Sammy Alvarez will return to wrestling at CWA Showcase V on August 16th in Toms River, New Jersey after an attempt to wrestle for Iowa this year. Alvarez, who was a 2025 NCAA All-American for Rider at 149 pounds, originally committed to the Hawkeyes going into the summer. But, he was out of eligibility and […]
Sammy Alvarez will return to wrestling at CWA Showcase V on August 16th in Toms River, New Jersey after an attempt to wrestle for Iowa this year. Alvarez, who was a 2025 NCAA All-American for Rider at 149 pounds, originally committed to the Hawkeyes going into the summer.
But, he was out of eligibility and attempted to get a waiver for a seventh season. Alvarez’s career began in 2019-20 with Rutgers, where he spent three seasons before a year and a half at Oklahoma State. He finished off at Rider this past season.
Alvarez joined the CWA Showcase Show Friday night and opened up about that process and why he’s excited to debut on this upcoming professional card. Simply put, he’s just living and enjoying life.
“Well, at first I had the thought that I’d be wrestling next year, right,” but things just didn’t work out. And I kind of just took a chance, right? It was a big leap of faith,” Alvarez said. “I kind of knew, like, deep down, it wasn’t a guarantee. But, you know, in the new world of NIL and things like that, I had another year, or at least I thought, right? Depending on who you talk to, some people thought that I might and (some thought) I might not, so I pretty much just took a leap of faith, and, you know, gave it a shot. It didn’t work out, unfortunately.
“But, you know, I’ll be all right. I’m pretty content with my career. I’ve been in college, I actually came into the same class with (Jackson) Turley in 2019 which feels like a decade ago, pre covid, which pretty crazy to say. We’ve been in college six, seven years. It’s more than enough time, we’ve graduated. And, you know, personally, I’m content, you know?”
Alvarez held a career record of 78-24 since his freshman campaign in 2019-20. He went 26-9 as a true freshman at Rutgers, where he was a NWCA Coaches All-American, but didn’t wrestle more than 15 matches in a season until this past year.
Alvarez repped Rider and went 25-7 and finished 7th at 149 pounds, becoming an All-American at the NCAA Tournament for the first time. He beat former Oklahoma State teammate Jordan Williams (who was at Arkansas-Little Rock this past season), 5-0 in the Blood Round to get onto the podium.
“I wish I could have a better career,” Alvarez said. “I’ve only wrestled the national tournament one time. But, you know, I can’t really trip over what’s behind me, really. So just moving forward, you know, just hanging out, you know, getting a job, those type of things, just transitioning into the real world. And, you know, hanging out this weekend. I’m in Seattle right now. I’m actually sitting in the sauna, heating it up at an Airbnb having a beer. Just went for a six mile run this morning with my girlfriend, have a couple cocktails, you know, go to a country concert tomorrow, and then, you know, back on a plane Monday, and I got one four or five days til I wrestle.
“So, yeah, just been, you know, keeping it light, having a good time, just enjoying life. Not having a head coach or athletic department hovering over is pretty nice, I will say. But, you know, it’s you uh, been a good time. I’ve been just living this summer, honestly. No preseason on the mind which is nice. I’m sure Turley could agree. It’s nice that you don’t gotta report to a room, you could go if you want. So it’s a different vibe.”
Category: General Sports
