Davidson College Men's Wrestling

Johnston will join the Wildcats for the 2015-16 campaign.   "Colin is going to be a great addition to the Davidson wrestling family," said Patnesky. "He brings a wealth of knowledge of the sport and an intense energy from his competitive days that will make an immediate impact to our program."   Johnston and Patnesky both attended Cannon-McMillan High School before continuing their careers at West Virginia University.   "I think it's a pretty special bond we share," said Patnesky. "I'm excited to work with Colin and know that our similar backgrounds will have a positive affect on the program."   Johnston comes to Davidson after a successful career at West Virginia at 133 and 141 pounds. As a true freshman, Johnston posted a 9-9 overall mark with a second-place finish at the EWL Championships. In his second season in Morgantown, he transitioned to 133 pounds, where he was dominant. He spent the majority of his season ranked 18 in the country, posting a 21-4 record with 36 takedowns and six pins.   After missing two seasons due to shoulder injuries, Johnston came back to have a breakout senior year. The 141-pounder entered the 2014 Big 12 Tournament as the top seed, finishing the year with a 28-10 record and had a team-high 16-2 mark in dual action. Johnston earned an at-large bid to the 2014 NCAA Championship, where the senior posted a 1-2 mark in his first-ever appearance. His nine pins as a season ranks eighth among program leaders for wins by fall in a single season.   Hailing from Eight-Four, Pa., Johnston posted a 164-10 career during his four-year stint at Canon-McMillan High School. As a sophomore, Johnston was a PIAA State Champion in 2006, before finishing second in 2007 and third in 2008. He was also a three-time POWERade Champion (2004, 2005, 2007). In 2007, he was a Junior National Freestyle Champion, before competing in the Dream Team Classic, a tournament compromised of 14 top-ranked seniors from across the nation in 2008.

Patnesky knocked his 60 career victory and become the second in all-victories at the school.   Patnesky has mentored five national championship qualifiers, and four Southern Conference Champions during his 12 seasons as the helm of the Wildcats program.   The 2014-15 season was highlighted by Scott Patricks historical run at the SoCon Championship and the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championship. Patrick started his run at history with his second consecutive conference title at 184 pounds, becoming just the second person in program history to win two straight titles. Patrick went on to become the first wrestler in a Davidson singlet since 1968 to win a match at the NCAA Championship, knocking off 11-seeded Brett Pfarr of Minesota, 8-6, in the first round. The Ellicott City, Md., native then made program history, becoming the first wrestling to win two matches, posting an 8-3 decision over Iowa States Lelund Weatherspoon.   For the first time in program history, the Wildcats qualified a pair of wrestlers for the 2014 NCAA National Championship during the 2013-14 season. Davidson boasted its second straight SoCon champion, as Scott Patrick won the 2014 SoCon title at 184 pounds. In addition to tying the school record with 14 pins and ranking in the top-5 of the nation in wins by fall, Kevin Birmingham joined Patrick in Oklahoma City after finishing as the runner-up at 149 pounds at the SoCon Championships. For his efforts, Birgmingham earned SoCon Wrestler of the Week accolades and was named the SoCon Wrestler of the Month for January. To conclude the regular season, the Wildcats earned their second straight victory over SIUE.   The 2012-13 season ended on a high note, as then-sophomore Anthony Elias pulled off a number of upsets at the Southern Conference Championships to claim the 2013 SoCon title at 133 pounds, earning a bid to the NCAA National Championships. In addition, the Wildcats 22-match SoCon losing streak came to and end in February with a 25-24 victory over SIUE.   The 2011-12 season was highlighted by Anthony Elias' selection to the SoCon All-Freshman team, and Wildcat wrestlers continued to see success at the Southern Conference Championships in 2011, as twin-brothers Alex and Vitaly Radsky both earned places on the podium in their respective classes.   In 2010, Patnesky returned Davidson to the NCAA Wrestling Championships for the first time since 1999 after guiding Alex Radsky to the Southern Conference Championship at 133 pounds. Radsky was the first Wildcat to claim the top spot on the conference podium in 41 years. Vitaly, finished as the SoCon runner-up at 141 pounds.   Davidson has consistently been one of the top wrestling programs in the country for academics under Patneskys tutelage. The Wildcats were ranked in the NWCAs Division I All-Academic Top 30 for five consecutive years (2006-10), earning the fifth-best team grade point average in 2009 and 2010, and also ranking 12th in 2012. In 2010, Alex Radsky earned a place on the NWCA All-Academic team and Ben Altman was named to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA All-District team.   In the 2008-09 season, a pair of Wildcat wrestlers finished third at the Southern Conference Championships. David DeCamp and Tyler Mullen were both named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team following their impressive rookie campaigns, and the 'Cats boasted two SoCon Wrestler of the Week honorees, with Sam O'Hair and Vitaly Radsky both bringing home the award, making Davidson one of just four schools in the conference with multiple weekly award winners.   Three Wildcats finished third or higher at the 2008 SoCon Championships with Ben Altman placing second at 125 pounds. Altman was named to the NWCA All-Academic team, and Davidson finished 11th in the country in the team GPA rankings for the second straight season. Its the third consecutive season the Cats have been ranked in the top-25.   Five Wildcats placed third at the Southern Conference Championships in 2007, and the team scored the second-most points in school history at the event. Altman was named the conferences Freshman of the Year. In addition, Davidson topped Duke for the first time in 40 years and placed 11th in NWCA team GPA rankings.   As the interim head coach in 2004-05, Patnesky led the Wildcats to an 8-7 overall record, their first winning campaign since Davidson recorded an identical mark in the 1983-84 season.   He came to Davidson College as an assistant coach prior to the 2003-04 season after serving in the same capacity at Ohio University for two years while earning his master's degree in recreation and sport sciences. There he coached four-time All-American Jake Percival.   It is truly an honor to work and coach at an institution like Davidson College, said Patnesky. The academic prestige is what really attracts student-athletes to the school.   A High School National finalist, Patnesky was a three-year starter at West Virginia, where he earned his bachelors degree in 2001. The three-time NCAA qualifier is the all-time winningest wrestler in his weight class at West Virginia.   Patnesky was the 2000 Eastern Wrestling League champion, helping his team win the EWL crown and a sixth-place finish in the country. He was a three-time Jr. National All-American, a national finalist, individually ranked among the top 12 wrestlers in the country for three years and finished his college career with more than 100 victories. He also competed for the U.S. on a tour of France and Poland in 1999 and earned NWCA Academic All-American accolades.   Before serving as an assistant coach at Ohio University, Patnesky served as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater for a season. There, his primary duties included recruiting, coaching, scheduling and scouting opponents.   Patnesky was married in 2015 to Pam Moss. The two reside in Huntersville with their dogs Bella and Vinnie.