University of Pennsylvania - Penn Men's Wrestling

Two-time NCAA wrestling champion and Penn Athletics Hall of Famer Matt Valenti C'07 has returned to coaching as associate head coach and will succeed Roger Reina C'84 as the program's head coach on April 1, 2025. Reina will remain the head coach in 2024-25, culminating in Penn's co-hosting of the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center, and will serve as head coach emeritus for his final year of coaching in 2025-26. "I am absolutely thrilled for Matt, Roger and our wrestling program that we were able to successfully and thoughtfully plan for this leadership transition," Alanna Shanahan, the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W'69 Director of Athletics and Recreation said. "The opportunity for these two alumni to work together for two years will be powerful and impactful for our student-athletes." Valenti is the program's career leader in wins (137) and won NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007 at 133 pounds. He was a three-time NCAA All-American, a three-time EIWA champion, three-time first-team All-Ivy selection and the 2007 Ivy League Wrestler of the Year. Valenti was inducted into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017 and the EIWA Hall of Fame in 2014. "Matt's incredible success as a student-athlete at Penn was worthy of induction into our Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility," Shanahan said. "That athletic background, combined with his prior coaching experience at Penn, strong ties to the alumni and campus community, and robust administrative experience in student-athlete success, mental health and as our admissions liaison made him the ideal choice to succeed Roger and lead the Penn wrestling program. Matt has been successful during every stage of his career and I'm confident his return to the coaching ranks will benefit our current and future student-athletes in competition, in the classroom and in the community." "As a proud alumnus, it is a tremendous honor to step into a leadership role with the Penn wrestling program," Valenti said. "Roger's legacy is unparalleled, and I am committed to continuing and enhancing the tradition of excellence that he has cultivated through the years. Together with the Penn wrestling team, alumni, staff, and community, I look forward to forging a path of continued success both on and off the mat." "This thoughtful transition will enable our Penn wrestlers, families, staff and alumni to work together over the next two years to effectively navigate the change and empower the successful future of Penn wrestling. Our community is committed to a lasting legacy of excellence," Reina said. "I am excited to begin working with Matt along with our staff in the continued pursuit of our goals." Among post-graduate freestyle honors, Valenti won the bronze medal at 60 kg at the Pan-American Championships and third place for the LVAC at the 2009 U.S. National Open. He also placed fourth at a U.S. World Team Trials in a weight class featuring five former or future World Team members. Valenti began his coaching career as an assistant and then associate head coach at Columbia from 2007-09, before returning to Penn as an assistant wrestling coach from 2009-15. At Penn, he coached four All-Americans (Scott Giffin, Zack Kemmerer, Micah Burak, and Lorenzo Thomas), two EIWA champions (Bryan Ortenzio, Micah Burak), and eight first-team All-Ivy honorees in addition to recruiting a pair of top 20 classes. He transitioned to athletic administration in 2015 as the Assistant Athletic Director/Recruiting for two years and has served Penn Athletics in various administrative roles over the past decade including Associate AD/Sports Performance & Student-Development (2017-19), Associate AD/Student-Athlete Success (2019-23) and his most recent role as Senior Associate AD/Student-Athlete Leadership and Development. Valenti has served as the sport administrator for numerous Penn varsity programs, including wrestling, was the chair of the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee for two years, and is currently on the NCAA Wrestling Committee. "I couldn't be more excited for the Penn wrestling community that this succession plan has been confirmed," David S. Pottruck C'70 WG'72, Penn Athletics Hall of Famer and former University trustee said. "This transition exemplifies a commitment to the lasting legacy of excellence of the program, which has been built by the student-athletes, coaches, and alumni over many decades. Matt exemplifies the excellence we shoot for, as a champion in every sense of the word. With both Matt and Roger's leadership, our wrestlers and the program are in good hands."  

Roger Reina is in his second stint overseeing the University of Pennsylvania wrestling program, and early returns are that #TheMovement is ready to achieve some of the lofty heights established during his historic first run from 1986-2005 that had him inducted into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of Class VI in 2008. Reina led a strong team during the 2023-24 campaign, with Penn winning the 2024 Midlands Championships team title for the first time in program history while seven Quakers placed at the tournament. The Red and Blue once again recorded a 4-2 in Ivy League action to earn nine All-Ivy awards led by CJ Composto on First Team All-Ivy. At the 120th EIWA Championships, eight Quakers found themselves on the podium, with Composto and Lucas Revano placing third to lead the charge. The Red and Blue brought eight wrestlers to Kansas City for the 2024 NCAA Championships, where Nick Incontrera won two bouts to highlight the outing.  The Quakers continued their success under Reina during the 2022-23 season, posting a 9-5 dual record highlighted by a 23-11 victory over # 20 Lehigh. Penn went 4-1 in Ivy League duals, allowing the Red and Blue to garner seven All-Ivy honors, led by Maximus Hale earning First Team All-Ivy. At the 119th EIWA Championships hosted at The Palestra, The Quakers placed third as a team, with eight grapplers placing at the Championships, headed by Michael Colaiocco, Carmen Ferrante, and Anthony Artalona placing second. After an outstanding showing at EIWAs, the Quakers earned eight qualifying spots at the NCAA Championships.  Reina's 2021-22 team entered the NWCA Coaches Poll for the first time since 2013, hitting #22 on February 8, 2022 and closing out the regular season ranked #18. The 21-22 squad was consistently receiving national recognition, as all ten starters received national weekly rankings. Penn went 8-2 in dual meets which included a 7-1 record against EIWA opponents and a 4-1 record in Ivy duals. At the 118th EIWA Championships, Penn saw all ten wrestlers earn place finishes led by Michael Colaiocco who won at 133 pounds while CJ Composto, Anthony Artalona, and Nick Incontrera all placed second in their weight classes. Following that performance, the Quakers earned a program-record nine qualifying spots to the NCAA Champions but brought ten wrestlers to Detroit as senior and Michigan native Neil Antrassian was named the alternate at 184 pounds. Reina has produced four straight nationally recognized recruiting classes following his return to the coaching ranks. His 2019 recruiting class was ranked No. 9 in the country by TheOpenMat.com, No. 14 by FloWrestling and No. 17 by Intermat following a 2018 group which was ranked No. 12 by WIN Magazine, No. 13 by TheOpenMat.com, No. 21 by FloWrestling and No. 24 by Intermat. In his first three seasons back leading #TheMovement, Reina has coached 15 NCAA Championships qualifiers, 17 All-Ivy performers and two EIWA champions. In 2018-19, Reina coached a young Quakers team which was led by EIWA champion Anthony Artalona who would go on to reach the Round of 12 at NCAAs and garner NWCA Scholar All American honors.   In 2019-20, the Quakers saw strong progress doubling the number of EIWA Conference podium performances, before the NCAA Championships were cancelled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Michael Colaiocco earned All-American honors from the NWCA. His All-America honor tops an impressive freshman-year resume which includes a second-team All-Ivy selection, a third-place finish at the prestigious Ken Craft Midlands Championships, and a first-place finish at the Keystone Classic. Penn also had two student-athletes earn EIWA Academic Achievement honors.  Committed to the Olympic styles of wrestling as well, Penn undergrads have garnered All-American finishes 25 times in freestyle and Greco Roman over the past three seasons, including two finals appearances in freestyle and two in Greco Roman.  Notably in freestyle, Michael Colaiocco earned the finals in the 2020 U23 Nationals with a big semi-final 8-5 win over Iowa’s Austin DeSanto, and Ryan Miller gained the finals of the 2021 UWW Junior Nationals before going on to a Silver Medal in the Pan American Junior Championships.  In Greco Roman Jake Hendricks earned the finals of the 2020 U23’s, and won the 2020 UWW Junior Nationals while also gaining All American status in Freestyle.   Reina originally led the Quakers from 1986-2005 and amassed a program-record 205 wins and a .649 winning percentage during his first tenure coaching at his alma mater, which began at the age of 24 as the youngest head coach in program history. He guided the Quakers to four consecutive EIWA championships including setting records for most points ever scored and largest margin of victory that stand today.  Penn earned eight Ivy League titles during his initial run as head coach, and he recruited and coached a pair of NCAA champions (Brett Matter, Matt Valenti) as well as an Olympic Gold Medalist (Brandon Slay). Reina led Penn to five NCAA Top 20 finishes in a six-year span including a Top 10 NCAA finish and additionally two eighth-place finishes at the National Dual Meet Championships.   Throughout his career as a wrestler, coach, mentor, alumnus and administrator, Reina’s focus has been on the betterment of his alma mater’s wrestling program and the growth of the sport in his hometown of Philadelphia.   In 2017, Reina was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame’s Pennsylvania chapter for his dedicated service to the sport of wrestling across all levels. He also was inducted into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008 as a member of Class VI. Reina currently serves as a coach and Board Member for the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center (PRTC). Designated by USA Wrestling under the US Olympic Committee, the PRTC serves as an elite training opportunity for wrestlers at all age levels from cadet to Olympic levels. The PRTC is led by Penn alumnus and Olympic Champion Brandon Slay W’98, who Reina recruited and coached at Penn to 2 NCAA finals appearances and in Slay’s championship performances at the US Open and US Olympic Trials on his way to Olympic Gold Medal performance in Sydney, Australia.   Following the end of his first tenure with the Red and Blue in 2005, Reina remained active in the wrestling community. In addition to his work to launch the PRTC and foster its partnership with Beat the Streets Philly, Reina served as chair of the Local Organizing Committee for the 2011 NCAA Championships which set record attendance numbers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. He also chaired the host committee for the 2014 NWCA All-Star Classic held at The Palestra, and was involved in bringing the 2017 Maccabiah Games Trials to The Palestra.   From 2015-17, Reina served as a Penn Athletics administrator as Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs. In that role, he had oversight of all external-facing efforts of Penn Athletics including Athletic Communications, Marketing and New Media, Sponsorship, Business Development, and Ticketing. In addition, Reina served as Executive Director of The Penn Relays, the world’s largest track and field event held each April at Penn’s Franklin Field.

Darian Cruz was named an assistant coach in the fall of 2024.   "Our program and community are delighted to welcome Darian to Penn Wrestling," said Head Coach Emeritus Roger Reina. "Darian's competitive excellence, desire to excel in coaching, and positive approach are exceptional attributes. Our program continues to drive forward and is ready to jump levels, Darian is joining us at exactly the right time."   Cruz comes to University City fresh off the 2024 Paris Olympics where he placed fifth at 57 kg. Cruz brings an impressive professional resume to Penn, currently ranked fifth at 57 kg globally. He competed in the 2020, 2022, and 2023 Pan American championships, capturing bronze in 2020 and 2023 and silver in 2022.   "Darian's accolades jump off the page but what makes us most excited about adding him to staff is his incredible ability to connect with everyone around him," said Head Coach Matt Valenti C'07. "We are fortunate to be rounding out our staff with someone of Darian's experience, who has learned from some of the best coaches in the world and can speak from lived experience about success at the highest levels of the sport. We can't wait to welcome Darian and his family to Penn!"   As a decorated student-athlete at Lehigh from 2013-17, Cruz was a three-time All-American, a three-time EIWA champion at 125, and a NCAA champion. Cruz sits second all-time in wins as a Mountain Hawk, finishing his collegiate career with a 120-20 record. The Allentown, Pa., native returned to Bethlehem in 2020 as a volunteer assistant coach staying in the position for two seasons.

Lennox Wolak was named an assistant coach in August 2025. “Lennox brings valuable experience from his time as a high-level student-athlete that will help him as he launches his college coaching career,” said Head Wrestloing Coach Matt Valenti. “We are so excited to have him join our staff and know that he will have an immediate impact on our program.”   Wolak, no stranger to the Ivy League, wrestled for four years at 174 at Columbia University. Wolak posted a decorated final season with the Lions, winning the 174 EIWA title en route to placing sixth at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships to garner All-America honors.   After his time in the Big Apple, Wolak utilized his final year of eligibility at Virginia Tech, where he qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third time in his career, advancing to the Round of 12 at 174.   The Columbus native holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Columbia and a Master of Science in Business Administration from Virginia Tech, grabbing NWCA Academic All-America honors with the Hokies.  

Kevin McGuigan joined Penn Wrestling as the Director of Operations in July 2021. McGuigan is a former NCAA Division I wrestler, coach, and construction leader with more than 30 years of experience in both athletics and industry. He began his coaching career at Upper Darby High School before moving to George Mason University, where he helped guide the Patriots to three straight CAA team titles and coached multiple NCAA qualifiers and an All-American. McGuigan went on to coach in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey state finals, co-founded the Patriot Wrestling Club, and worked with elite programs including the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club and Sunkist Kids. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center and previously supported Beat the Streets Philadelphia as Grants Coordinator. Beyond wrestling, McGuigan retired in 2022 after a distinguished 30-year career with Steamfitters Local Union 420, where he managed more than $100 million in mechanical construction projects across the Philadelphia region.