Drexel University Men's Wrestling

Azevedo Matt Azevedo, who is entering his sixth season as head coach of the Dragons in 2016-17, joined the Drexel coaching staff in April of 2011 after a successful coaching career at Cornell University and Cal Poly. He is the eighth head coach in the school's history and replaced Jack Childs, who retired after 35 seasons at Drexel. The Dragons finished last season with 10 dual meet victories, their best win total yet under the guidance of Coach Azevedo. The squad capped off the season with six consecutive wins, the first win streak of this length since 2006. Their last victory of the year came against University City-rival Penn and marked the first time since 1989 that the Dragons had overcome the Quakers. Azevedo and the Dragons also had notable wins over No. 20 Northwestern at the Grapple at the Garden and against long-time rival Rider. Drexel went on to conclude the regular season with a 6-3 conference record, which tied for fourth in the EIWA. The Dragons had six wrestlers reach the podium at the 2016 EIWA Championships, the most since joining the conference. Matthew Cimato became Drexels second EIWA Champion in program history as he secured the title at 149 pounds. Cimato was one of three Dragons to qualify for the NCAA Championships; Joey Goodhart and Zack Fuentes joined him in competing at the national tournament that was held at Madison Square Garden. Off the mat, Azevedos Dragons were ranked 13th in the nation academically by the National Wrestling Coaches Association with a team GPA of 3.202. Three wrestlers, Nick Elmer, Fuentes, and Goodhart, were recipients of the EIWAs Academic Achievement Award, and Goodhart also received recognition as a member of the Philadelphia Inquirers Academic All-Area At-Large team. In 2014-15, Drexel went 8-14 overall and tied for fifth out of 16 teams in the EIWA with a 5-3 conference record. The Dragons fared well at the conference championships as five wrestlers placed eighth or higher. Under Azevedos direction, Kevin Devoy Jr. became Drexels first-ever EIWA champion as he secured the conference title at 133 pounds. Devoy would go on to be one of four Drexel qualifiers for the NCAA Tournament. Joining him at the national championships were Noel Blanco, Matthew Cimato, and David Pearce, all of whom qualified for the first time in their careers. The Dragons were also recognized at the end of the season for their academic performance when they were ranked 17 th in the nation by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.   Azevedo led the Dragons through their first season in the EIWA conference in 2013-14. Drexel went 7-15 overall and picked up a conference win against Franklin & Marshall. The Dragons also defeated Rider on Spirit Night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, which marks the first victory over the Broncs since 2007. Despite a tough conference schedule during the season, the squad fared well at the EIWA Tournament as Kevin Devoy Jr. earned a second place finish at 133 lbs., Austin Sommer placed fifth at 157 lbs., Noel Blanco and Brandon Palik finished seventh at 149 lbs. and 197 lbs. respectively, and Tanner Shoap earned an eighth place finish at 125 lbs. Devoy, Sommer, and Palik each qualified for the 2014 NCAA Tournament as well. The Dragons were also recognized at the end of the season for their academic performance when they were ranked 14 th in the nation by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. In the 2012-13 season, Azevedo brought the Dragons to the Grapple in the Garden. It was the first collegiate wrestling match at the famed arena in Manhattan. The Dragons defeated George Mason in the Garden, 24-19. Drexel also had an impressive victory against Hofstra. It was the first time the Dragons defeated the Pride since 1997. In his first season, Azevedo guided the Dragons to a 7-10 overall finish and went 2-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The team tallied 17 pins and seven dual meet victories. Azevedo had four conference place winners and had three wrestlers qualify for the NCAA tournament. He also worked to have Drexel host the 2012 Flo Nationals, which brought in over 750 high school wrestlers to the DACs mats. While at Cornell, Azevedo helped the Big Red earn nine All-America honors, nine EIWA champions and seven Academic All-Americans. He also guided the team to back-to-back second-place finishes at the NCAA championships, which marked the best performance in school history. Prior to his time at Cornell, Azevedo spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Cal Poly, where he coached seven All-Americans and eight Pac-10 champions. He also helped guide Cal Poly to its highest finish in school history at the Pac-10 championships by placing second in 2004 and 2006. Azevedo wrestled collegiately at Arizona State and Iowa State, each for two seasons. He advanced to the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons. Azevedo graduated with a bachelors degree in liberal studies from Iowa State in 2002. He continued his wrestling career after graduation and went on to be a seven-time U.S. National place winner, two-time U.S. National Team member and won the 2008 U.S. Open National Championship. Azevedo, his wife, Brooke, and their sons, Judah and Roman, reside in Bryn Mawr, Pa.  

Sheaffer72 Zack Sheaffer, now entering his sixth season as an assistant coach of the Dragons, joined the Drexel coaching staff in June of 2011 after serving as both an assistant coach and the interim head coach at Clarion University. He oversaw the Division I wrestling program at the school, managed nine summer camps and was in charge of recruiting. Prior to his appointment at Clarion, Sheaffer was an assistant coach at Limestone College and was a counselor and technician at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club. On the mat, Sheaffer was a heavyweight All-American in 2009 as an undergraduate at Pittsburgh. He was a four-year letterwinner, a team captain and won more than 100 career matches. Sheaffer was a Freestyle and an Academic All-American in 2008. Sheaffer graduated in April of 2009 from Pittsburgh with a bachelors degree in political science. In June of 2014, he earned his master of science in sport management from Drexel University.  

Sheptock enters his third season as an assistant coach of the Dragons after joining the wrestling staff in August 2014. Sheptock came to Drexel from the University of Maryland where he was a two-time All-American at 184 pounds. As a senior he placed second at the NCAA Championships, making him the first Maryland national finalist since Gobel Kline won the national championship at 152 pounds in 1969. The previous year, Sheptock placed sixth at NCAAs after leading the team in wins (40) and major decisions (10). He totaled 129 victories, 29 major decisions, 20 technical falls, and 18 pins over the course of his career as a Terp. Sheptock graduated from Maryland in 2014 with a degree in communications. He went on to earn a masters degree in sport management from Drexel in June 2016.