Takedown Wrestling Radio - College Wrestling Interviews

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Joe Boardwine, one of the top high school wrestling coaches in the State of Ohio, has been hired as head wrestling coach at Campbell University, Director of Athletics Stan Williamson announced on Thursday.

Boardwine joins the Fighting Camel staff after serving the last year as head coach at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio in addition to handling duties as National Director of Wrestling for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

In addition to guiding wrestlers from three different high schools to state championships in Ohio, Boardwine also served as Associate Executive Director / Chief Operating Officer of the National High School (Wrestling) Coaches Association from 2004-07 and was National Teams Director / Ohio State Director of that same organization from 1999-2004.

"We are happy to welcome Joe Boardwine as our new head wrestling coach at Campbell University," said Williamson. "Joe has a strong background as a wrestler and as a developer of young wrestling talent. Having served at two national organizations, Joe brings a wealth of contact information that will greatly aid in the recruiting of young men to wrestle at Campbell University. We have found Joe to be a man of integrity and great passion for wrestling who is a great fit for our university."

In Boardwine's eight years in the prep ranks at Walsh Jesuit, University School (2001-2004) and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (1998-2001), he coached 13 Ohio (OHSAA) State Champions and 28 state qualifiers or place-winners and 15 high school All-Americans.

He replaces Billy Greene, who resigned in April to pursue other professional opportunities while remaining at CU as an adjunct professor in the mathematics department.

"I would like to thank President (Dr. Jerry) Wallace and Mr. Williamson for this opportunity and also for their evident commitment to the sport of wrestling at Campbell University," said Boardwine, a 1997 graduate of Kent State. "The most important thing I want to communicate is that Campbell University Wrestling is committed to training wrestlers and competing with its team at the highest level."

Named Cleveland Plain Dealer Coach of the Year in 2003 and News Herald Coach of the Year in 2004, Boardwine was also chosen the NWCA National Assistant Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2001.

Boardwine's vision for Fighting Camel Wrestling is clear.

"The goals of the program will be to continue to produce championship results in the classroom and mentoring the wrestlers spiritually, but with a new commitment from everyone to start producing All-Americans and National Champions."

In each of the last three years, Campbell has been named among the nation's top 25 All-Academic Teams by the NWCA, including an 11th-place ranking in 2010 with a 3.1349 team grade-point average. Campbell wrestlers have advanced to the NCAA Championships six times since 1987.

The Camels moved into the 3,000-seat John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center in the fall of 2008 and one season later, Parker Burns became the latest CU wrestler to advance to the NCAA Championships after he won the 197-pound weight class at the NCAA East Regional.

"This program is ready to explode," said Boardwine. "Everything is now in place for Campbell to grow to become a top-25 team in the nation. From the brand-new practice facility to the new weight room, new locker room and 3,000 seat convocation center for matches, everything is here for wrestlers who dream of trying to become great - to come here, get a great education and reach their true potential."

As National Director for the FCA Wrestling ministry, Boardwine served with the likes of Rich Bender (USA Wrestling Executive Director), Lee Roy Smith (National Wrestling Hall of Fame Executive Director) and Olympic champions John Peterson and Brandon Slay on the Leadership Board. Under his guidance, FCA Wrestling's current primary initiatives are to conduct a prayer breakfast at every high school state tournament in the nation and to train coaches to lead new wrestling programs at faith-based colleges and universities.

Boardwine started his head coaching career at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in 1998 and oversaw a turnaround that resulted in Ohio state tournament places of 5th, 3rd and 2nd in his three years. His program produced blue chip recruits like 4-time state champion Harry Lester, who has twice earned World Bronze medalist honors, plus state champion and eventual 3-time NCAA All-American Andy Vogel, who now serves as head coach at Gettysburg (Pa.) College.

The native of Aurora, Ohio moved to University School in Hunting Valley, Ohio and guided that program to state championship finishes of 15th, and 8th and 5th in three seasons.

Boardwine also served as Ohio State Chairman of the national High School (Wrestling) Coaches Association (NHSCA) from 1994-2004. In that role, the helped create and train national teams for elite Ohio high school wrestlers to compete around in the United States in national events.

He then moved to Easton, Pa., in June 2004 to serve as Associate Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the NHSCA. Boardwine was responsible for all daily operations of the national non-profit organization that conducts the National High School Wrestling Championships, Final Four of High School Wrestling and National Dual Meet Championships.

A 1997 summa cum laude graduate of Kent State with a B.S. in Education, Boardwine also earned his M.S. in Educational Administration from Drexel University. During his undergraduate career, Boardwine was a two-time Mid-American Conference finalist and placed in the league championships in each of his three trips to the event. He won over 80 matches on the collegiate level.

Upon his return to his native Ohio in June 2007, Boardwine worked as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley for two years before accepting the positions with Walsh Jesuit and FCA.

Boardwine is intent on translating the success his high school and club programs have enjoyed to the NCAA Division I level.

"That's what we are shooting for at Campbell University - producing great students who are close to their community, are growing spiritually and working hard, while fighting for national championships and All-America status. This is this kind of campus where wrestlers can thrive not only competitively, but can also get to know each other and their professors and community really well because of its smaller size. You don't get lost in the shuffle."

Boardwine also plans to develop a full summer camp program at Campbell, plus clinics and special events for the sport, hosted at the Pope Convocation Center. He also plans to upgrade the varsity schedule to increase the level of exposure CU wrestlers receive to the top teams in the nation and to new geographic areas. He also plans for Campbell to begin recruiting the best high school prospects in not only North Carolina and the Southeast region, but around the nation.

"Generally, you'll see a big increase in the visibility of the Campbell University Wrestling program as we share our vision for the program with the wrestling community nationally and let them know we intend to train and compete at the highest level here on this campus," said Boardwine.

After getting his start in the sport at the storied Longwood YMCA program in Northeast Ohio, Boardwine was a two-time Ohio state champion and also earned prep All-America recognition at Streetsboro High School.

He and his wife, the former Melissa Staples, have two sons, Hunter and Mason.

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Mark Perry, who recently completed his first season as assistant wrestling coach at Cal Poly, and seven-year Mustang head coach John Azevedo will serve as co-head coaches beginning with the 2010-11 season.

The announcement was made Tuesday by Cal Poly director of athletics Alison Cone.

“This move further strengthens our wrestling coaching staff,” said Cone. “Mark's strengths combined with John's attributes will provide us with an unbeatable coaching combination.”

With Perry as his assistant last season, Azevedo guided Cal Poly to a third-place Pacific-10 Conference finish and produced a pair of NCAA All-Americans. He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year by D1CollegeWrestling.net.

“I think this will be great experience for Mark and his future as a head coach,” said Azevedo.

When Perry was hired as assistant coach last summer, Azevedo said, “I believe his passion for wrestling and winning will help Cal Poly wrestling go to the next level of becoming the best. Mark brings an extensive amount of individual and team success to the program.”

Perry, a two-time national champion and four-time All-American at Iowa, spent the 2008-09 season as an assistant coach at Penn State before coming to Cal Poly a year ago.

“Being promoted to co-head coach is a huge honor for me and I am confident that I will be able to continue to help this program move forward in its quest toward winning Pac-10 titles and NCAA trophies,” said Perry. “The future of Cal Poly wrestling is going to be exciting. I guarantee our fans and alumni we are going to be one of the top programs in the country on a consistent basis in the near future.

“Wrestling fans in California are excited about what is going on at Cal Poly and our wrestlers will continue to work toward winning NCAA titles,” Perry added.

The Mustangs rebounded from a tough 2008-09 campaign by finishing just seven points shy of Pac-10 champion Oregon State. Chase Pami finished second at 157 pounds in both the Pac-10 and NCAA finals while Boris Novachkov won a Pac-10 title at 133 and placed seventh nationally.

Their finish marked the first time in six seasons that multiple wrestlers finished as All-Americans at Cal Poly. Azevedo led the Mustangs to an 8-4 dual meet record, including a 5-2 mark in Pac-10 matches.

Azevedo, 45-61 in dual meets as Mustang head coach, has guided nine Mustangs to All-American honors and seven Pac-10 champions.

He was an assistant under Lennis Cowell for two years before taking over the head job with the Mustangs in 2003. His coaching career also includes one year as a graduate assistant at Arizona State (1980-81), three years as assistant coach at Cal State Bakersfield (1981-84), two years as an assistant as Notre Dame (1984-86), five years as an assistant coach at Wisconsin (1986-91) and 12 seasons as head coach at Calvary Chapel High in Santa Ana (1991-2003), leading the wrestling program to seven state championships and one runner-up finish.

Calvary Chapel also garnered 11 league titles, 10 CIF-Southern Section team championships, and posted a 183-18 dual meet record under Azevedo’s direction. The program also spawned 23 NCAA Division 1 wrestlers. Azevedo was named National High School Coach of the Year in 1993 and California Coach of the Year seven times.

As a collegian, Azevedo won an NCAA title in 1980 while at Cal State Bakersfield, after two runner-up finishes and three NCAA Division II titles. He amassed a 122-2 collegiate record and was named team captain three times. He is also a member of the California Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Azevedo was also a member of the 1980 United States Olympic team (the United States boycotted those summer games in Moscow) and won a national freestyle championship in 1981. He placed fourth at the World Championships in 1982.

Azevedo earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Cal State Bakersfield in 1981.

Perry was the NCAA individual national champion in 2007 and 2008 while helping the Iowa Hawkeyes to a team championship in 2008.

With his title in 2008, Perry became the 17th four-time All-American and 14th two-time national champion in NCAA history. During his 2007 NCAA run, Perry defeated two-time NCAA champion Johny Hendricks in the finals on his way to a 32-5 record.

Both his NCAA titles came at 165 pounds.

As a sophomore at the NCAAs, Perry placed third at 174 pounds, earning the Gorriaran Trophy for pinning four opponents at the championships. As a freshman he placed second at 165 pounds, posting a 32-5 overall record.

Perry was a team captain all four years at Iowa and was a Big Ten Conference finalist four times as well, capturing one title in 2007. He also was a four-time finalist in the prestigious Midlands Wrestling Tournament, earning two titles.

Perry was named National Wrestling Coaches Association rookie of the year in 2005 and University of Iowa athlete of the year in 2007.

Perry was a two-time prep national champion while attending Blair Academy, located 60 miles west of New York City, in rural Warren County, New Jersey. He was a three-time AISCS High School All-American while posting a career 169-7 record.

Perry earned his bachelor of arts degree in art from the University of Iowa in 2008.

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Briar Cliff University director of athletics Steve Gast has announced the hiring of Joe Privitere as the school's new full-time head wrestling coach.
"We are excited about the upcoming Joe Privitere era of Briar Cliff wrestling," said Gast. "Joe has a deep desire and drive to create winners on the mat. However, he has an equally strong desire to create winners in the classroom and in life."

While this will be Privitere's first head coaching stint, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. He is currently serving as the head assistant coach at NCAA Div. I Davidson College, a position he began in 2007. Prior to that, Privitere was an assistant coach at The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, in Charleston, S.C., from 2005 until 2007. Over the years, Privitere, who holds a USAW Bronze-Level Certification, has also been involved in numerous wrestling camps and clinics.

"I am honored to be the newest member of the Briar Cliff family and look forward to using my work ethic and past experiences to build on an already strong foundation at the University," said Privitere. "My goals include creating all-Americans and national champions in an environment that fosters excellence in the student portion of the student-athlete experience."

Out of high school, Privitere wrestled at the State University of New York at Binghamton, in Vestal, New York. The NCAA Div. II All-American was a three-year team captain for the Bearcats. The Johnson City, N.Y. native and two-time all-conference selection finished his illustrious career second on the school's all-time win chart (112) and having set the single-season win record with 38. In addition to his college experience, Privitere was also the 1998 High School National Champion, 1999 FILA Greco All-American, 2000 FILA Greco World Team Trial Champion and the 2000 FILA Greco World Silver Medalist. He earned his bachelor's degree in human development and education from Binghamton in 2003. He then went on to earn his master's degree in health, exercise and sports science from the Citadel in 2007 while serving as an assistant with the Bulldog wrestling program.

Privitere takes over the program's lead from Damon Clayborne, who has served as the part-time head coach for the past six years. Clayborne will continue to contribute to the program as the part-time associate head coach. Privitere is the program's fifth head coach since Briar Cliff reinstated the sport in 1997. This past season, the Chargers sent three wrestlers to the NAIA National Championships and junior Josh Rogers came back an all-American. The 2010-11 season will be program's 14th consecutive year and 18th overall season. Aside from coaching, Privitere will work in the Institutional Advancement office at Briar Cliff.

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Speak with a U.S. World Team member during the Living the Dream Medal Fund LIVE TELETHON on Friday night


The wrestling community will have a unique opportunity to speak with one of the 2010 U.S. World Team athletes or coaches when they call in for the Living The Dream Medal Fund Telethon & Benefit Webcast on Friday, August 20.

A first-of-its-kind event, this will be broadcast on TheMat.com and Flowrestling.com live from the U.S. Olympic Training Center from 9:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Eastern time.

This gives fans a way to directly connect with the athletes and coaches that will represent them at the World Championships and support their Olympic dreams with a donation.

The U.S. World Team members in all three Olympic styles and their coaches will take calls from supporters of the fund, after a day of intense training as they go through their final preparation for the 2010 World Wrestling Championships in Moscow, Russia. Sept. 6-12.

The event will be hosted by USA Wrestling broadcast host Jason Bryant, along with Al Bevilacqua, chairman of the Living the Dream Medal Fund project. There will be many special features on this broadcast, which will be a fun and exciting presentation.

Featured on the webcast will be stand-up comic Greg Warren, a past NCAA All-American from Missouri. Greg has been on the stand-up circuit for several years and has a large following. He has been a sensation on Flowrestling with the character Wesley "Wes" Wesley.

The Living the Dream Medal Fund was established to substantially increase the financial rewards for U.S. wrestlers who win Olympic and World medals during this four-year Olympic cycle.

The Living The Dream Medal Fund Telethon & Webcast is a first for USA Wrestling, and is a unique opportunity within the U.S. Olympic family. Once again, the wrestling community is showing its leadership in finding new ways to enhance the sport and support its athletes.

ALL proceeds go directly to the Living The Dream Medal Fund. USA Wrestling will provide the webcast free on its Ustream channel and on the front page of TheMat.com and Flowrestling.com.

Mark your calendar for this Friday, August 20 and join our nation’s World Team members as they greet the wrestling community directly and thank them for their support.

CALL IN NUMBER: 1-800-999-8531
Credit cards accepted include VISA or Mastercard