Nick Loniewski’s promising career as a South Plainfield wrestler came to an unceremonious end as a high school freshman.
In addition to taking on an opponent in his varsity debut, Loniewski was simultaneously battling Type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, the hormone needed to allow glucose to enter cells to produce energy.
“Type 1 diabetes is my biggest opponent in life and I learned a lot from that day on the mat,” Loniewski said of his first and only varsity bout. “Until there is a cure, I will continue to fight as hard as I can.”
Loniewski, whose older brother, David, and father, Dave, both wrestled, shifted his athletic focus from the mat to the baseball diamond, where he recently completed his senior year as South Plainfield’s team captain and leader in hits (32) and runs scored (33).
In addition to enjoying a spectacular baseball career – during which he won the program’s Freshman Coaches Award in 2018, JV Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2019, and was selected All- Greater Middlesex Conference White Division in 2021 – Loniewski was a stellar student highly involved in community service.
The senior has been named a recipient of The Marisa Tufaro Foundation’s 2021 GMC Student-Athlete Scholarship.
This year marks the fourth straight that a student-athlete from South Plainfield has received the honor.
South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus said in addition to being one of the team’s top players, Loniewski was also invaluable as a captain.
“He did everything that a coach could possibly ask for,” Gleichenhaus said. “Behind the scenes, as a captain, the way he handled the younger guys was impressive. He coordinated a lot of the effort to get guys to practice on time, to get guys there early to fix the field. I had no hesitation going right to Nick with something and I knew it would get handled.”
Gleichenhaus said he believes Loniewski, who will continue his academic and athletic career at Middlesex County College, will be successful in whatever he endeavors.
Loniewski’s resume of volunteerism is as impressive as the statistics he compiled at the plate as the starting center fielder for the Tigers, who ended their season as White Division champions with an impressive 20-5-1 record.
In addition to serving as project manager for a school supply drive benefitting underprivileged South Plainfield community members, Loniewski helped raise awareness about breast cancer as a member of the high school’s Passionately Pink Club and advocated for Type 1 diabetes as a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation member.
Loniewski also volunteered to assist various autism organizations, helped children with special needs as a Buddy Ball coach and served as a camp counselor with the South Plainfield Junior Baseball Club.
Hard-working, honest, dedicated, conscientious, humble, humorous, respectful, and personable are among the adjectives teachers and coaches who know Loniewski best use to describe him as a student-athlete.
As Loniewski put the finishing touches on his high school career earlier this month, he simultaneously reflected upon its start four years ago.
As a member of one of the state’s most successful high school wrestling programs, Loniewski knew the rigors of competing on the mat with Type 1 diabetes would pale in comparison to his middle school and youth league experiences.
“Although I did continue to wrestle in eighth grade, the level of high school wrestling was so much more intense,” Loniewski said in retrospect of his varsity debut.
“This was the moment I realized that my greatest opponent was not the next person I would wrestle. It was Type 1 diabetes. My hand was not lifted at the end of the match and that was the last time I would walk on a wrestling mat.”
Without equating his illness to that which claimed Marisa’s life, Loniewski reflected upon how she was “just 13 when she passed away, the same age I was when I was diagnosed.”
Marisa, who survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing to cancer in 2017, would have been immensely proud of how Loniewski has carried himself on and off the field.
“I am lucky,” he said. “I get to continue to battle my opponent. If she were able to be here today, I know she would be an advocate for others like her, just like I intend to do.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, over time, Type 1 diabetes complications can affect the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. Maintaining a normal blood sugar level can dramatically reduce the risk of many complications. Eventually, diabetes complications may be disabling or even life-threatening.
“She would be bringing awareness to her disease, being a role model for teens,” Loniewski said. “Reading about her only makes me more confident in my decision to bring awareness to other Type 1 diabetic athletes.
“I am now unstoppable and more determined than ever. Type 1 diabetes has met its greatest opponent.”