Ocean’s James Farina commits to Rider University

By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr.

Ocean Township High School senior wrestler, James Farina (center), has assistant coach Ben Duronio (left) and head coach Cippy Apicelli (right) with him as he committed to attending and wrestling at Rider University.

This past week all high school senior athletes who plan on continuing their athletic careers signed national letters of intent. At Ocean Township High School James Farina, a wrestler for the Spartans, decided that Rider University is where he will be battling it out on the mat next year.

When James was a freshman at Ocean he wrestled at 106 pounds, his sophomore year he moved up to 126 pounds and 144 as a junior. This past season, he weighed in at 150 pounds. This year he finished with a 39-4 record and was Region 6 Champion, District 22 Champion, Shore Conference Tournament Champion, Delaware Valley Tournament Champion and finished second at the Mustang Classic.

Some elite athletes can be superstitious or have a pre-game ritual. “I don’t think I’m superstitious, but I definitely do the same things every match with respect to my warmup,” said Farina. He does have a meal he likes to eat before matches. “I eat a lot of grilled chicken, rice, and yogurt with chocolate chips.” He also likes to keep to himself listening to music with his headphones on.

Farina had a very exceptional career as a Spartan wrestler. He was a two-time Shore Conference medalist, three-time District, Region medalist. He also had a District and Region championship title. All four years at Ocean he qualified for the NJSIAA State Championships. He finished with 110-career wins. “My favorite memory over the past four years was winning Region 6 Title. My least favorite was losing to Hopewell Valley in the Central Jersey Group 3 Sectionals, or getting sick right before states this past season,” said Farina.

On May 17, James Farina, senior wrestler at Ocean Township High School, is surrounded by family as he signs his national letter of intent to attend and wrestle at Rider University.

Athletes that excel are doing their chosen sport 12 months, not just during the scholastic season. Farina is no exception, as he wrestles for Triumph Wrestling Club, also located in the Township of Ocean.

When asked why he selected Rider University, Farina stated it was because of their coaching staff and the deep wrestling tradition at the university. “I hope to wrestle 149 or 157 pounds next season. I will plan to major in business,” she added.

Some fun facts about Farina; he loves steak, ribs or pasta Bolognese. His favorite color is blue and he watches the NBA, NFL, CFB. “I did like the Sopranos and Breaking Bad, but my favorite movie is Rocky,” Farina said. As far as his musical taste goes, he likes all genres from rap to classic rock. “Keep pushing yourself or someone is going to push you around.”