The first, and longest, tenured assistant wrestling coach under Scott Goodale is moving to a new role within the program. John Leonardis, who has been an assistant wrestling coach for Rutgers wrestling for 14 seasons, will be taking on the role of Executive Director of the Scarlet Knights Wrestling Club (SKWC) starting this May.
“John Leonardis and I started coaching at Rutgers together, and as the SKWC mission and complexity has grown, we could not have a better choice than my friend and long-time partner to bring SKWC and Rutgers Wrestling to another level”, Coach Goodale stated in an announcement from the SKWC.
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As a student-athlete Leonardis attended perennial high school powerhouse Blair Academy, where he was a four-time prep national place winner. He went on to wrestle at Lehigh University, where he won the 1996 EIWA title at 190-lbs.
Prior to joining the Rutgers wrestling program, Leonardis was the head coach of the Peddie School from 2000 – 2006. He brought Peddie to national prominence with 32 national prep placers, and five top five team finishes at the prep nationals in six seasons.
As an assistant at Rutgers Leonardis was instrumental in the growth of Rutgers wrestling since Goodale took the helm in 2007. Rutgers wrestling put 14 wrestlers on the national podium, crowned two national champions, and a top 10 NCAA tournament finish while Leonardis was on staff.
In addition, Leonardis worked closely with the upper weights within the program, and was a key part of the success for former Rutgers big men such as DJ Russo and Billy Smith.
In his new role, Leonardis will oversee the daily operations, fundraising, and social events of the SKWC. In addition, Leonardis will be in charge of managing the resident athlete program, which has recently added former NCAA champion and U23 world team member, Myles Martin.
Regional training centers and clubs such as the SKWC have become a vital part of college wrestling programs. These non-profit organizations allow universities to bring in high-level senior athletes with World and Olympic aspirations. Those athletes, such as Anthony Ashnault, are afforded the opportunity to train for international events, while receiving a salary from their respective RTC. In-turn, these resident athletes can serve as workout partners to college wrestlers throughout the year.
The Scarlet Knights Wrestling Club utilize multiple avenues of fund raising to pay for resident athletes and coaches such as golf outings, socials, and the “pin pool”. However, fans can donate to the SKWC at any time. If you are interested to contribute to the SKWC, click the link below to donate.
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