“Any time you can to bring an Olympian onto the staff it helps the program,” explained Santoro, who enters his third season as head coach. “Steve comes to Lehigh with great credentials and we feel like that this move helps him and helps us.
Santoro continues, “We needed a big body in our room. Steve is a local kid with New Jersey ties. He’s a good coach and we’re pleased to have him here at Lehigh. We’re looking forward to having him work with Zach and Joe and the rest of our upper weights.”
One of America’s most accomplished heavyweights at both the folkstyle and freestyle level, Mocco was a five-time finalist at the U.S. Open from 2004-09, winning a national freestyle title in 2009. In 2008, Mocco won the U.S. Olympic Trials and the right to compete at the Beijing Olympics, where he placed seventh in the 120 kg/264.5 lb. weight class.
Following the Olympics, Mocco continued his string of successes in 2009, winning the championship at the prestigious Ivan Yarygin Memorial in Russia, just the tenth U.S. wrestler to triumph in the event and the first since 2005. Mocco also won his U.S. Open title in 2009 and added wins at the Alexander Medved International Championships in Belarus plus the Pan American Championships. This past February, Mocco picked up another title at the Cerra Pelado International tournament in Cuba.
A native of North Bergen, N.J., Mocco was a four time National Prep Champion, winning two titles for St. Benedict’s and two for Blair Academy. One of the nation’s most sought-after recruits coming out of high school, Mocco began his college career at Iowa, where he placed second nationally as a true freshman and won a national title as a sophomore.
Mocco sat out the 2003-04 season after transferring to Oklahoma State, where he helped lead the Cowboys to NCAA team titles in his final two seasons. In 2004-05, Mocco went 36-0 and captured his second national title. Mocco had an 85-match win streak come to an end in 2006, but he still managed to place second nationally, finishing as a four-time NCAA finalist with a 137-6 record and 56 falls.
“Steve comes to Lehigh with great credentials,” said Santoro. “His accomplishments have been based on hard work and fundamental skill and he has many of the qualities we were looking for in a volunteer assistant. He is someone I have known personally for a long time. He’s a good fit for Lehigh and I’m glad he’s decided to come back east.”
Santoro’s coaching staff for the upcoming season consists of assistant coaches Brad Dillon and John Hughes, plus Mocco. Volunteer assistant coach Jason Kutz will remain close to the team, but will have more time to focus on his role as head coach of the LVAC.
Also the owner of a national title in judo, Mocco earned his degree from Oklahoma State in 2006. He and his wife Katie have two sons.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now