Coach's Notes TCNJ WRESTLING. September Newsletter. View this in your browser

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1 Click the links to interact! Coaches Notes, Athlete Interviews, Results, Alumni Highlights View this in your browser Website Facebook Twitter Instagram TCNJ WRESTLING September Newsletter Coach's Notes

2 Coach's Notes Wow, our team and staff is working hard and we are all so thankful for the good things that are happening in our world! Please read below for a preview of this newsletter as we all get fired up for the beginning of wrestling season! On October 7th we will host our annual High School Open which is an excellent fundraiser and recruiting vehicle. The competition is stiff and the tournament is always well attended. A newer initiative is our Feed the Lions event for Alumni and donors. The College has an amazing Alumni Association which helps us sponsor a few events a year. We want to highlight this event on October 12 so that our supporters and student athletes can network and build a stronger relationship. On November 11 we will engage all Alumni, Donors, Friends, and Family for our Annual Day of Giving. Last year I think wrestling "won the day" even though formal rankings were not published. This year I was promised that there would be rankings and we want to be on top of the podium again!! The Day of Giving donations allows us to travel and stay in hotels before competitions that we ordinarily could not fit in our regular budget. We are always seeking out tough matches and tournaments and your support makes our efforts possible. The staff announcements excite me the most! There is so much positive energy around the team because of the infusion of three new coaches. Before I name them I must say that the work of our returning coaches is top notch. The consistency of Len Goduto has been amazing. Len has been elevated to Head Assistant Coach and has taken on more responsibilities and duties. Justin Bonitatis coached with us last season and will be back in the room before the high school season begins. Bones was recruited by multiple programs and decided to take his talents to Lacey Township High School as the Head Coach. We could not be more happy for him. Sigala "Sal" Fosam is going into his second season as the heavyweight coach. He does an awesome job working with our big guys. He scraps hard and never misses a day or makes an excuse. I admire those characteristics and also how he handles his business. It is hard to pick a leader of our new coaches because they all bring something different and special to the program. We created a new position this year as a byproduct of Wrestlers In Business Network (WIBN) Princeton Chapter large donation to the program last year after the Division I All-Star match. Our first Director of Wrestling Operations is CJ Brucki. He has been with us since September 1 and hit the ground running. He has been helping with recruiting, practice planning, will improve our match marketing strategy, and more. Ken Theobold joins the staff with the help of Vin Santaniello. Vin owns Shore Thing Wrestling Club and gave Ken the highest recommendation. We were super lucky that he was interested and willing to commute to TCNJ at least once weekly. Ken brings a fun energy and super work ethic. Our latest addition is one of my best friends and a person for whom I have the utmost respect. Derrick Goduto and I have been talking about getting him on staff for the last seven years but the conversation turned more serious in D has an excellent wrestling mind and zero tolerance for

3 bologna. We need both to help and support our athletes as they strive to reach their goals. I could not be more excited about the staff we have and the team of wrestlers they get to coach! There are some additional great reads in the news below and I encourage you to check out the entire installment. Also, as promised in the last newsletter I will reveal my new nickname. As a kid, only my mother had a nickname for me which I will never reveal. As a person who goes by their middle name Richard Joseph "Joe" Galante I have never been short in the name department. With all credit going to Lenny and Bones the boys affectionately call me "HC" for Head Coach. I dig it and I think it speaks to the special relationship that we have built. I hope you all have an excellent week! Go Lions! #LS Tentative Schedule LOSS IN WRESTLING COMMUNITY Additional Coach Note: A late addition to the newsletter is the announcement of longtime Ursinus wrestling coach Bill Racich's unexpected passing on Friday September 21, There are so many people mourning the loss of this great man. Bill had accolades of all kinds and relationships with all he encountered. A man with a fun intensity and competitive nature that was engaging and contagious. Selfishly I want to say that Bill was special to me because he recruited me out of HS and came to watch me wrestle. My father is an Ursinus Alum and he and Bill always connected whenever we competed on the same soil. Billy and I were also friends and enjoyed fighting "the good fight" within Division III wrestling. We would hang out in Florida at the coaches convention and always share a laugh when we saw each other. In an intense sport like wrestling where everyone is pushing hard to win, Bill was an ally

4 and someone I will always try to emulate. Rest in Peace Billy, we will certainly miss you! Your friend- Joe Galante Racich Obituary Racich Coaching Career Article High School Open Tournament Flyer

5 High School Open Tournament Registration Link Calling Interested Alumni: Join us on Friday October 12 in TCNJ's 1855 room! The Wrestling Alumni Association Chapter will sponsor the first 50 to sign up. This is the second year of this event and last year it was a great success. Meet the team, share your favorite memories from college, have dinner on us, and talk to our wrestlers about how wrestling impacted your life. TO RESERVE A SPOT SAMANTHA balducs1@tcnj.edu WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!

6 By harnessing the collective giving power of Lions like you, TCNJ can continue to thrive in the years ahead. Past efforts have had a tremendous impact on student support, resource enhancements and facility improvements. Check back for updates and to join the TCNJ community for its 4th Annual Day of Giving. #OneDayTCNJ Click for More Info! STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS

7 CJ Brucki Director of Wrestling Operations Central Michigan University 18 Year of Service: 1 st Hometown: Orland Park, Ill. Education: Carl Sandburg H.S.; BA Business Administration - BBA Brucki joins the Lions coaching staff after recently graduating from CMU in Wrestling at 174 pounds, he was a NCAA Championships qualifier and finished 1-2 at the NCAA Championships with a season total of He is looking forward to working with team! CMU: 2017 and 2018 NCAA Championships Qualifier 2017 and 2018 MAC Championship Place Winner Academic All-American twice Academic All-MAC twice Ken Theobold Assistant Coach Rutgers University 17 Year of Service: 1 st Hometown: Tom Rivers, NJ Education: Toms River South H.S.; BS Psychology and Labor Studies, MS Labor Studies and Employment Theobold joins the coaching staff after a successful collegiate career. He helped rebuild the Rutgers team through hard work, dedication, and persistence. The addition of Ken will especially help the middle weights and diverse the Lions offense in the top position. Rutgers:

8 2015 NCAA Division I All-American 2014 and 2015 NCAA Qualifier 2014 and 2015 EIWA Championships place winner 2015 Midlands Championships place winner 2015 Mat Town Open Champion 2014 TCNJ Open Champion Derrick Goduto Assistant Coach Montclair State University 06 ; Rider University 16' Year of Service: 1st Hometown: Netcong, NJ Education: Lenape Valley Regional H.S.; BS, History,; MAT -Supervisor/Principal Certification Goduto joins the Lions coaching staff after spending the last 8 years as the Head Coach at Cedar Grove High School. During his tenure Cedar Grove won back to back NJSIAA North 2 Group 1 State Titles, in 2016 and 2017, beating powerhouse Bound Brook High School both years. Goduto earned District 13 Coach of the Year 3 times in 8 seasons. He also earned NJ.COM (Essex County) and NJSIAA Region 2 Coach of the year in He is extremely excited to get to work!

9 Montclair State: 2005 and 2006 NCAA All American 2005 and 2006 team captain Metropolitan Conference Champion Looking to promote your business to a large audience on our newsletter, website, and social media? galante3@tcnj.edu for more details! Name: Joey King Weight Class: 125 Year: Freshmen High School, State: Colts Neck, NJ Wrestling Club: Shore Thing Major: Finance Click for an Interview with Joey King

10 1990's Team of the Decade ALT Anton Atterbury, 2x All-American John Johnson, 3x All-American Other (Write-In through link) Click Here to Vote for the Alt Weight Class 1990 Team of the Decade Winner at 118: Steve Rivera Winner at 125/126: Anthony Conte Winner at 133/134: Vinne Santaniello Winner at 141/142: Justin Totten Winner at 149/150: Chris Potter Winner at 157/158: Dan O'Cone Winner at 165/167: Etienne Miszczak Winner at 174/177: Mike Cruickshank Winner at 184/190: Rashone Johnson Winner at HWT: Glen Sandull

11 TCNJ Wrestling Alumni Gary Jones graduated in 2004 and decided to take a trip to Australia and became a professional lifeguard for a year. After loving it so much, he chose to stay, which is where he met his wife and started to plant some roots. He began reaching out to wrestling programs, having little to no luck receiving a response. After being introduced to ju jitsu by a friend and taking a class, he impressed the head instructor with his wrestling background and skills and was given a coaching job. Six years later, Jones has coached at a variety of Martial Arts academies, been invited all over Australia to different academies to run seminars and clinics for athletes and coaches and has worked with and trained a few of the top Australian UFC fighters as well as some of Australia's top Football Players. With everything going on, Jones decided that while Australia has great BJJ, Judo, Boxing, MMA, Grappling, and Muay Thai, they did not have wrestling, and the wrestling academy "The Wrestling Foundation" was created. He explained that while they are jumping on board with wrestling as a nation, the opportunity just is not there, which is what he is trying to change, "Because its not readily available, like in the states, through schools and clubs, its really going to be a evolving process to give wrestling the platform it deserves. Each week I run 3 session and have anywhere from guys and girls coming to get involved. Soon we will be putting together a team and start competitions." He has hopes that one day, college athletes from NJ and the states have the opportunity to travel to Australia to work with the program and share their experience, and that the athletes in Australia too have the opportunity to travel and train here. "I know wrestling is a tough, grinding sport. And over my 15 years of competing in

12 the sport, I asked myself a few times why the heck am I beating up my body for this. Besides the achievements, the championships, the trophies and the wins, wrestling is an incredible art that people need to see and learn. It brings people together that otherwise would never connect. I now know why I spent all those days sweating, grinding, cutting weight, running, lifting, and wrestling in that room. My mission is to spread the knowledge of wrestling and create a platform where kids, men, and women can all come to learn, grow, and test themselves just as we were all blessed to be able to do as well. Is Wrestling here in Australia? You bet you there is, and it's here to stay! Lets put this program together and open the doors for these athletes." Gary Jones is #LionStrong! For more information and to learn more, on Instagram by clicking the icon below! Have a special announcement to share for our "special news and awards" section? Want to be included in our social media calendar for birthday shoutouts? Have a story for "this day in history" or "where are they now"? any information to balducs1@tcnj.edu to be featured!

13 One of our new Assistants was a Division I All-American. Who was the coach, what weight did he wrestle, and what place did he secure at NCAA's? SEND YOUR ANSWERS VIA TO SAMANTHA balducs1@tcnj.edu

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