'One step closer:' Tony and Rose Cassioppi qualify for Olympic trials in wrestling

As their little brothers, Rocco and Bruno Cassioppi, were earning medals for Hononegah High School at the Dvorak Invitational Wrestling Tournament at Harlem on Sunday, big brother Tony and big sister Rose Cassioppi were placing fifth at the Senior Nationals USA Wrestling Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas.

And there just happened to be a lot on the line for big brother and sister. The top five men and women at each weight class qualified to wrestle in the 2024 Olympic Trials in State College, Pennsylvania, on April 19-20. At the trials, the winner of each weight class earns the right to wrestle in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

More: Cassioppi wrestling Led by Rocco Cassioppi and 2 other freshmen, Hononegah uses Dvorak to show wrestling talent

"That would be pretty cool, and it's something we both really, really want," Rose, 19, said after returning from Texas on Tuesday. "And to be able to do it together is pretty cool."

The next summer Olympics will be held from July 26, 2024-Aug. 11, 2024 in Paris, with the wrestling portion of The Summer Games scheduled for the tail-end of the Olympics, from Aug. 5-11 at Grand Palais Éphémère in Champ de Mars, France.

"We're one step closer," Rose added, "to getting there."

All in the family

Tony, who just turned 24, has been unavailable for comment of late.

He is the oldest of the six wrestling children of Tony Senior and Erica Cassioppi of Roscoe. And they all have international wrestling aspirations.

Last month one of the freshmen twins, Rocco, was a double medalist for Team USA in Panama City for Pan American Games. His highlight was a silver medal in the Greco-Roman portion of the tournament on Nov. 25.

He also earned a Dvorak tournament title at 106 pounds last Sunday as just a freshman, while his twin Bruno took fourth at 113 at the highly competitive and nationally recognized tourney. Their sister Angelina is a senior wrestler for Hononegah, and she will be going for her third straight IHSA state title later this winter season. They have another brother, Giovanni, who is currently one of the women's wrestling coaches at Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska.

Rose is gaining momentum

Rose is red-shirting her first year as a member of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes first women's wrestling team. And she just locked in her spot in the trials, which means she can use this as an Olympic red-shirt season.

She spent a year at the Elite Accelerator Program at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, before joining the Hawkeyes. Rose is a three-time Fargo All-American and was a 2022 IHSA state champion for Hononegah. She was the Rockford Register Star's Wrestler of the Year in 2022 as well.

Tony, who was recently suspended for his final season as a wrestler for Iowa because of an obscure gambling violation, is a four-time All-American, a two-time world age-group medalist, a gold medalist at the 2021 U23 Men’s Freestyle World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, and a bronze-medal winner at the 2022 U23 World Championships in Pontevedra, Spain.

"I never actually competed with (Tony) at the same tournament before, so this was special," Rose said. "And we fought our way back right in the exact same spots. We won in the same spots, and lost in the same spots.

"I told him I would set the pace."

On track for the Olympics

Rose suffered two losses at 76kg at the Senior Nationals, both of which she felt she could have won, including one to her Iowa senior teammate Marlynne Deede, who finished in second place at that weight and also qualified for the Olympic Trials. Rose lost to Deede 6-3 in the second round of the tournament.

She finished with a 3-1 decision over Tiffani Baublitz for fifth place on Sunday. That win earned her the right to wrestle in the 2024 Olympic team trials. Tony followed suit, and only about 20 minutes after Rose.

"It was a little stressful, but we got there," said Rose, who nearly had to bow out before the tourney even started due to a bulging disk in her back. "It bothered me a little bit, but not enough to slow me down... Getting that fifth place was huge for me. I cried a couple of tears of relief.

"Now, Tony and I fought our way through, and we're ready for anything."

Rose plans to go to France at the end of January to wrestle in another international open tournament to keep her fresh as she prepares for the trials. Tony's plans are unknown — but you can bet he will be ready, and hungry, as well.

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years all together.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: With strong finishes at Senior Nationals, Tony and Rose Cassioppi set for trials