Debbie Yow’s makeover of the NC State Athletics Department continues…
…and, it is hard to argue with the initial appearances of the hire of Pat Popolizio as the Wolfpack’s new head head wrestling coach.
In six seasons at Binghamton University, Popolizio transformed the Bearcats into a national contender after inheriting the program that went 0-12 following its reinstatement in 2005-06.
“Pat is a builder of programs and of young men,†said Yow. “He was an outstanding collegiate performer at Oklahoma State and is a proven teacher and mentor as a head coach. He will lead Wolfpack Wrestling to compete for ACC titles and, eventually, the national championship. I thank Sherard Clinkscales and our search committee for their excellent work that resulted in his hire.”[snip]
Coaching Career
In six seasons at Binghamton, Popolizio achieved at the highest level under challenging circumstances. Despite working with fewer than half of the allowable number of NCAA scholarships, he built the Bearcats into a national power.
• 14th at the 2012 NCAA Championships
• 21st at the 2010 NCAA Championships
• 2010 CAA Champions
• Two-time CAA coach of the year (2012 and 2010)
• Candidate for national coach of the year in 2010
• Four All-Americans and 21 NCAA qualifiers over six seasons
• CAA Wrestler of the Year and CAA Rookie of the Year in both 2012 and 2010
• 15-4 dual meet mark in 2011-12 was a school record .789 winning percentage
• School record 16 wins in 2010-11Binghamton’s meteoric rise on the mat has been mirrored in the classroom. Popolizio substantially improved the program’s Academic Performance Rate (APR) from 727 to 957 between 2006 and 2011. Last season, the Bearcats earned individual National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic honors and boasted 10 CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award honorees. In 2009, Popolizio’s team ranked 17th in the country academically. BU wrestlers also placed a high priority on community service, recently helping residents at emergency shelters and in their neighborhoods after historic flooding hit the area.
There is more about Popolizio at the URL previously hyperlinked.
