Coach of the Year

What a difference a year makes for SCSU's wrestling team and second-year head coach Steve Costanzo.

Costanzo has turned around a wrestling program that was on life support before he came to town. This season, Costanzo's team finished in 12th place at the NCAA Division II championships and had a 13-2 overall record. This was a definite improvement from his first season as coach, when the team went 4-7.

"Steve had a short time to recruit," senior Nick Wilkes said about the quick turnaround of the program. "A lot of kids see the national championships and with the full year of recruiting he filled some gaps."

Costanzo was hired in May 2006 from Dana College. Costanzo has won two national championships in his nine years of coaching. Wilkes followed Costanzo from Dana College to SCSU.

"I didn't really consider a turnaround this quick," Costanzo said. "I didn't know what to expect, but we still aren't there yet."

Wilkes said Costanzo is always determined and organized. Costanzo always has an agenda, whether for practice, weight training or morning runs.

"He wants to be the best and pushes us," Wilkes said.

Costanzo demands a lot from his wrestlers. Costanzo wants his wrestlers to be aggressive and to score points on the mat, but he demands more off it.

"First and foremost they must be academically driven, to receive a degree first," Costanzo said. "This isn't easy to come by. I am fortunate to have these types of individuals on the team."

Costanzo has delivered on that promise. Last season, the team was ranked 14th nationally for academics with a 3.09 team GPA. Tom Messerli, Tom Anderson, Adam Hill and Matt Jackson all earned Division II All-Academic honors.

Even though, practices are tough, redshirt freshman Derek Skala said Costanzo really knows how hard to push.

"He knows if we need a little easier practice or shorter practice to stay healthy," Skala said.

Costanzo has been wrestling for about 30 years, starting at the age of 8. Costanzo attended the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he is fifth all-time in victories with 133. In 1994 and 1995, he won a NCC championship at UNO. In 2006, Costanzo was inducted into the Nebraska wrestling hall of fame.

Costanzo said he is a family man, but really his only hobby is wrestling. He and his wife, Nancy, have five children, one being a newborn. He said his wife is great because being a wrestling coach is a demanding job and sometimes it is like she is a single mother. He said he cherishes the summer because that is the most time he gets to be with his family.

Simply put, Costanzo's coaching goal is "be the best."

"We shoot for national championships and to produce academic All-Americans," Costanzo said about the future of the wrestling program. "I know that is not an overnight procedure. It's going to take some time to get there. I think our kids want the same things."

Skala said he has those same goals. He wants to win a national championship and be an All-American.

He said Costanzo is driven and will push him and teach techniques.

Costanzo's pursuit of a national championship will start next season as the Huskies move to the NSIC.