Pitt-Johnstown's Rome Alvarez set to make history at U23 world tournament

Rome Alvarez, a native of Melbourne, Florida, is poised to make history at the U23 world wrestling tournament in Las Vegas. The sophomore at Pitt-Johnstown is scheduled to compete in the United World Wrestling Under-23 championships in the 57-kilogram weight class. Alvarez is set to become the first Mountain Cat, male or female, to participate in the championships.

Alvarez expressed her excitement and gratitude, stating that she is honored to represent her school. Born and raised in Florida, Alvarez will compete for Puerto Rico in the tournament. Her parents, Hilda Aponte and Rafael Alvarez, are from Puerto Rico, and the family visits regularly to reconnect with their heritage. Alvarez discovered her passion for wrestling during her high school years, training under head coach Jason Custer, who taught her a hard-nosed wrestling style.

Alvarez has since been honing her skills under the guidance of coaches Jody and John Strittmatter and Shane Valko, who both won NCAA Division II titles for Pitt-Johnstown. Valko has noticed improvements in Alvarez's performance and attributes it to her strong work ethic. Despite missing out on the Puerto Rican Under-20 team, Alvarez rebounded by winning the Under-23 tournament the following day.

She also represented Puerto Rico at the Pan-Am Games in Peru, where she gained valuable international experience. Alvarez is focused on giving her best effort in each match and is eager to compete at the highest level. The wrestling tournament will take place from Thursday to Friday, and Alvarez is determined to make her school proud.