seasons with Michigan. Alec is a three-time Division I NCAA All-American and one of America’s highest ranked wrestlers.
Who is Alec Pantaleo?
Alec Pantaleo is an American wrestler who competed as a University of Michigan Wolverine from his freshman year of college in 2015 until his graduation in 2019. He was nationally ranked in the Big Ten and a consistent contender for NCAA honors in three of his seasons with Michigan. Alec is a three-time Division I NCAA All-American and one of America’s highest ranked wrestlers.
Quick &Effective Takedowns Explained by Alec Pantaleo
During his time in Michigan and in the years that followed, Pantaleo competed internationally as a freestyle wrestler on the largest stages. He has fought most often in the 70kg division, but also in the 65kg and 74kg weight classes at times. In 2021, Pantaleo solidified himself as a world-level contender when he won first place in the Pan American Championships.
Pantaleo’s path to wrestling greatness started at Canton High School in Michigan and had early flashes of brilliance. Impressively, he was able to wrestle to a 177-9 high school record while missing the better part of his junior year to injury. To dispel any lingering doubt after his return from these problems, Pantaleo went 51-1 in his bouts as a senior.
In his freshman and sophomore years at the University of Michigan he began to raise eyebrows by getting on the radar for both Big Ten and NCAA honors through his strong performances that totaled to a 49-17 record. As a sophomore he was awarded All-American honors for the first of three times. He redshirted during his third year before returning to a full competition schedule during his Junior year for the 2017-18 season.
While redshirting, Pantaleo began to compete internationally in freestyle wrestling. The energy that was saved on his collegiate career was rolled into a thunderous start for his future career as a professional. Upon returning to active competition in 2017, Alec was already competing in the US Open and the Junior National Championships.
His junior and senior year of college capped off what had begun as an amazing two years. He was twice more named as an All-American these years, bringing his career total to three. In his junior year he was able to capture not only the title at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, but also the Big Ten Conference Championship, a title he had chased since joining the Wolverines.
During his fifth and final season at Michigan, Alec again took third in the Big Ten. Notably, he was able to come out on top against fellow grappling phenom, and #3 ranked wrestler at 70kg, Ryan Deakin. The two would eventually meet again in a September 2021 US World Team Trial match that saw Pantaleo sustain an injury, slowing his hopes of an Olympic bid this time around.
How Old is Alec Pantaleo?
Alec Pantaleo turned 25 in 2021. He was born to Mike and Wendy Pantaleo on July 9, 1996 in Canton, Michigan.
Quick &Effective Hand Fighting by Alec PantaleoAlec Pantaleo Family
The Pantaleo name has been around wrestling for more than one generation. Alec’s uncle, Joe Pantaleo, made a name for himself as a two-time finalist for NCAA honors at the University of Michigan when he attended from 1986 until 1989. Alec followed in his uncle’s footsteps in order to wind up a Michigan Wolverine.
But the family connections don’t stop there, however. Joe’s older brother Mike, Alec’s father, had a successful wrestling career of his own at Olivet College from 1984 until he graduated in 1987. In that time, the senior Pantaleo was able to secure All-American honors in wrestling twice. It’s no exaggeration that wrestling is in Alec Pantaleo’s blood.
How Much is Alec Pantaleo Worth?
Alec Pantaleo’s net worth has not been credibly estimated. Unfortunately, his NCAA career took place before the rules changed to allow athletes to benefit from their success in sports. In his time since graduating from Michigan and leaving the Wolverines, Alec has certainly made some noise on the international grappling scene. At 25 years old, Alec has many money-making years ahead of him still.
How Tall is Alec Pantaleo?
Alec Pantaleo stands 5’6” tall. He is not notably tall nor notably short for his weight class, standing about average height for a 70kg wrestler.
How Much Does Alec Pantaleo Weigh?
Alec Pantaleo competes most often at 70 kilograms, which is about 154 pounds. He has competed at various other weights as well: sometimes as low as 65kg (143 pounds) or as high as 74kg (163 pounds).
Alec Pantaleo Fight List
Alec’s career has diverged down a couple of different paths. He was first and foremost an accomplished NCAA collegiate wrestler but has also pursued greatness as a freestyle wrestler in international competitions starting while he was still a student at the University of Michigan. Since Pantaleo has competed in something on the order of 500 bouts, it’s impractical to list them all below. Instead, check out some of his career highlights:
University of Michigan:
- 2015-16:
- 22-9 in Division I NCAA Competition
- Ranked 4th in the Big Ten
- 2016-17:
- 27-8 in Division I NCAA Competition
- Ranked 3rd in the Big Ten
- Finished 6th for NCAA Honors
- 2016-17:
- Redshirted (see freestyle activity that year below)
- 2017-18:
- 21-7 in Division I NCAA Competition
- Ranked 1st in the Big Ten
- Finished 5th for NCAA Honors
- 2018-19:
- 24-8 in Division I NCAA Competition
- Ranked 3rd in the Big Ten
- Finished 3rd For NCAA Honors
Freestyle Wrestling Career:
- 2017 - US Open (70kg) - 5th Place
- 2019 - Senior Nationals (74kg) - 8th Place
- 2020 Cerro Pelado International (70kg) - 1st Place
- 2020 FloWrestling RTC Cup (65kg) -1st Place
- 2020 Flo 8-Man Challenge (150lbs) - 3rd Place
- 2021 Matteo Pellicone rankin Series (70kg) - 1st Place
- 2021 US Open (70kg) - 2nd Place
- 2021 Pan American Championships (70kg) - 1st Place
- 2021 Poland Open (70kg) - 1st Place
Alec Pantaleo's Best Fight of All Time
Alec Pantaleo is one of the most prolific grapplers of our time, and has competed in an absurd amount of matches. To give a rough idea, he competed nearly 200 times before ever enrolling in college. In a career like this, it can be hard to pick a crowning achievement. To find one, we need not look back very far to May of 2021 for the Pan American Continental Championships, where Pantaleo went on one of his proudest runs to date.
After running through the Brazilian, Joao Victor dos Santos Silva, and Canadian competitor Vincent De Marinis in the first two rounds of the tournament, Pantaleo kept his foot to the gas pedal to score an incredibly dominant victory over Carlos Romero Millaquero in the finals. In wrestling, a “TF” on the scorecard represents a “technical fall”. This mercy rule stops the match when one grappler gets an overwhelming advantage of points. A look at the scorecards shows that Pantaleo demolished the competition, winning with three consecutive technical falls.
Who Did Alec Pantaleo Lose To?
One of Pantaleo’s most painful losses is also his most recent. During the 2021 US World Team Trials, Pantaleo was considered a front runner to represent the United States at 70 kilograms. His first round went well, as he out-pointed Brayton Lee 9-0. Unfortunately, disaster struck for Pantaleo in the second round of the tournament when he was matched up with former collegiate rival Ryan Deakin.
The two grapplers were known to each other after a set of matches to represent their schools, University of Michigan and Northwestern. The September 2021 bout was evenly fought and the score was 4-10, but the match did not finish normally. Instead, Alec Pantaleo suffered an injury that would take him out of the competition and, by extension, the running for the US World Team. Pantaleo expressed his frustration in a twitter post, and is sure to be back with a mission before long.
Alec Pantaleo Record
Alec Pantaleo has competed in different circuits. His record in college as a University of Michigan Wolverine was 94-32 over his five years. During that time, and in the years beyond, he’s also competed internationally in freestyle wrestling and earned a record of 59-21.
Alec Pantaleo Injuries
Alec Pantaleo is a young athlete, but his career has already been plagued by injury. During his high school years, he missed his entire junior season with injuries. This process repeated itself in his senior year at the University of Michigan when he contracted mono and missed nearly an entire semester.
Finally, and perhapsmost frustratingly, Pantaleo was injured during the US World Team Trials in September of 2021 and was unable to continue the tournament, forfeiting his 3rd round match. After this significant setback, Pantaleo took to twitter to give his response:
“Injuries suck. I truly believe I’m the best in the world at 70kg. I know this because the people I look up to also believe it. Devastated that a injury stole my shot to prove it at worlds. Tough following weeks of healing &hurting to come, then back to the grindstone.”
Is Alec Pantaleo Retired?
Alec Pantaleo is not retired. At age 25, he still has many dominant years on the mat remaining. If his active competition schedule over the last six years is any indication, we can expect to see Pantaleo at most of the major tournaments in the coming months once his recent injury is rehabbed.
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In the meantime, you can check out some of his instructionals, filmed in conjunction with BJJ Fanatics. His video products “Quick &Effective Takedowns Explained” and “Quick &Effective Hand Fighting” are great ways to pick up some wrestling-specific details about taking your opponent down and keeping them there.
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