St. Charles East graduate Davino finds redemption at Under-23 World Championships
Ben Davino flipped the script.
The Ohio State University junior wrestler, a four-time IHSA state champion at St. Charles East High School, lost his only match at the 2023 Under-17 World Championships in Istanbul.
That early exit ticked him off.
Davino responded by winning his 61-kilogram (134.5 pounds) freestyle division Oct. 17 at the U-23 World Championships at the University of Nevada’s Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
“I’ve been chasing this one ever since that 2023 U-17 World experience, just because that left a sour taste in my mouth,” Davino, 20, said from Columbus, Ohio.
“Being able to step back out on the world stage and kind of redeem myself from that past experience is awesome,” he said.
The defending Big Ten Conference champion and NCAA runner-up at 133 pounds, Davino called the world title his greatest achievement yet on the mat.
“It was awesome, it was a great opportunity to represent Team USA in Vegas, that was super cool,” he said. “This was one of the first times they had it in America, so that was unique, a lot of my family was able to go.”
Davino powered through the first three rounds against wrestlers from Iran, Japan, and Romania, beating them by a combined score of 28-1.
Kyrgyzstan’s Iukhan Dokturbek Uulu provided a fight in the final, but Davino won 4-1.
“He was just super strong, he hurt me with underhooks, stuff like that,” Davino said.
“Just overall a dangerous wrestler, someone that could catch you off-guard at any time. It took a lot of focus just to stay in my position, just a super-great competitor. It was a great opportunity to wrestle somebody like that, especially before the NCAA season.”
Davino enters the 2026-27 season ranked second by FloWrestling at 133 behind the man who beat him in the 2026 NCAA final, Oklahoma State’s Jax Forrest. Davino has a record of 45-3 at Ohio State, including 31-2 last season as a sophomore.
Davino went 181-1 at St. Charles East, the best winning percentage in state history according to Saints coach Jason Potter.
Davino won the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association state title at 113 pounds in 2021 as a freshman when the IWCOA held the championships during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He then reeled off IHSA titles at 120, 126 and 132 pounds, leading the Saints to the Class 3A title in 2023 as a junior.
Davino was also 2022 runner-up and 2023 and 2024 champion at the Ironman Wrestling Tournament in Ohio, which Potter called the nation’s best in-season prep tournament.
The South Elgin native said that under Potter and SPAR Wrestling Academy coach Justin Pearch, he learned to never be afraid of a challenge.
“The main (lesson) from Potter was chasing the best all the time,” said Davino, joined at Ohio State by another former Saint, two-time U-17 world champion Dom Munaretto.
“When I was in high school I’d be bumping up a lot (in weight) to chase the best competition. And the World was kind of the same thing, you’re chasing the best competition everywhere,” Davino said.
Studying Sport Industry at Ohio State with the goal of being a college wrestling coach, Davino in his free time likes reading, playing video games, and playing golf, though he admitted he’s not very good at it.
He’s got a 2027 World bid on his mind, as well as qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics. But first, the 2026-27 NCAA season.
“Everybody’s ramping up a little bit,” Davino said, “getting excited for that, so that’s going to be fun.”
Another for the books
Earlier this month at Notre Dame’s Joe Piane Invite, Valparaiso sophomore cross country runner Samantha Rowley (Barrington) ran the women’s program’s fastest 5,000-meter time in a dozen years. Placing 17th out of 211, Rowley’s time of 17 minutes, 44.48 seconds ranks fourth in program history and was the Beacons’ fastest time since 2014.
Rowley has a penchant for landmark runs. During the 2025-26 track season she ran Valparaiso’s fastest women’s indoor 5,000 time since 2009, the fastest indoor 3,000 time since 2007, and the fastest outdoor 10,000-meter time since 1999, all among the top-four times in program history.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com