Iron Mountain High School senior Aaron Bolo signed a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to wrestle at NCAA Division 1 Central Michigan University. Witnessing the signing in the high school media center were his parents, Jenn and Charles; brother, CJ, and Mountaineers head coach Brandon Rutter (left). (Iron Mountain Daily News Photo by Burt Angeli)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Iron Mountain’s Aaron Bolo has signed on to compete at the pinnacle of collegiate wrestling.

Bolo, who capped a great senior season with a third-place finish in the state high school tournament, signed a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to wrestle at NCAA Division 1 Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant.

“It’s been my dream to compete at a D1 level,” Bolo said.

Bolo, believed to be the first Mountaineer to sign with an NCAA Division 1 program, closed the 2017 season with a 43-1 record at 189 pounds. He had a career mark of 137-35.

He also seriously considered Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, and Alma College in Lower Michigan.

“Central stood out to me for a couple reasons,” Bolo said. “For one, some of the schools didn’t have my degree (in mechanical engineering), another one was that it wasn’t too far from home.”

Being an in-state, Division 1 wrestling school helped with the decision as well.

Bolo plans on wrestling at 184 pounds for his first two years at CMU, and after that bump up to 197.

A three-time qualifier for the MHSAA Individual Finals at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Bolo fell in the state semifinals for his first loss of the year.

Bolo reached 100 wins for a career during the Marquette Challenge in December.

He went on this past season to repeat as a U.P. champion and earn the outstanding wrestler award at the Ray Mariucci Invitational in Kingsford.

“Aaron over the past four years has set many goals for himself, and at times set the bar high,” said former Mountaineers head coach Brandon Rutter. “Through hard work and determination he reached his goals.”

An all-state honorable mention pick by Michigan Grappler, the son of Jenn and Charles (Ugg) Bolo has always thought highly of Central Michigan.

“He knew he had to push himself hard not only on the mat but also in the classroom,” Rutter said. “For four years, I have watched Aaron put in the extra time needed to succeed. I have have full confidence in his ability to carry onto the next the level and be an asset to CMU wrestling program.”

Nine CMU wrestlers qualified for this past season’s NCAA championships, and seven will return to the program.

“I think they got some great experience here, but I think they’re disappointed and not satisfied with themselves,” veteran CMU Tom Borrelli said on the school website. “If you can build on all that and take it the right way and come back stronger next year, we can have a very good situation next year.”

The Chippewas, who wrestle in the Mid-American Conference, finished the 2017 regular season ranked 17th in the country.

The Chippewas wrestled in two highly-regarded tournaments in December, the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas and the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill.