By Joseph Caruso
Staff Writer
The College’s wrestling team had another stellar season in 2023-24, finishing with a dual record of 13-5. Excluding the COVID-19 shortened season, The College has recorded double-digit wins in 10 of 11 full seasons under coach Joe Galante. Now in his 13th year, Galante looks to continue his long-standing success as the Lions coach.
Galante has received the NCAA Mideast Regional Coach of the Year in three of the last four seasons, including back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023. For him, it's the consistency in the program itself that he preaches.
“Tradition and culture are the primary drivers of our success over the years,” Galante explained. “Culture may be a buzzword these days, but it’s something we genuinely believe in and work intentionally to build every day. Our expectations for all wrestlers are to learn our system and embrace our team values. We have a style rooted in intensity, technique and conditioning.”
With just 10 upperclassmen and 26 freshmen and sophomores, leadership from Galante and the seniors will be key to their success this season.
“From a leadership perspective, each wrestler brings a unique approach — some lead by example, others are more vocal, and some naturally bring their teammates along in areas like training, mindset, and nutrition.” Galante said.
One of the seniors the Lions will be expecting a lot out of is Nick Sacco. A 2-time NCAA All-American and 2024 NCAA Champion, Sacco has had success from the second he stepped onto the mat as a freshman. He has gotten recognized academically as well, as he has been a NWCA Scholar All-American in all three of his seasons. Sacco is still focused on bringing home more personal and team hardware this year.
“This past offseason was nothing different than a typical offseason,” said Sacco. “I was still training and enjoying the summer weather. Winning a national title last year was an experience second to none, but it is a new season and the results from last year don’t carry over to this year.”
Sacco wasn’t the only scholar on the team, as the College had eight honorees on the National Collegiate Wrestling Association list of Scholar All-Americans. As well as this, the College’s wrestling squad finished No. 21 on the NWCA's Team Scholar All-America Top-30 with a 3.534 team GPA.
It is safe to say that Galante is more than happy with the academic success that he has echoed to his players throughout his tenure.
“To me, a successful season means our wrestlers earn academic awards and grow closer as a unit,” Galante said. “I truly believe that if we achieve these things, our wrestling goals will follow. Our core values are character, commitment, and a positive attitude. These are the foundational qualities we seek in recruits and reinforce once they join us on campus.”
Senior Mike Conklin is another name to look out for, being a 2-time NCAA All-American, and 2024 Mideast Region Champion with 70 career wins. Other seniors Kyle Nase and James Romaine will be key to the College’s season this year as well, having a combined 72 wins in their collegiate career thus far. Despite losing key seniors, this team can make some noise.
“We haven’t been shy about our belief that this team has the potential to stand out nationally, and we focus on our daily process goals in the hopes that they add up to a positive outcome,” Galante said. “Wrestlers come and go, but the lessons, opportunities, and experiences we offer are designed to last a lifetime, no matter how long an athlete is with our program.”
On Friday, Nov. 3 some members of the program will compete at the Princeton University Open to kick off their season. The true season begins with a match against Wilkes University on Friday, Nov. 10. The College began their season against Wilkes a year ago and came out victorious, so the Lions will be looking to start the season on the right note.
“We are looking to bring home an NCAA team trophy in March,” said Sacco. “The top 4 teams get a trophy and we would love to bring some hardware back to the College come March.”
