Rau Wins National Title in Greco-Roman Wrestling
July 22, 2009

Josef Rau, a 2009 graduate of St. Patrick High School, was one of four Team Illinois wrestlers to win an individual Junior Greco-Roman National Championship which contributed to Team Illinois securing the team title at the 2009 ASICS/Vaughan Junior & Cadet National Championships. The St. Pat’s grad and future Elmhurst College Bluejay won his 215-pound title match on July 21 against Colorado’s Conner Medbery, the 2008 Cadet Freestyle champ. The victory capped off an 11-match performance during which the Chicago native defeated four All-American wrestlers. Next in line for Rau will be the Junior Freestyle competition which will take place between now and Sat., July 25. Rau’s cohorts were Ellis Coleman (135), Josh Castellano (145) and Mark Stenberg (171).
           
At St. Pat’s, Rau’s 110 career wins placed him fifth overall for All-Time Most Career Wins and also placed him among only eight other Shamrock wrestlers in the school’s elite 100 Win Club. He finished his senior season 42-6 which included individual championships at the Maine East Dual Tournament and the Rex Lewis Tournament (Buffalo Grove). He was also both a two-time East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) champion and a two-time IHSA Regional champion. Rau competed at the IHSA State Finals in 2009, and led the Shamrocks with season victories (42 wins tied him for first with teammate Alex Ortiz) and pins (26). Rau began wrestling in grade school as part of the Shamrock Wrestling Club, a club sponsored by St. Pat’s to introduce young boys to the sport. Last year the club boasted nearly 60 participants ranging in age from first through eighth grades. In addition to competing in various tournaments, five members of the club went on to compete in the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation (IKWF) state championships. For more info visit www.stpatrick.org or www.shamrockwrestling.com.      

Highlights
Joe Rau semifinal match
Joe Rau championship interview
National Championship website