Rick Bender/Davidson Sports Information
Davidson Athletics Director Jim Murphy announced today that interim head
wrestling coach Bob Patnesky has been hired on a permanent basis for the
head coaching position.
Patnesky took over the head-coaching duties in mid-season and led the
Wildcats to their best finish in both the regular season and the Southern
Conference Championships in 21 years. Davidson posted its first winning
record at 8-7 since the 1983-84 season, plus finished the league tournament
in fifth place as three wrestlers placed third.
“The wrestling program made tremendous progress this year thanks to the
efforts of the men on the mat and Coach Patnesky, “stated Murphy. “We are
pleased Bobby will continue to lead us forward. “
This past season was Patnesky’s second on the Wildcat wrestling staff.
Davidson had four wrestlers record at least 20 wins this season, three of
which were freshmen that Patnesky had a hand in recruiting. There were no
seniors on the 2004-05 wrestling squad, meaning Patnesky will have all his
talent returning for an even more successful season next year.
“Switching coaches in mid-season is never easy, “Patnesky said, “but
everyone pulled together from the athletics administration to the college
administration to the guys on the team. The future is bright here, and we
are going to keep raising the ceiling on what we can accomplish. “
“It is an honor to work at Davidson College, “he continued. “The
administration and coaches have all been terrific, but what makes it really
special are the student-athletes. These guys have such a great feel for each
other and respond well to coaching, which makes it a delight to work with
them every day. “
Patnesky is a 2001 graduate of West Virginia, where he was a three-year
starter on the Mountaineer wrestling squad. The three-time NCAA qualifier
graduated as the all-time winningest wrestler in his weight class at WVU.
Patnesky was the 2000 Eastern Wrestling League champion, helping his team
win the EWL crown and finish sixth in the country.
A five-time freestyle wrestling All-American, Patnesky was individually
ranked among the top 12 wrestlers in the country for three years. During
college, he also competed for the U.S. on a tour of France and Poland in
1999. He completed his collegiate wrestling career with over 100 victories.
Patnesky served as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater for a year
before taking an assistant position at Ohio, where he earned his master,¹s
degree in recreation and sport sciences. His coaching duties included
recruiting, coaching, scheduling and scouting.
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