A four-year member of the East Haven wrestling squad, Anthony Milano is in better shape than ever as he seeks a successful senior season.

Anthony has never wrestled in the same weight class from year to year and this season will be no different. When he entered high school as a freshman, Anthony wrestled in the 130 weight division. Since then, he's been at 145 his sophomore campaign and had a bout in the 138 class last winter. This season, Anthony trimmed his body fat and will compete in the 132-pound division.

"I feel like I was supposed to wrestle this weight class," says Anthony, who finished fifth at the 138 weight class in the state tournament last season. "I'm fast, I'm strong at this weight, and I've always been the small guy in the weight class. Now, I feel like I'm wrestling where I'm supposed to be wrestling."

Anthony has been doing more running and conditioning this offseason in preparation for the team's first meet and the hard work has impressed East Haven Head Coach Paul Cicarella.

"He's been wrestling all year and training very hard all through the offseason, so his weight is very low," says Cicarella. "He's only lighter because he's strict with his diet. He cut all his fat out and he's very serious about the sport. It's going to be a great advantage for him to wrestle at the lower weight class because the only thing he's lost was his body fat. He still has all the muscle, if not more."

Also this offseason, Anthony worked with Team Tugman to improve his craft. Training with Tugman was highly beneficial for Anthony as he was able to experience working with highly-skilled wrestlers from all over the state.

"Tugman really helped with a lot more advanced moves," says Anthony. "He's a coach at Wesleyan College, so he brought some more advanced moves into my training, and along with that, a lot of good guys went there so I had a lot of quality training partners to help me."

Anthony also took advantage of the tournaments Tugman allowed him to attend. He went to six different tournaments in the tri-state area, placing in every one and winning two.

He was named one of the Yellowjacket captains this year, a role that he fully embraces.

"I feel honored to be captain. I've always thought of myself as a captain as I always try to be a leader," says Anthony, who will also captain the outdoor track team this spring. "I lead in the locker room, lead by example, and always try to motivate our guys to keep trying and do their best. Actually having the title now feels better."

Anthony's father wrestled in high school and taught him the sport, and Anthony is already giving back and teaching the sport he loves at the middle school level. He really enjoys working with the younger kids, and says that in time he could see himself looking to coach the sport.

"I teach the upcoming wrestler and I help them learn other moves from another perspective," says Anthony, a Coach's Award recipient in 2010 and 2012. "I just motivate them to keep trying and to stay with the program throughout their career."

He says he'd like to wrestle in college, preferably at American International University, but for now, Anthony is focused solely on his senior season.

"I'm really looking for All-State this year," says Anthony. "I'm very determined to reach that goal."