Drew Pariano hit the mat running as the new head coach of the wrestling program.
Pariano was promoted in June after five years on the staff of Tim Cysewski, now the associate head coach.
Pariano was named the NWCA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year in 2008 and is looking to make his mark as the head coach of his alma mater. He wrestled for the Wildcats in the late ’90s and was a three-time NCAA qualifier and four-year starter.
“In some regard there is a level of comfort,” Pariano said. “I know what these guys are going through. At the same time it’s new territory for me.”
Despite the program’s recent success, Pariano has set out to get more fans to come out to meets.
“There are way more people now,” Pariano said. “It’s all the marketing department, the T-shirt toss and towel toss help make it interactive. The marketing department has done a great job. I get e-mails from people telling me they came with their families and had a great time.”
Another big change is the confidence both the coaching staff and wrestlers have in the program. Redshirt senior Andrew Nadhir said he believed the team could sweep the Big Ten season, a first for him in his five years in Evanston. Pariano said he saw more confidence among the wrestlers.
“A lot of (the confidence) comes with the personnel,” Pariano said. “If you look at (redshirt junior John Schoen), he now has six or seven training partners where last year he had two. We also have an outstanding recruiting class which helps a lot.”
The wrestlers believe the changes Pariano brought to the program have given it a little more juice, senior Aaron Jones said.
“Drew is intense. He has a more in-your-face coaching style,” Jones said. “Tim has been here awhile so he is calmer. He can teach you a lot if you ask him for help. They complement each other nicely.”
Another big part of the revitalization of the team is the influx of good, young talent coming to Evanston. This year’s freshmen class was the third-ranked recruiting class by InterMat and includes five of their top-100 recruits. Kaleb Friedley was one of the later recruits and said he was unfazed with the coaching switch and sees the positives Pariano brings to the program.
“Drew is a player’s coach,” Friedley said. “He relates to us as players and as people. He is real personable. He did one-on-ones with me once I got on campus. He has helped me work on the small things.”
The team is now more complete, Schoen said. He said the team is now able to rest wrestlers who need a break or when opponents play their backup wrestlers. The complete team shone in the win over Pittsburgh, in which two backups were able to step in and wrestle well, helping the Cats to victory.
“We have a roster that is adequate but it could be deeper,” Pariano said. “The depth in that room is leading to the success in matches.”
The No. 19 Cats (14-0, 2-0 Big Ten) head to Michigan to take the No. 11 Wolverines (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) on Friday and then unranked Spartans (8-2, 0-2 Big Ten) on Sunday.
