Jordan Leen coaching in the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)PITTSBURGH -- University of Pittsburgh head wrestling coach Keith Gavin announced Thursday the addition of assistant coach Jordan Leen, while Drew Headlee will remain on staff in his current role as assistant coach.
"I'm really excited to have Jordan and Drew on my staff," said Gavin. "They both have incredible work ethics and know what it takes to build a top program. We're all energized to get in the room and start working with the team as we see incredible potential for the Pitt wrestling program."
"Jordan is a high character individual that has the experience and mentality it takes to build an elite team and will make an immediate impact on this program. He is great at developing student-athletes and he is a very effective recruiter."
Leen joins the Pitt coaching staff after having spent six seasons with the Virginia Cavaliers where he was an assistant for five and an associate head coach in his final year. He will work primarily with the middle weights.
"I am thankful and excited for the opportunity to help guide the Pitt Panthers to new heights," said Leen. "I'd like to thank Pitt's administration for entrusting me with the job. I have been impressed by Heather's vision, the rest of administration and support staff's commitment, as well as Keith's plan for the program. I believe that together we can do something special here at Pitt and I think it can be a lot of fun in the process."
During his tenure at Virginia under the guidance of Steve Garland, Leen helped produce 40 NCAA qualifiers, nine ACC champions and six All-Americans. The Cavaliers also claimed the 2015 ACC team championship.
Leen played a crucial role in developing 2017 NCAA runner-up George DiCamillo at 141 pounds. DiCamillo had a standout redshirt senior campaign, becoming just the third Cavalier in program history to reach the NCAA finals. At the conclusion of the season, DiCamillo was named ACC Wrestler of the year.
Prior to joining the UVA staff, Leen got his coaching start at Duke, spending the 2010-11 season with the Blue Devils.
A 2009 graduate of Cornell, Leen was the 2008 157-pound NCAA champion, a three-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier. He posted a career record of 118-29 while garnering First-Team All-Ivy League honors on three occasions.
Headlee, who mainly works with the lower weights, will enter his fourth season with the Panthers as an assistant coach.
"It was very important for me to keep Drew on staff," said Gavin. "I wanted someone that knew the ins and outs of this program and he has overwhelming support from the student-athletes, staff and alumni. I have run into Drew at just about every major recruiting event over the years and I saw him consistently working to improve the Pitt wrestling program. His determination and work ethic embody what the foundation of this program will be built on. We are all excited that Drew will be staying with us."
During his time in the Pitt corner, Headlee has seen 15 Panthers qualify for the NCAA Championships and six individuals capture ACC titles, three of which were in 2017.
"It is a great opportunity to stay here at Pitt and work with Keith as he shares the same passion for this program, University and city that I do," said Headlee. "Keith brings a new level of experience as well as expectations to the program that will push it to be great. In the short time he has been here, Keith has already taken a number of steps in the right direction."
A 2008 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Headlee spent two years at Lehigh University under the guidance of Pitt standout Pat Santoro before returning to his alma mater.
Headlee had an extensive professional wrestling career as he trained and competed around the world including Lehigh, North Carolina RTC, West Virginia RTC, while competing in Russia, Belarus and Cuba.
At Pitt, Headlee reached All-America status while qualifying for the NCAA championships three times. He was also a two-time EWL champion.
The Panthers concluded the 2016-17 season 11-5 overall and was ranked in the top 25 of the USA Today/NWCA Coaches poll the entire season. Pitt's year was highlighted by three individual champions, the most since the 2014-15 season, and a third-place finish at the ACC Championship.
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