While Greater Latrobe has long been a hotbed for wrestling talent, very few grapplers have achieved the level of success that Zack Zavatsky reached on the mat. Zavatsky won WPIAL and PIAA titles during his time with the Wildcats, and captured three conference titles during his career at Virginia Tech. While wrestling isn’t completely in his rear-view mirror, Zavatsky has climbed the corporate ladder at a nationally-recognized company. Zavatsky is in the spotlight for this edition of Westmoreland Where Are They Now?

Zavatsky exploded onto the scene as a freshman at Greater Latrobe during the 2010-11 campaign, as he compiled a mark of 41-11. Competing at 160 pounds, Zavatsky finished third in the sectional tournament, but he improved in the WPIAL Class AAA event, finishing as the runner up. Zavatsky also qualified for the PIAA tournament, but failed to place.

As a sophomore, Zavatsky went 41-4, taking first in both the section and the WPIAL Class AAA tournament. In the state tournament, he finished in eighth.

Zavatsky continued to ascend as a junior, as he posted a record of 42-2, once again winning the section and the WPIAL Class AAA individual championship. In the PIAA competition, he placed third.

As a senior in 2013-14, Zavatsky achieved perfection, as he went 42-0. Competing at 182 pounds, he captured gold in the section, WPIAL, and PIAA tournaments. The state title match victory, a 3-1 decision against Kellen Stout of Mount Lebanon, served as the icing on the cake in Zavatsky’s four-year journey.

“Winning the state title, I can always look back and think it’s Ryan Goodman, Luke Pletcher, and me,” he said of Greater Latrobe wrestlers who took PIAA gold. “I think that we really opened the floodgates for younger guys growing up through the program.

“It’s really cool to go to the high school and see my name on the walls and everything we accomplished. Really great memories, for sure,” he continued.

Consequently, he finished his career with the Wildcats with a mark of 166-17. While he realized during his sophomore year that he had the talent to capture a state title, Greater Latrobe coaches Marc Billett and Tad Harbert were also vital in helping him achieve that goal.

“I think I was fortunate to grow up in a great area, and I don’t think you really realize that until you reach a certain age,” he said. “I tried to take full advantage of my surroundings and the people I was with and the coaches around me.

“Through college, I was going back home every now and then for summer breaks and holidays, and I would try to link up with Coach Billett,” Zavatsky added. “I know that they’re always in my corner, and they know that I really appreciate everything they’ve done for me.”

Ranked as a top 100 college recruit, Zavatsky continued his career on the mat at Virginia Tech.

“I really liked the culture. I could see why some really good guys were developing there,” he said of his decision to join the Hokies. “Everything I needed was around me, it’s just taking everything in, giving everything you have in all aspects of your life – nutrition, mindset, strength, conditioning.”

As a freshman in 2014-15, he redshirted and competed unattached. In doing so, he compiled a 15-1 mark and won three open tournaments.

The following year, Zavatsky established himself as an anchor for the Hokies at 184 pounds. He achieved a mark of 25-7, capturing the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title with a victory against Pete Renda of North Carolina State. He also reached the NCAA Tournament, going 2-2.

In order to achieve that success, Zavatsky first needed to edge a fifth-year senior to gain his spot in the lineup.

“That competition got me to a higher level of belief as I jumped into the lineup,” he detailed. “After a few matches in the year, I just flipped the switch and was free and believed in myself a lot more.”

That confidence continued into his sophomore campaign, as Zavatsky went 25-4. He repeated as ACC champion at 184, ousting NC State’s Michael Macchiavello. In the NCAA Tournament, though, Zavatsky went just 1-2.

While his success was apparent in the win/loss column, Zavatsky endured several challenges during his college career. He was plagued by injuries, which required three surgeries on his meniscus.

“I just battled through it,” he stated. “I was getting my knees drained and popping my knee back in place in the middle of the match.”

Additionally, the Hokies had a coaching change, as Kevin Dresser was replaced by Tony Robie.

These factors forced Zavatsky to seriously contemplate his future in the sport. In what he deemed a “reset”, however, Zavatsky decided to continue on the mat for his junior and senior years.

“Thinking about internships and what my future holds career-wise outside of wrestling. It was a lot to juggle,” he revealed. “When things weren’t going my way, I just kept putting my head down and kept grinding and ended up All-American my last two years of college.”

To his point, Zavatsky reached new heights in 2017-18, as he went 31-8. Although he finished in second at the ACC Championships, Zavatsky had his best showing in the NCAA Tournament, going 3-3 and finishing sixth. The highlight was a sudden victory against Lehigh’s Ryan Preisch in the quarterfinal to clinch All-American status.

“I think that was really a huge moment for me, just from some heartbreak my freshman and sophomore year at nationals,” Zavatsky noted.

As a redshirt senior in 2018-19, Zavatsky went 27-6. He carved his place in history by capturing his third ACC crown, becoming the sixth Virginia Tech grappler to do so. He became an All-American once again, finishing eighth in the NCAA Tournament.

Not including his redshirt campaign, Zavatsky finished his career at Virginia Tech with a record of 108-25, scoring eight falls, 14 tech falls, and 26 major decisions.

“I made a commitment my eighth-grade year and said I’m going all in and see where this takes me. Looking back, I don’t really have regrets,” he said of his career on the mat. “Wrestling is a tough sport, but the lessons you learn along the way and where I am today, I have to always thank wrestling for everything it’s given me.”

Zavatsky graduated in 2019, majoring in packaging systems and design. He remained in Blacksburg and immediately started his career by joining Corning Incorporated, a New-York based company that is well known for its innovation and manufacturing of specialty glass, ceramics, fiber optics and related materials.

His first position with the company was in management operations, as he served as a shift leader supervising approximately 90 employees. He was later promoted to a role overseeing all operations, in which he supervised about 350 employees.

While he ascended the company hierarchy, Zavatsky stayed connected to the Virginia Tech wrestling program, frequently stopping in at practices and grappling with the current Hokies. He also flew out to Iowa State to aid the Cyclones and his former head coach Kevin Dresser multiple times. Additionally, Zavatsky assisted with camps in the summer for Young Guns, a storied wrestling club that has produced countless top competitors in Pennsylvania.

Last winter, however, Zavatsky relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina. Coinciding with the move, he became a project management analyst in global supply management for Corning, a corporate position that is fully remote.

While he’s still discovering the area, Zavatsky has enjoyed his new surroundings thus far.

“There’s just a never-ending amount of stuff I can try to do around here. I have a huge list of bucket list items,” he said, noting that he’s two hours from the beach and three hours from the mountains. “It’s really a perfect area for me at this stage of my career.”

Furthermore, longtime friend and fellow Greater Latrobe graduate Dom Scalise lives nearby in Durham. As a result, the former Wildcats standouts are in the process of bringing a Western Pennsylvania wrestling staple to the Tar Heel State.

“We’re trying to start our own Young Guns wrestling club – have a location down here in Raleigh, so just use a franchise tag,” he detailed. “I think wrestling is a sport we have to start young, develop kids, and then once you get into junior high and high school, you have that base, and then really just see where it can take these kids.

“There’s a market for growing wrestling down here the way Pennsylvania does,” Zavatsky continued.

In the meantime, Zavatsky has trained with some of the wrestlers at nearby University of North Carolina.

“Wrestling is just something that’s a part of my life forever, and just finding ways to get back in any way I can,” he stated.

Aside from wrestling, Zavatsky works out avidly, enjoys playing club volleyball, and has competed in the Spartan Race on numerous occasions.

“That’s really where I’m happiest – challenging myself and staying uncomfortable,” he said.