3-time N.J. state wrestling champ Jimmy Mullen is now thriving on college level

Jimmy Mullen graduated as one of the most dominant wrestlers in New Jersey state history.
The former St. Joseph (Mont.) standout won three heavyweight titles and perhaps all that kept him from becoming the fifth four-time champion in state history was a pandemic-related delay of the 2020-2021 season which caused the state tournament to conflict with a world-team qualifier. Mullen skipped the state tournament his junior year and went on to become a junior world medalist.
Now at Virginia Tech, Mullen is continuing his success at the Division 1 level. The redshirt freshman is the starting heavyweight for the No. 7 Hokies and is 9-1 on the season with tournament championships at the Southeast Open and Mountaineer Invitational.
Among his wins are against nationally-ranked Seth Nitzel of Missouri, 4-2, on a perfectly executed blast double-leg takedown that few heavyweights would even attempt and a pinfall win over his teammate Hunter Catka, a three-time NCAA qualifier who reached the blood round last year.
Mullen’s only loss is to Rutgers’ two-time All-American Yaraslau Slavikouski, 4-1, in sudden victory.
“It feels good all the work I’ve been putting in and the coaches have been putting in to me is actually paying off,” said Mullen recently at the Keystone Classic at the University of Pennsylvania where he did not compete because of a scheduled rest. “I feel good, my body has been feeling good and I’m wrestling good. I took the one tough loss, you’re never happy with a loss in overtime because it could go either way.
“The big thing is in a big match you need that extra effort, you need multiple shots to get that takedown in the third period and overtime. I still have a lot to prove, I have more work to do on my feet, but so far I’m happy with (the season).”
To this point in the season, Mullen has four pins and two technical falls. His work on his feet has excited the coaches.
“Without a doubt one of the things that makes him special is his ability to pin and get bonus points,” said Virginia Tech coach Tony Robie. “He’s fun to watch. His style of wrestling is what we promote at Virginia Tech. We like to be aggressive, and he exemplifies that.”
Mullen committed to Virginia Tech as both a football player and wrestler. In his first season, he competed in both sports but ultimately redshirted in both.
But this year he decided to focus entirely on wrestling.
“He’s progressed significantly since he hung up his football cleats, it’s the longest stretch in his life he’s focused totally on wrestling, so there’s been a lot of growth and improvement and he still has a lot to get better at,” said Robie. “He’s an incredible kid, his work ethic and attitude are contagious, there’s so many positive things he’s brought to the program.
“Athletically he’s at a higher level than most heavyweights. He’s gotten away with being bigger and stronger and more athletic than anybody his entire life. You get to the college level, you need to be more strategic, more savvy and learn positions. We’re excited about his future.”
Mullen said he will talk to both coaches after this season and decide if he will go back to splitting his time between two sports or focus exclusively on wrestling. He admitted he misses some aspects of football – particularly game days – but has appreciated the focus of being a one-sport athlete.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever been a wrestler full-time, and it’s pretty cool to see what they go through, doing summer workouts with these guys. I’ve always been out on the football field, so it’s cool to see the full experience,” said Mullen, who is ranked 16th nationally by both FloWrestling and Intermat.
Mullen earned the starting spot coming into the season and kept it with his win over Catka at the Mountaineer Invitational, but he is not taking anything for granted the rest of the year. He will compete next at the prestigious Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas this weekend.
“He was blood round last year for a reason, so nothing is settled until March,” said Mullen.
Robie said the competition at heavyweight remains open, though Mullen has earned the right to start for now.
“It’s a good problem to have,” said Robie. “But it’s tough too. It’s challenging because you want both guys to be successful and at the end of the day only one of them can wrestle. We hope it takes care of itself, but Jimmy has the early advantage. It’s week to week, and we’ll wait and see.”
The NCAA Championships are in Philadelphia this year and Mullen would be thrilled to make his debut at the end-of-the-year championship and take a run at All-American honors in a stacked heavyweight field. But he’s not looking ahead.
“I’d love to compete there, but right now my focus is on the next time I compete and I’m excited for that,” said Mullen. “I can’t (worry about NCAAs) until everything is set in tone, so I’ve get to get ready to go (compete the next time).
“I’m focusing on myself, focusing on getting better in the room and the results should come with it.”
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Bill Evans can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @bybillevans.