Lehigh University Men's Wrestling

Santoro looks to return the Mountain Hawks to the top of the EIWA, while molding Lehigh into a perennial top ten team and national championship contender. Santoro was hired in April, 2008 as just the eighth head coach in program history. He holds the title as the Lawrence White Head Coach of Wrestling at Lehigh.       A three-time EIWA Coach of the Year, Santoro has mentored one NCAA Champion at Lehigh. He has led 12 individuals to a total of 14 EIWA titles, while guiding 10 men to 18 total All-American medals. Santoro enters the 2016-17 season with a dual meet record of 113-37-1 at Lehigh.       Santoro earned his third EIWA Coach of the Year award in 2015-16. He led the Mountain Hawks to a 13-3 dual record that included Lehighs first win over rival Cornell since 2011. Lehigh went 7-0 against EIWA opponents and represented the conference in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. The Mountain Hawks finished second at the EIWA Championships with lineup bookends Darian Cruz and Max Wessell winning their first career titles. All 10 Mountain Hawks placed at the EIWA Tournament while nine wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships.       Lehigh crowned three All-Americans at the NCAA Championships for the third straight year with Wessell and Randy Cruz earning their first career All-America medals, while Nathaniel Brown became a two-time All-American. The Mountain Hawks finished 14th as a team at Madison Square Garden.       In 2014-15, Santoro earned his 100th victory as Lehighs head coach when the Mountain Hawks upset eventual NCAA Champion Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the NWCA National Duals. The win over Ohio State was one of the highlights of a season that saw the Mountain Hawks go 14-6 in duals.       Lehighs lineup featured just two seniors but a strong core of sophomores and juniors continued to impress. Randy Cruz won his second EIWA title to help lead Lehigh to a second place conference finish. Nathaniel Brown reached the NCAA finals at 184 while Mason Beckman and Mitch Minotti earned All-America honors for the second straight year. As a team the Mountain Hawks finished 13th at the NCAA Championships.       Santoro led the 2013-14 Lehigh squad through the ups and downs that come with a young roster. The Mountain Hawks regular lineup featured just one senior and no juniors but a young talented group managed to win ten duals. Lehigh enjoyed a strong EIWA tournament, with Mason Beckman winning an individual title to lead the Mountain Hawks to a second place finish. The young Mountain Hawks soared at the NCAA Championships with freshmen Darian Cruz and Mitch Minotti joining Beckman in earning All-America honors, giving Lehigh at least three All-Americans for the third time in four years. Cruz and Minotti were Lehighs first freshmen All-Americans since 2003 with Cruz also becoming Lehighs first true freshman All-American in 34 years.       In 2012-13, Santoro worked with a young team that battled through injuries and a string of bad luck and helped guide the Mountain Hawks to ten dual meet wins. Three individuals won individual EIWA titles including Randy Cruz, who became Lehighs first true freshman EIWA champion since 1980. Under Santoros guidance Robert Hamlin became Lehighs 16th three-time All-American and reached the NCAA finals for the second time in his career.       Under Santoros direction, Lehigh continued to make strides in 2011-12. The Mountain Hawks finished eighth at the NCAA Championships for the second straight year and once again had two finalists in Zack Rey and Brandon Hatchett. Lehigh crowned four All-Americans, its most since having five in 2004. At the EIWA Championships, Santoro guided the Mountain Hawks within a mere 2.5 points of the team title. Hamlin won his second straight EIWA title, while Hatchett won his first. Shane Welsh was the surprise of the tournament, capturing the title at 149 from the No. 6 seed. Lehighs three championships were its most since 2006. For his efforts, Santoro was voted EIWA Coach of the Year for the second time.       Santoros third season in Bethlehem proved to be his best to date on the national level. Lehigh returned to the top ten at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2006 with an eighth place finish. The Mountain Hawks crowned three All-Americans for the first time in five years and placed two wrestlers in the NCAA finals for the first time since 2003. Rey became Santoros first national champion and the 27th in Lehigh history with his triumph in Philadelphia. Lehigh enjoyed another strong dual meet season, going 15-6 and finishing eighth in the national rankings. The Mountain Hawks took second at the EIWA Championships with Hamlin winning an individual title, a precursor to his second place NCAA finish.       In 2009-10, Santoro guided the Mountain Hawks to a 16-3-1 dual record and a top-ten national dual meet ranking for most of the season. Lehigh had a record six place-winners at the Midlands Championships and reached the finals at the Virginia Duals for the second straight season. In March, Santoro guided Rey to an EIWA title and All-America honors with a third place finish at the NCAA Championships, the programs first All-American in four years.       Santoro produced an immediate turnaround in his first season back in Bethlehem. The Mountain Hawks won their first 15 duals to start the season, including victories over the likes of Maryland, Michigan, Penn State and Lehighs first-ever dual win over Oklahoma State. The teams 23-1 dual mark surpassed the school record for dual wins in a season. Santoro guided Seth Ciasulli and David Craig to individual EIWA Championships, while the Mountain Hawks finished second in the conference and qualified seven wrestlers for the NCAA Championships.       Before returning to Lehigh, Santoro spent the previous five years as the head coach at the University of Maryland where he helped resurrect the Terrapins program, which in 2008 captured its first ACC title in 35 years; a feat which earned Santoro ACC Coach of the Year honors. That year, the Terps went 16-4 and entered the national rankings for the first time since 1993, climbing as high as No. 21. Under Santoros guidance, Maryland crowned its first All-American since 1997 en route to a top-25 team finish at the NCAA Championships. Santoro posted a 48-41-1 record in five seasons at College Park, including an impressive 33-9 dual mark his last two seasons.       Prior to his stint at Maryland Santoro served as an assistant at Lehigh for nine years, including eight seasons as the top assistant on Greg Strobels staff. During his initial tenure, Santoro was part of some of the most successful teams in school history. In 2003, Santoro was named the national Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, after helping guide the Brown and White to its third EIWA title in four years, and a fourth place finish at the NCAA Championships, at the time the programs best finish in 24 years.       Before coming to Lehigh, Santoro spent the 1993-94 season as an assistant coach at Duquesne and the two seasons prior to that as a graduate assistant at Penn State.       Regarded throughout the community as one of the sports top teachers and recruiters, Santoro has enjoyed success at every level of wrestling, both as a coach and a competitor. After wrestling for Bethlehem Catholic High School and taking a post-graduate year at Blair Academy, Santoro wrestled collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh, where he became the Panthers only four-time All-America while capturing national titles in 1988 and 1989 at 142 pounds. A three-time Eastern Wrestling League Champion, he was the recipient of Pittsburghs Golden Panther Award in 1989, recognizing the outstanding athlete of the year.       On the international scene, Santoro enjoyed a stellar career which spanned nearly a decade. He was a four time member of the U.S. National Team between 1995 and 1999 and served as an alternate for the 1996 Olympic Team and the 1999 World Team. Santoro placed fourth at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, third at the 1992 Olympic Trials and was runner-up in the 1992 U.S. Open Freestyle Championships.       Santoro earned his bachelors degree in psychology from Pittsburgh in 1992. In addition to his Bethlehem roots and previous coaching stint at Lehigh, Santoros father, uncle and brother all wrestled for the Brown and White.       Santoro and his wife Julie have a daughter, Leah and a son, Mack.   Career Milestones 2016....... EIWA Coach of the Year 2012....... EIWA Coach of the Year 2011....... Coached first NCAA Champion (Zack Rey) 2009....... EIWA Coach of the Year ............... Led Lehigh to school single-season record 23 dual wins 2008....... ACC Coach of the Year ............... Guided Maryland to first ACC title in 35 years 2007....... Led Maryland to school record-tying 17 dual wins 2003....... NWCA National Assistant Coach of the Year 1995-03... Coached four EIWA Championship teams and four ............... NCAA top ten teams as Lehigh assistant coach 1993-94... Duquesne assistant coach 1991-93... Penn State assistant coach   Pat Santoro Lawrence E. White '64 Head Wrestling Coach          He played an integral role in the renaissance of the Lehigh wrestling program in the late 1990s. In his first year back, he led the Mountain Hawks to a school-record 23 dual wins, a second place EIWA finish, and was named EIWA Coach of the Year. Now entering his eighth season as head coach, Bethlehem native Pat Santoro looks to return the Mountain Hawks to the top of the EIWA, while molding Lehigh into a perennial top ten team and national championship contender. Santoro was hired in April, 2008 as just the eighth head coach in program history. He holds the title as the Lawrence White Head Coach of Wrestling at Lehigh.       A three-time EIWA Coach of the Year, Santoro has mentored one NCAA Champion at Lehigh. He has led 12 individuals to a total of 14 EIWA titles, while guiding 10 men to 18 total All-American medals. Santoro enters the 2016-17 season with a dual meet record of 113-37-1 at Lehigh.       Santoro earned his third EIWA Coach of the Year award in 2015-16. He led the Mountain Hawks to a 13-3 dual record that included Lehighs first win over rival Cornell since 2011. Lehigh went 7-0 against EIWA opponents and represented the conference in the NWCA National Duals Championship Series. The Mountain Hawks finished second at the EIWA Championships with lineup bookends Darian Cruz and Max Wessell winning their first career titles. All 10 Mountain Hawks placed at the EIWA Tournament while nine wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships.       Lehigh crowned three All-Americans at the NCAA Championships for the third straight year with Wessell and Randy Cruz earning their first career All-America medals, while Nathaniel Brown became a two-time All-American. The Mountain Hawks finished 14th as a team at Madison Square Garden.       In 2014-15, Santoro earned his 100th victory as Lehighs head coach when the Mountain Hawks upset eventual NCAA Champion Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the NWCA National Duals. The win over Ohio State was one of the highlights of a season that saw the Mountain Hawks go 14-6 in duals.       Lehighs lineup featured just two seniors but a strong core of sophomores and juniors continued to impress. Randy Cruz won his second EIWA title to help lead Lehigh to a second place conference finish. Nathaniel Brown reached the NCAA finals at 184 while Mason Beckman and Mitch Minotti earned All-America honors for the second straight year. As a team the Mountain Hawks finished 13th at the NCAA Championships.       Santoro led the 2013-14 Lehigh squad through the ups and downs that come with a young roster. The Mountain Hawks regular lineup featured just one senior and no juniors but a young talented group managed to win ten duals. Lehigh enjoyed a strong EIWA tournament, with Mason Beckman winning an individual title to lead the Mountain Hawks to a second place finish. The young Mountain Hawks soared at the NCAA Championships with freshmen Darian Cruz and Mitch Minotti joining Beckman in earning All-America honors, giving Lehigh at least three All-Americans for the third time in four years. Cruz and Minotti were Lehighs first freshmen All-Americans since 2003 with Cruz also becoming Lehighs first true freshman All-American in 34 years.       In 2012-13, Santoro worked with a young team that battled through injuries and a string of bad luck and helped guide the Mountain Hawks to ten dual meet wins. Three individuals won individual EIWA titles including Randy Cruz, who became Lehighs first true freshman EIWA champion since 1980. Under Santoros guidance Robert Hamlin became Lehighs 16th three-time All-American and reached the NCAA finals for the second time in his career.       Under Santoros direction, Lehigh continued to make strides in 2011-12. The Mountain Hawks finished eighth at the NCAA Championships for the second straight year and once again had two finalists in Zack Rey and Brandon Hatchett. Lehigh crowned four All-Americans, its most since having five in 2004. At the EIWA Championships, Santoro guided the Mountain Hawks within a mere 2.5 points of the team title. Hamlin won his second straight EIWA title, while Hatchett won his first. Shane Welsh was the surprise of the tournament, capturing the title at 149 from the No. 6 seed. Lehighs three championships were its most since 2006. For his efforts, Santoro was voted EIWA Coach of the Year for the second time.       Santoros third season in Bethlehem proved to be his best to date on the national level. Lehigh returned to the top ten at the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2006 with an eighth place finish. The Mountain Hawks crowned three All-Americans for the first time in five years and placed two wrestlers in the NCAA finals for the first time since 2003. Rey became Santoros first national champion and the 27th in Lehigh history with his triumph in Philadelphia. Lehigh enjoyed another strong dual meet season, going 15-6 and finishing eighth in the national rankings. The Mountain Hawks took second at the EIWA Championships with Hamlin winning an individual title, a precursor to his second place NCAA finish.       In 2009-10, Santoro guided the Mountain Hawks to a 16-3-1 dual record and a top-ten national dual meet ranking for most of the season. Lehigh had a record six place-winners at the Midlands Championships and reached the finals at the Virginia Duals for the second straight season. In March, Santoro guided Rey to an EIWA title and All-America honors with a third place finish at the NCAA Championships, the programs first All-American in four years.       Santoro produced an immediate turnaround in his first season back in Bethlehem. The Mountain Hawks won their first 15 duals to start the season, including victories over the likes of Maryland, Michigan, Penn State and Lehighs first-ever dual win over Oklahoma State. The teams 23-1 dual mark surpassed the school record for dual wins in a season. Santoro guided Seth Ciasulli and David Craig to individual EIWA Championships, while the Mountain Hawks finished second in the conference and qualified seven wrestlers for the NCAA Championships.       Before returning to Lehigh, Santoro spent the previous five years as the head coach at the University of Maryland where he helped resurrect the Terrapins program, which in 2008 captured its first ACC title in 35 years; a feat which earned Santoro ACC Coach of the Year honors. That year, the Terps went 16-4 and entered the national rankings for the first time since 1993, climbing as high as No. 21. Under Santoros guidance, Maryland crowned its first All-American since 1997 en route to a top-25 team finish at the NCAA Championships. Santoro posted a 48-41-1 record in five seasons at College Park, including an impressive 33-9 dual mark his last two seasons.       Prior to his stint at Maryland Santoro served as an assistant at Lehigh for nine years, including eight seasons as the top assistant on Greg Strobels staff. During his initial tenure, Santoro was part of some of the most successful teams in school history. In 2003, Santoro was named the national Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, after helping guide the Brown and White to its third EIWA title in four years, and a fourth place finish at the NCAA Championships, at the time the programs best finish in 24 years.       Before coming to Lehigh, Santoro spent the 1993-94 season as an assistant coach at Duquesne and the two seasons prior to that as a graduate assistant at Penn State.       Regarded throughout the community as one of the sports top teachers and recruiters, Santoro has enjoyed success at every level of wrestling, both as a coach and a competitor. After wrestling for Bethlehem Catholic High School and taking a post-graduate year at Blair Academy, Santoro wrestled collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh, where he became the Panthers only four-time All-America while capturing national titles in 1988 and 1989 at 142 pounds. A three-time Eastern Wrestling League Champion, he was the recipient of Pittsburghs Golden Panther Award in 1989, recognizing the outstanding athlete of the year.       On the international scene, Santoro enjoyed a stellar career which spanned nearly a decade. He was a four time member of the U.S. National Team between 1995 and 1999 and served as an alternate for the 1996 Olympic Team and the 1999 World Team. Santoro placed fourth at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, third at the 1992 Olympic Trials and was runner-up in the 1992 U.S. Open Freestyle Championships.       Santoro earned his bachelors degree in psychology from Pittsburgh in 1992. In addition to his Bethlehem roots and previous coaching stint at Lehigh, Santoros father, uncle and brother all wrestled for the Brown and White.       Santoro and his wife Julie have a daughter, Leah and a son, Mack.   Career Milestones 2016....... EIWA Coach of the Year 2012....... EIWA Coach of the Year 2011....... Coached first NCAA Champion (Zack Rey) 2009....... EIWA Coach of the Year ............... Led Lehigh to school single-season record 23 dual wins 2008....... ACC Coach of the Year ............... Guided Maryland to first ACC title in 35 years 2007....... Led Maryland to school record-tying 17 dual wins 2003....... NWCA National Assistant Coach of the Year 1995-03... Coached four EIWA Championship teams and four ............... NCAA top ten teams as Lehigh assistant coach 1993-94... Duquesne assistant coach 1991-93... Penn State assistant coach  

Dillon begins his ninth season on the coaching staff at his Alma Mater. He was recently promoted to Associate Head Coach. Dillon, a 2004 Lehigh graduate and two-year team captain, has spent the last 12 seasons as an assistant under Pat Santoro, including four seasons at Maryland and eight at Lehigh.   Dillon has proven to be one of the most versatile coaches on staff, working in the practice room with wrestlers from nearly every weight class. He has also assisted in the recruiting efforts that helped bring in nationally-ranked recruiting classes at both schools, including the class that entered in the fall of 2012 that was ranked in the top three nationally. Dillon was instrumental in the development of Robert Hamlin, who went from NCAA qualifier at 174 as a freshman to a two-time EIWA Champion, three-time All-American and two-time NCAA finalist at 184 over his last three seasons. He has also aided in the development of two-time All-American Nathaniel Brown, who won an EIWA title at 174 in 2013 and reached the NCAA finals at 184 in 2015.   Dillon amassed a record of 101-26 at Lehigh and ranks in the top ten in school history for career victories. As a senior in 2004, Dillon set a school single-season record with 24 dual meet victories, and also had a record-string of 39 straight dual meet wins from 2002-2004. Dillon captured EIWA Championships at 174 in both his junior and senior seasons, and went on to earn All-American honors in each of his final two years, placing fifth in 2003 and fourth in 2004. Off the mat, Dillon was an NWCA Academic All-American as a senior and was an Academic All-District At-Large selection by CoSIDA. Before graduating with a degree in Biology, Dillon earned the Athletics Departments highest honor when he was named Lehighs Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2004. Dillon was raised in Allentown, and graduated from nearby Parkland High School. High School: Emmaus H.S., Parkland H.S. College Career: Lehigh University 1999-2004 College Degree: B.S. Biology, Lehigh Coaching Career: Asst. Maryland (2004-2008), Asst. Lehigh (2008-present) Career Highlights: Two-time EIWA Champion two-time All-American school record 39 dual match winning streak Academic All-American.    Brad Dillon Associate Head Coach Former Lehigh All-American Brad Dillon begins his ninth season on the coaching staff at his Alma Mater. He was recently promoted to Associate Head Coach. Dillon, a 2004 Lehigh graduate and two-year team captain, has spent the last 12 seasons as an assistant under Pat Santoro, including four seasons at Maryland and eight at Lehigh.   Dillon has proven to be one of the most versatile coaches on staff, working in the practice room with wrestlers from nearly every weight class. He has also assisted in the recruiting efforts that helped bring in nationally-ranked recruiting classes at both schools, including the class that entered in the fall of 2012 that was ranked in the top three nationally. Dillon was instrumental in the development of Robert Hamlin, who went from NCAA qualifier at 174 as a freshman to a two-time EIWA Champion, three-time All-American and two-time NCAA finalist at 184 over his last three seasons. He has also aided in the development of two-time All-American Nathaniel Brown, who won an EIWA title at 174 in 2013 and reached the NCAA finals at 184 in 2015.   Dillon amassed a record of 101-26 at Lehigh and ranks in the top ten in school history for career victories. As a senior in 2004, Dillon set a school single-season record with 24 dual meet victories, and also had a record-string of 39 straight dual meet wins from 2002-2004. Dillon captured EIWA Championships at 174 in both his junior and senior seasons, and went on to earn All-American honors in each of his final two years, placing fifth in 2003 and fourth in 2004. Off the mat, Dillon was an NWCA Academic All-American as a senior and was an Academic All-District At-Large selection by CoSIDA. Before graduating with a degree in Biology, Dillon earned the Athletics Departments highest honor when he was named Lehighs Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2004. Dillon was raised in Allentown, and graduated from nearby Parkland High School. High School: Emmaus H.S., Parkland H.S. College Career: Lehigh University 1999-2004 College Degree: B.S. Biology, Lehigh Coaching Career: Asst. Maryland (2004-2008), Asst. Lehigh (2008-present) Career Highlights: Two-time EIWA Champion two-time All-American school record 39 dual match winning streak Academic All-American.