EVANSTON, Ill. — Matt Storniolo, a two-time All-American at 149 pounds while wrestling for Oklahoma, is the newest addition to Northwestern’s coaching staff, head coach Tim Cysewski announced on Friday. Storniolo has spent the last two seasons as a volunteer assistant at Old Dominion where he trained closely with Ryan Williams, the 2009 NCAA runner-up at 141 pounds.
“Matt was an outstanding college wrestler and we saw in person the influence he had on the wrestlers he coached at Old Dominion, “Cysewski said. “We think his experience, technical skill and passion for the sport will really help our guys, particularly at the middle weights.”
“We’re really excited to bring in an individual like Matt who has gone deep in the NCAA Championships as a wrestler and a coach, “said associate head coach Andrew Pariano. “He’s going to play a huge part in all aspects of our program moving forward.”
Storniolo began his college wrestling career at Penn State, reaching the finals of the Big Ten Championships on his way to winning the conference’s Freshman of the Year honors. After transferring to Oklahoma, Storniolo reached the Big XII Tournament finals each of the next three years, claiming the league championship as a senior in 2007.
“It is an honor to be welcomed on to the Wildcat coaching staff and I look forward to helping Coach Cysewski and Coach Pariano continue to build this program into one of the nation’s elite, “Storniolo said. “I am happy to be back in the Big Ten and excited to work with all of the talented wrestlers that Tim and Drew have assembled. This is a dedicated team and coaching staff and I really feel that the sky is the limit for this program.”
A four-time qualifier for the NCAA Championships, Storniolo earned his first All-American honor by placing seventh as a sophomore before improving to a fourth-place finish as a junior. In his senior campaign, he entered the tournament as the second-ranked wrestler in the nation.
Before college, Storniolo wrestled to an undefeated senior year at State College Area High School in Pennsylvania en route to a state championship. He was also named a high school All-American.
Storniolo graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor of science degree in human relations.
Northwestern’s season officially gets underway Nov. 7 in the Eastern Michigan Open.
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