March 4, 2005

By Kate Homan
Maryland Media Relations Student Assistant

Ever wondered what makes an athlete tick? What drives an athlete to wake up at 6 a.m., trudge to Comcast to lift, return after a long day of classes, only to repeat the process the next day? What makes Maryland wrestler Charlie Pinto push himself through pain, sweat and exhaustion, while others are home asleep on Knox Road? The answer: perfection and Pinto knows a little bit about perfection.

Pinto, a self-proclaimed perfectionist gets to practice early and stays late until he gets things just right. He goes to Comcast between studying at McKeldin and math class in Tydings. He watches videos of his competitors. He does everything he can to win and enjoys working hard. All of this hard work and dedication have earned him a top seed at this weekend's ACC Tournament.

Pinto enters the postseason with a 23-9 record and a new sense of achievement. Like Yankees slugger, A-Rod, Pinto has progressed a long way from a tough first year.

This time last season, Pinto had just completed his first collegiate season, with a losing record and a negative mindset.

"Last year, I had a horrible year," Pinto recalls. "I didn't come in early [to practice] or stay late because I didn't see the point. I didn't think I was going to get better."

At the end of last season, head coach Pat Santoro sat down with Pinto to discuss his goals for the upcoming season and also what he had to do to obtain them. Pinto remembers saying to Santoro, "I want to be the ACC champion."

Pinto knew this was not going to be an easy task to accomplish. After a summer of extra lifting practices, wrestling camp and an off-season referred to as "the hardest one ever," Pinto has had a much better season. He has won 23 matches, including five falls and six major decisions. He also finished the season with a 10-3 dual record and a 3-1 ACC record.

A year later, Pinto's mindset is not the only thing that has changed, his goals have as well. He hasn't gotten caught up in all of his achievements, but he has set new goals and worked to achieve them.

"This season, I had to step up," he explains. "I definitely attribute a lot of my success to my teammates and coaches."

Santoro believes that his work ethic put him in a good position heading into the ACC Tournament. "He's gotten to this point through hard work. He does the extra lifting and extra drill sessions and stays after practice. He's done it they way you are supposed to do it."

Pinto reminds Santoro of Clark Kent. Off the mat, Santoro describes Pinto as "quite and reserved, but once he steps across that white line and faces a competitor, he becomes Superman."

And Pinto trains like Superman. He was told to come into practice early and he did. He had both a knee and a shoulder injury earlier in the season, but has worked through them and has become faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, just like Clark Kent's alter-ego.

A demonstration of his changed attitude, Pinto doesn't just want to go to the ACC Championships, he wants to win and Santoro believes he can.

"I want him to win the ACC Tournament. That's what we expect of him the way he's been training and he's earned the right to be a champion."

Santoro has the support from Pinto, and Pinto credits Santoro with his breakout year. "He's a very smart coach and sees things others miss. He thinks of things you might miss and helps you work on your style to become a better wrestler."

Through hard work, Pinto has gone from a losing record last season to a possible No. 1 seed at the ACC Championships in Greensboro, N.C., this Saturday. Although his goal of winning the ACC championship has not diminished, he has added a couple more to his plate after this season.

"Now, I want to be an NCAA Champion and an All-American," Pinto says. Santoro agrees, "He can be an All-American this year. It's going to be a battle and he knows it. But he knows he can wrestle with these guys." In order for Pinto to even have a chance at the NCAA Championships, he must either win the ACC Tournament or earn a wild card selection from the conference coaches.

These performances will not only rely on hard work, but also on some superstitions. Pinto is a very superstitious athlete with a set schedule of how the days leading up to his matches will go. "I have to drink coffee at a certain time in the morning. Then the night before I leave I have an order in which I pack and then call my girlfriend. And I also have to do a sprint before and after I wrestle."

But he does not only rely on superstitions, he's quick to include his teammates as a major part of his success. Just as the Red Sox stood behind Curt Shilling or the Patriots behind Tom Brady, Pinto's teammates have pushed him to be stronger, quicker and better. "We all have been going to early practice and staying late. We are all very supportive of each other. I want to help them get better just as they have helped me get better."

Along with his individual goals, Pinto would like to help win the team ACC Championship before he graduates in two years. In his eyes, the whole team has worked hard and deserves to be champions.

"Our program is going places. We are going to be nationally dominant and coach Santoro is the reason we are going there." As for now, Charlie Pinto has only one thing on his mind: winning the ACC Tournament.