Philadelphia “The University of Pennsylvania announces the resignation of Head Wrestling Coach Roger Reina. Reina, who served as head coach for the Quaker for 19 seasons, will take another position at the University as a senior major gifts officer for the PENN Medicine Development office.
Reina will leave the program as its most successful coach in its 101-year history. In 19 seasons at the helm he posted a record of 205-106-6, recording his 200th career victory this season at Columbia. His win total is more than double that of any his predecessors.
Reina’s teams have consistently produced nationally-ranked results and individuals who have achieved national recognition. The Quakers have also established multiple institutional, Ivy League and Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) records. Penn has finished in the top-20 at the NCAA Championships five of the last seven years and has had at least one All-American in nine-consecutive seasons. Since the 1994 season, the Quakers have captured eight Ivy League Championships including an Ancient Eight record seven-consecutive titles (1996-2002). Since 1993, Penn has produced an astonishing 63 NCAA Qualifiers, 31 EIWA Champions, 17 All-Americans, four-consecutive EIWA titles, three NCAA finalists and an NCAA and Olympic champion.
Additionally, Reina’s teams and athletes have received national recognition in the classroom. Penn has consistently ranked among the top teams in the nation academically, with the highest ranking of fourth. Multiple Penn wrestlers have been named to the NWCA All-Academic Team including three-time All-American Matt Feast. Feast is also a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree (2003 and 2004). Two other grapplers in Andrei Rodzianko and Shawn Heinrichs received NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.
Reina has also had five grapplers bestowed with the Class of 1915 Award, given annually to the to the male senior that most closely approaches the ideal University of Pennsylvania student-athlete and who has shown outstanding athletic, academic and leadership qualities.
After serving for two years as an assistant coach under Larry Lauchle, Reina was named head coach in 1986, making him the youngest Division I head coach in the nation at the time. Prior to that, he was a four-year letterwinner with the Quakers. He served as team captain his senior season and earned All-Ivy League honors.
In his tenure as head coach, Reina’s leadership has been recognized by his colleagues at every level, as he has been elected Chairman of the Ivy League Wrestling Coaches Association, President of the EIWA Coaches Association and President of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). Reina recently completed a three-year tenure as President of the NWCA, leading the sport’s top coaching association to unprecedented growth and success. He also is a four-time NWCA National Coach of the Year nominee (1996-00) and a three-time EIWA Coach of the Year.
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