Sonny MarchtteSOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame College Director of Athletics, Scott Swain, has named former assistant coach, Sonny Marchette, the new Head Coach of Notre Dame wrestling. Marchette will take over after the previous head coach, Frank Romano retired earlier this week.
"Hiring Sonny Marchette to lead Falcon Wrestling is an easy decision," Swain said. "Sonny has shown great ability as an assistant coach and I am certain the level of excellence Falcon Wrestling has had will continue on his watch. The future is very bright and I am excited for all our wrestling student-athletes."
Marchette has been with Notre Dame since 2012 when he started with the Falcons as a volunteer. Since then, he was promoted to the second assistant coach position before most recently serving as the head assistant coach.
"Anthony Ralph and Coach Romano gave me this opportunity in 2012, and I am very grateful to have continued my career at Notre Dame," Marchette said. "I am thrilled to be the head coach at a place I love. Since coming to NDC, I have started back to school part time, had another child and bought a house. To stay here and continue the growth of this program is very exciting.
"This is the place I want to be. I believe in this little school in South Euclid, Ohio, and I know we can accomplish anything. That's all because of the people around here. It's a place where kids can get one-on-one help, and that's important when you are a student-athlete trying to focus on getting better quickly."
Marchette joined the program as Notre Dame moved into the NCAA Division II. Since then, he has helped lead the team to a wealth of successes. Since 2012, the Falcons have produced 12 individual National Champions and 41 All-Americans while winning the NCAA DII Team National Championship twice (2014 & 2017).
"My goal is to continue being a national wrestling powerhouse and contend for a national championship each year," Marchette said. "I believe that our staff, having shared goals for the future and what we want to accomplish, can help develop successful, positive student-athletes who want to compete on a high level both in the classroom and on the wrestling mat."
Filling his former role, Marchette has promoted Cory Stainbrook to the head assistant coaching position as well as moving Jared Millar from Director of Operations to a fulltime assistant coach. Colby Fehr will also stay on as a volunteer assistant.
Marchette's background as a wrestler has been marked by multiple accomplishments. As a freshman at North Canton High School, he finished as the Ohio State Runner-Up before becoming a two-time Ohio State Champion, a Junior National Champion and Freestyle Wrestler of the Year at Walsh Jesuit High School. From there, he went on to compete at Lassen College where he was a Junior College National Champion before wrestling at Iowa State University.
His coaching career started in 2002 at St. Vincent St. Mary's High School as an assistant to his close friend Chris DeShon. The team took third in state that season. In 2004, he was named Head Coach at Walsh Jesuit High School where he again led a team to a third-place finish in state. Marchette was then hired as the head assistant coach at Rootstown High School where he served in that role from 2009-2011. At Rootstown, he produced the school's first state champion, Garrett Linton, who went on to wrestle at Notre Dame. Overall the school has three individual champions in his time there.
"I have been coaching in one capacity or another for over 20 years," Marchette said. "I've ran wrestling clubs, and programs from little kids to middle school and high school. I've coached freestyle and Greco, done one-on-one training and owned my own wrestling clubs. It's what I have always done. Beyond my faith and my family, wrestling is what I love next. I started wrestling when I was four years old and have never stopped since.
"Wrestling has taught me so much abound how to succeed as a person, from every aspect. I still get excited to learn every day and this sport is a big part of that. I'm grateful and appreciative of the opportunity. I am so luck to continue to do what I love and do it at Notre Dame.
"I want to thank my family, as they have been so supportive and excited for what is coming next. And I want to give a special thanks to Scott Swain for giving me this opportunity. I look forward to an exciting, growing relationship that helps build national titles and college graduates here at Notre Dame College."
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