Interview with MARYLAND Coach 
PAT SANTORO 
Conducted by John Henning, College Editor

College Park, MD.  Just prior to the 2003-2004 season, the University of Maryland ended its national search for a new wrestling coach by naming long-time Lehigh University assistant Pat Santoro to lead the Terrapins into the future.

Maryland has a storied history in college wrestling. Legendary coach Sully Krouse won 20 straight ACC conference titles, a couple of NCAA individual titles and several individual All-American medals…but that was years ago. Most recently, UMD has been mired at the bottom of the ACC. Pat Santoro is expected to lead Maryland to the 'promised land' which may be a tall order, but one many observers believe he is capable of achieving.

Pat Santoro entered the University of Pittsburgh from Blair Academy in New Jersey and promptly placed 6th at the NCAAs as a true freshman. What followed were three NCAA finals appearances and two titles. Pat was the Olympic alternate at 149.5 for the 1996 Games.  Eventually, Pat settled in as Lehigh's  #2 man and recruiting coordinator. He is widely credited with assembling the star-studded Lehigh line-up that included PA stars Jon Trenge, Troy Letters, Travis Frick and Derek Zinck, plus New Jersey's Cory Cooperman. Since moving to UMD, Santoro has begun to recruit national quality wrestlers and landed two top 50 recruits in his first year. 

WR.com: Pat, could you take a moment and take us through the process that ended up with your decision to take the Maryland job. How tough was it for you to leave your hometown, family and friends?

PS: [response] Leaving my family and the Lehigh Valley was not an easy decision.  I was very happy and comfortable coaching at Lehigh.   I would not have left a great program unless I believed that we could build a successful program here at Maryland.  After visiting with Debbie Yow (athletic director) and seeing the campus I realized that Maryland could be a special place.  The new commitment to wrestling, excellent academics and a big time athletic program make it very attractive for student athletes.  

WR.com: The University of Maryland apparently has made a commitment to their wrestling program. What makes the UMD program attractive to coaches and wrestlers alike?

· PS: [response] The University of Maryland is ranked 18th nationally for all public schools.  Maryland has 79 programs in the top 25 (undergrad and grad), 32 in the top 10, and 67 in the top 20.
Athletically, this year is the first time in recent history that the University of Maryland has been fully funded with scholarships and three full time coaches.  Our athletic Director Debbie Yow has made a strong commitment to wrestling.  She wants to see us win an NCAA championship. 

WR.com: UMD is situated well in terms of recruiting. PA, NJ and NY are all relatively close by and the high school wrestling in your home state has improved dramatically in recent times. Where do you concentrate your recruiting efforts and why?

PS: [response] We want to recruit the best in the nation and we are fortunate to be located very close to so many states that produce great wrestlers.  We will recruit nationally but most of our student athletes will be regional.  One of our goals is to attract the best Maryland wrestlers to wrestle for the Terps.

WR.com: The ACC has tremendous potential for college wrestling. With the exception of Duke, all programs are on their way to being fully-funded. Is UMD fully-funded? Please describe your practice facilities, arena, admin support and fan base.

PS: [response] Yes, we now have 9.9 scholarships to work with.  We practice and compete in the Comcast Center; it is one of the nicest arenas in the country.  Our wrestling room and weight room are right next to each other.  And our academic support and coaching offices are right upstairs.  We couldn't ask for a more convenient venue.  Our match arena seats about 1,500 and can be expanded to 2,000.  Our goal is to fill the gym.  As I mentioned earlier our administration is committed to winning and has given a lot of support this past year.

WR.com: There was a rumor circulating in the wrestling community that Hudson Taylor decided on UMD for academic reasons; that UMD offered a certain major not available elsewhere. How important is the academic piece at a big state school like Maryland and how much emphasis do today's student-athletes place on curriculum?

PS: [response] Hudson is a theatre major.  Maryland has a very strong performance arts program and I believe this attracted Hudson.  

The nice thing about large Universities is that there is a wide array of majors from which athletes can choose.  Wrestlers generally are very focused on academics.  They know that there is not a professional league so they need to set themselves up for their future.  Last year we ranked 12 nationally in the NWCA All Academic wrestling teams.  Academics and wrestling should go hand in hand.

WR.com: Let's change topics. Your father and brother were All-Americans at Lehigh and two of their all-time greats. Your cousin wrestled there. How in the world did you end up at Pitt?

PS: [response] When I was coming out of school Pitt was an up and coming program, I liked the direction they were headed. I have always been blessed with great coaches who were also great people.  So when I met Rande (Stottlemyre), I knew he was one of those people and I knew I wanted to wrestle for him.  My parents were very supportive of my decision; they wanted me to go where I would be happy.  When you surround yourself in a positive environment you're going to be successful.

WR.com: In time, you migrated back to Bethlehem to coach at Lehigh. You are to your close family and maintain numerous connections through the Lehigh Valley. After 9 seasons, and being in an endowed coaching position, how hard was the decision to leave?

PS: [response] It was a very difficult decision to leave Lehigh.  I had an opportunity to work with some amazing people like Greg Strobel, Chris Ayres, Kerry McCoy, and Joel Sharratt.
We still talk regularly and share coaching tips and philosophies.    It was also very difficult leaving the team, they are a great group of individuals and we were very close.  

The fans and alumni are outstanding; I met some very good people during my time at Lehigh and developed a lifetime of friendships.

WR.com: Brad Dillon decided to follow you to UMD as an assistant coach. He was a guy not heavily recruited out of high school, yet he became a 2X All-American. How typical is that - to elevate performance after starting college?

PS: [response] For starters, having Brad down here has had a major impact on our program.  We share the same philosophies and he does a great job with our guys.  He brings the same commitment and intensity to coaching as he did as a competitor. 

Brad wasn't recruited heavy in high school but he was very good.  We recruited him as a 141/49 lber and he worked his way up to 174.   It is not typical for most athletes to have that kind of success, but when you saw Brad's work ethic you weren't surprised.  If it weren't for injuries his first few years he probably would have been a 3 x All American.  He was very committed and had an amazing mat awareness.  He is an outstanding technician.

WR.com: Maryland has a few natural, geographic rivalries: the Naval Academy being the most obvious, but also with resurgent American University in Wash DC and George Mason University in northern VA. Any chance these match-ups can attract a new fan base? How can they be promoted?

PS: [response] Navy has developed a very good fan base; it is always fun wrestling in front of a crowd.  I believe that if all our programs continue to develop we can draw very large crowds.  Our goal at Maryland is to fill the main arena in Comcast, to achieve this we need to give the people a good product and promote our program.  

WR.com: This year Mack Lewnes -a local product-is a top ten national recruit…we notice he has listed UMD on his 'preferred' list. What's it like to recruit a high school wrestler that is also looking schools the caliber of Penn State, VA Tech, Michigan or Oklahoma State?

PS: [response] It's expected, when you go after the best wrestlers in the country, they're going to be recruited by the best teams.  To win at the elite level you need to have elite kids.  

WR.com: You will take your team to Lehigh this year for a tri-meet with Hofstra-two of the strongest teams in the east-how emotional will it be for you and coach Dillon? 

PS: [response] It will be fun to be in Grace again.  We want to wrestle the best teams and I couldn't think of a better place to do it.  It should be a great experience for our wrestlers as well as coaches.

WR.com: Hudson Taylor (Blair, NJ) will be a true frosh and Josh Haines (Northampton, PA) will be red-shirt frosh. ACC champ Charlie Pinto is back-what kind of a team should fans expect to see lining up for UMD this year? Could you run down your projected starting line-up and include any key reserves you feel will contribute?

PS: [response] Our wrestle offs will be later this week and we have a lot of question marks.  We will red-shirt most of our freshman including Hudson but we will have true Freshman Bryan Reiss at Hwt.  We expect to see some good things from Charlie Pinto, Andrew Schlaffer, Josh Haines, and Bryan Reiss.  We will have some new exciting faces that should develop nicely throughout the season.  

WR.com: Word is you were recently married. Congratulations.

PS: [response] Thanks John, she's a great girl.  I have been blessed.  We are looking forward to a very happy life together.

WR.com: Pat, here's where you get to answer any question I forgot to ask, or make any comment you feel appropriate.

PS: [response] Recently, we added Maryland native and 2x All-American Todd Beckerman to our staff.  Todd shares the same goals and adds another element to our coaching staff.  Todd came in and hit with his feet running.  I was amazed at how easy the transition was for him.  We are very excited about what Todd brings to our program.   

WR.com: Thank you for taking the time to visit with WR.com and its many on-line readers. Good luck for the upcoming season.