He’s a two-time state champion and is only 12 years old. Dominic The “Dominator” Malave took home the state wrestling championship last year in the junior division at the 60-pound weight class. He repeated this extraordinary feat again only a year later, winning the 70-pound intermediate state championship.
Dominic is a year-round wrestler, devoted to the sport his dad introduced to him. As a 7-year-old boy, Dominic was faced with the decision of choosing a sport. He chose wrestling because his father used to be a wrestler, and it has ended up being a great decision on his part.
Five years and two state champion medals later, Dominic is now coached by his father and is only getting started. He now strives to one day have more medals than his dad.
“Wrestling has absolutely become a huge part of Dominic’s life. It is something he plans to continue to do down the road in high school and potentially in college,” Dominic’s mother Laurel said.
Dominic’s parents are just as dedicated to the sport as he is, taking their son to practices and training sessions for matches four to six times a week in numerous places.
You can often find Dominic training at the Malave Wrestling gym, a full wrestling facility in the basement of his home. He and his older brother Vincent train four to five days a week in season and three days a week out of season.
In the summer and fall, he trains with Olympian Ken Chertow at Penn State.
He is a big Penn State fan mainly because of three-time All-American David Taylor, a wrestler Dominic idolizes. Taylor is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Penn State grappling history. Dominic loves watching his matches and learning more about Taylor’s upbringing as a young wrestler.
This many hours dedicated to the sport on top of school can be a lot for a 12 year old.
“He amazes me and my wife all the time with his athletic and academic ability,” his father Terry said.
Dominic admits there are a few downfalls that come along with it, such as occasionally having to cut a few pounds to make weight and the nerves that come along with the big stage he enjoys competing on. In fact, his favorite part of the sport is the end-of-the-year wrestling at states.
“My best memory from wrestling thus far has to be when I went out to Gloucester, Pa., to take on their state champion and left with the victory,” Dominic said.
Dominic started off local as a part of the Seneca youth program five years ago when he began as a 7 year old. However, he did not stay around because Tabernacle does not have enough people to do so.
“He wrestles anywhere he can get a competitive train. He often travels to Jackson
where he competes at Elite Wrestling,” Laurel said.
He also wrestles with a group called the Shawnee Dual Team.
“We are coming off of a season in which we we’re very successful, placing second in dual championships, losing by only a few points,” Dominic said.
Dominic likes to scooter and skateboard in his free time, but he does not play any other sports. He is solely focused on wrestling in high school, where he will compete to try to obtain a scholarship to Iowa or Penn State, like his idol David Taylor.
