DelPorto will take over an EMU wrestling program that recently opened the Dean Rockwell Wrestling Center and also announced that the program will offer the NCAA maximum scholarships for the first time ever in 2006-07.
DelPorto, a former All-American wrestler while a Slippery Rock undergraduate, returned to his alma mater as the head coach at SRU for the 2004-2005 season. DelPorto and his 2005-06 team made the most of the school's final wrestling season, announced at the start of the year, winning the team championship at the NCAA Division I East Regional tournament and advancing a tournament-record 10 wrestlers to weight-class championship final bouts while recording a school record-tying four individual titles.
In addition, SRU sent a school-record five wrestlers to the 2006 NCAA Division I National Championships. For his efforts, DelPorto was named NCAA Division I East Regional Coach of the Year. His 2004-05 Slippery Rock squad was the NCAA East Regional runner-up, and had three NCAA Division I championship qualifiers, and had three Academic All-Americans.
DelPorto began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Slippery Rock from 1999-2000 before moving on to Oklahoma University as an assistant from 2000-2002. From 2002-2004, DelPorto was an assistant wrestling coach at Cornell University before returning to his alma mater to take over the head coaching duties in 2004.
The 29-year-old DelPorto (April 10, 1976) grew up in Erie, Penn. and graduated from Cathedral Prep in Erie, Penn. in 1994.
DelPorto went on to wrestle as a collegian at Slippery Rock where he recorded the third-best record in school history at 116-38 in his four seasons. He earned NCAA All-America honors in 1999 after finishing in eighth place in the heavyweight classification at the NCAA Division I championships. He was also a three-time East Regional champion, winning the heavyweight titles in 1998 and 1999 and capturing the 177-pound crown in 1996. DelPorto also won the PSAC heavyweight title in 1998.
THE DEREK DelPORTO FILE:
Name: Derek Louis DelPorto
Born: April 10, 1976 - Erie, Penn.
High School: Cathedral Prep (Erie, Penn.-Graduated in 1994)
College: Slippery Rock University - graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's in education based English
Married: Single
Intercollegiate Coaching/Wrestling Experience
Year School Position-Highlights
2004-2006 Slippery Rock University Head wrestling coach
2005-2006 Team finished 14-9; NCAA Division I East Regional
Coach of the Year; Set tournament record with 10 wrestlers in the East Regional finals;
Qualified five wrestlers to the NCAA Division I championships
2004-2005 Team finished 7-16
2003-2004 Cornell University Assistant wrestling coach
2000-2002 Oklahoma University Assistant wrestling coach
1999-2000 Slippery Rock University Assistant wrestling coach
1994-1999 Slippery Rock University Student and varsity wrestling letterman for four years;
Finished his career with a 116-38 record; Earned NCAA Division I All-American honors in 1999 with an eighth-place finish in the NCAA Championships; Three-time East Regional champion who won the heavyweight title in 1998 and 1999 and the 177-pound title as a freshman in 1996; Won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference heavyweight title in 1998
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