Savoia Savoring Long-Awaited AU Hall Of Fame Call

The 2024 Ashland University Hall of Fame Induction and Student-Athlete of the Year recognition will be Oct. 5 at 9:30 a.m. at the John C. Myers Convocation Center.
 
For former Eagle wrestler Mark Savoia, it is a day he thought would never come.
 
"I teared up, for sure. It's an amazing thing to be a part of," Savoia said. "I'm so honored."
 
When Savoia earned his third NCAA Division II All-American status as a senior in 1992, he became just the seventh Eagle grappler to be at least a three-time All-American. A 150-pounder, Savoia finished fifth in the country as both a junior and senior, and took seventh in D-II as a sophomore.
 
His finishes at nationals helped Ashland to place 15^th as a team in both 1990 and 1992, and 14^th in 1991.
 
Savoia was a two-time regional champion (1991 and 1992), and was regional runner-up in 1990. He also was voted the Eagles' Most Valuable Player as a senior, and co-MVP as a junior.
 
Coming from Medina Highland High School, then-Ashland College head wrestling coach Mark Osgood, an Ashland Hall of Famer himself, was recruiting Savoia to join the Eagles.
 
"I had some other schools checking me out, and I didn't win the state title that year. I wasn't going to go to school, actually," Savoia recalled. "Mark called and talked to me for a long time. I was still upset, bitter that I didn't win a state title.
 
"My dad just kind of said, 'Listen, this is a chance of a lifetime. You have to at least go try it.'"
 
"This was the best place for me. It was great."
 
Once Savoia arrived on campus, the individual and team success came – eventually.
 
"It started off kind of slow, and there was a day where…Tom Linder was my coach, and he changed my life. He changed my career. I walked out of here one day, and said, 'I can't do this anymore.' I told him I was done. He could have just continued to run practice, but he waited for me right downstairs in the hallway, and made sure I couldn't get out of there without talking to me.
 
"He sat me down and said, 'Listen, you're good enough, you just have to get in the right weight class. You're wrestling too heavy.' He changed my perspective, I got back into it, and I think I struggled for a week or two, but then all of a sudden, like a light switch. That's probably, other than my kids being born, that first All-American means the most to me, because I didn't have any business being there."
 
Savoia keeps track of the current set of Eagles, and noted that his Highland wrestling teams would compete against current AU head coach Colt Sponseller's West Holmes grappling team when Sponseller was a prep star.
 
"I'm starting to get back into it a little bit," he noted. "I do watch the women's basketball team."
 
Savoia is a resident of Norton, Ohio, and works for his alma mater. His wife is Lisa, and one of his children, Mason, was a captain of the Eagles' esports team. Mason is one of two sons, along with Carson, and his daughter is Allison.
 
As for the morning of Oct. 5, when Savoia officially enters the Ashland Hall of Fame, there will be a lot of emotions – particularly for himself and his father.
 
"I'm excited. I'm nervous. Public speaking is not my thing," admitted Savoia. "I absolutely loved it to death here. It was an amazing experience for me. The wrestling camaraderie, I'm still talking to a bunch of guys today. This absolutely put me on the right path for life, coming to Ashland.
 
"That day, it's going to be emotional. My dad (Larry) had some heart troubles back in the day, and he just told me the other day, when I first made it to nationals, he said, 'I've never asked God for anything, but I wanted to see you wrestle at least one time out at nationals.' Him and I are pretty tight. He went to every single one of my matches, no matter where it was."