InterMat caught up with Costanzo and talked to him about his team and the season, whether he has aspirations of coaching at the Division I level, what the reinstatement of Northern State's wrestling program means to the sport, Joey Davis' greatness, Mike Denney's success and more.
Steve Costanzo (Photo/Tom Nelson)Costanzo: Team chemistry was huge. We've had better teams in the past. That's one of the things that we pinpointed from the very beginning of the season ... We needed to be closer. We needed to be more accountable to each other. We needed to have more of a family-type atmosphere. That was the biggest difference. We started the season with 44 guys. We ended the season with 46 guys. I think that's the first time in 20 years I've ever had a group of athletes start the season together and end the season together. That's a testament to how close these guys were to each other. That chemistry went a long way.
You finished runner-up at the Super 3 Regional and entered the national tournament ranked fourth. Did your team and coaching staff relish the underdog role?
Costanzo: We didn't really talk about that too much. I still felt like we had a chance to win the national championship with six guys. If you qualify out of our region, there's a good chance you're going to be an All-American. I was obviously concerned because we left a couple good guys home that I felt like we really needed to make a run for a national championship. But the way these guys wrestled and stuck by each other through those two days in St. Louis is something I'll never forget.
Tim Prescott defeated Augustana College's T.J. North to win the NCAA title at 125 (Photo/Simon Jimenez)Costanzo: He was just gritty, a lot of fight. He always had a lot of talent. He works really hard. He's been able to wrestle with the best guys in the country. He's beaten a lot of them. He has been able to take down T.J. North in matches they previously wrestled. But the difference was the way he kept position. He wasn't taken down the entire tournament. He wasn't turned the entire tournament. He just did a great job of staying in good position and keeping good head position and hand fighting. He capitalized on mistakes and just wrestled really smart.
Austin Goergen was an NCAA runner-up at heavyweight and earned his second All-American honor in two seasons. Is he the type of athlete who won't be satisfied unless he wins national titles the next two seasons?
Costanzo: He's not very happy with the outcome of the national tournament, even though he lost to a really good wrestler in the finals. He was pretty heartbroken, devastated. He's a very emotional wrestler. He puts a lot of emotions into his wrestling. I think that's healthy to an extent. Whether he's going to be satisfied or not winning one or two championships, that's for him to decide, obviously. I know it's definitely a goal of his to win a championship. It's definitely a very realistic goal as well. There is not a heavyweight in the country that is more exciting to watch than Austin Goergen. He wrestles for seven minutes. He's fun to watch. He's entertaining. He scores a lot of points. That's what people want to see. When you wrestle a style of wrestling like that you know good things are going to happen for that kid over the next couple years.
How did the feeling of winning the NCAA Division II title this year compare to how you felt when you led Dana College to an NAIA title in 2006?
Costanzo: Both championships were really special. Very similar feelings. I cherish both the same. Obviously, it's been a long time since I felt that way ... 2006 to 2015, that's nine years. So it was nice to get that feeling back again. The NCAA championship eluded us the previous eight years. We accomplished some really good things in those eight years. We won the National Duals a couple years. We had a 54-match win streak in duals. We won the regional tournament several years. We won the conference for a fourth year in a row. This team has accomplished some great things. It's just that one tournament that has eluded us. To finally accomplish it was a really great feeling.
Steve Costanzo (Photo/Tom Nelson)Costanzo: I don't have any aspirations of coaching at the Division I level. I'm just fortunate that I have the opportunity to coach wrestling in general. I don't think it has anything to do with divisions. I have no aspirations to leave St. Cloud State and go Division I or anything like that. I'm happy and content here. I love the kids and the program. We have excellent alumni support and administrative support. No aspirations to leave. I'm just happy that they give me the opportunity to fulfil my passion, give back to the sport and help young men succeed. That's what I'm most fortunate for.
Have you ever been contacted by a Division I program looking for a head coach?
Costanzo: No, I haven't been contacted by anyone. Again, I have no aspirations of coaching at another level or anything like that. I'm content with just coaching the sport in general, and that's the most important thing to me.
Two Minnesota collegiate programs, St. Cloud State and Augsburg, won national titles in wrestling this year. Both programs were underdogs coming into the national tournament. Do you take pride in the fact that two Minnesota programs won national titles in wrestling in the same season?
Costanzo: Yeah, I do. Minnesota is a special place in terms of wrestling. The Gophers had a great season as well, but came up a little bit short. We have an excellent Division I program here in Minnesota. St. Cloud State had a good year. Augsburg College had a good year. Rochester Community and Technical College did really well. There's just great wrestling in general here. I have a lot of pride in telling people across the country that I coach a team in Minnesota. Great wrestling here. Again, I'm really fortunate that I have the opportunity to be a coach in this state.
It was announced this week that Northern State, a team in your conference, has been reinstated as a wrestling program. How important was that decision?
Costanzo: It's very important. You asked me about what kind of feeling it was to win the national championship ... well, when they announced that they were going to reinstate the program at Northern State, I think I felt some of the same feelings that I felt when we won the title. I was just filled with so much emotion, so happy and proud of that administration for stepping up the way they did and reinstating that program. It's really important to the future of our sport that programs like Northern State aren't just pushed aside and eliminated. That just creates a domino effect for other universities, specifically in this area of the country, to say, 'Northern State did it, so it's OK for us to do it too.' It's pivotal that we continue to keep these programs strong and moving forward. That's what happened. I'm extremely proud and happy that Northern State has reinstated its wrestling program.
Your former coach Mike Denney has turned Maryville into a Division II contender in short order. What do you make of the success he's having at Maryville?
Costanzo: I'm not surprised. He's one of the best coaches in the country, if not the best. There are a lot of unique characteristics with Coach Denney's coaching philosophies. I'm not surprised by what they have accomplished in a short period of time, and I'm not going to be surprised next year either. They're going to be right in the hunt for a championship, and in my opinion they will probably be the favorite next year heading into the season. They have the right team and right coaches to lead them to the top.
Another Division II program, Notre Dame College, has a student-athlete named Joey Davis who has a perfect record of 110-0 and three NCAA titles heading into his senior season. Is he the best Division II wrestler you have ever seen?
Costanzo: I would definitely say he's one of the best I've ever seen. He's extremely special, not just for our division. I think he could compete in any division and do well in Division I. I think he can compete with the best of them. I'm a big fan of Joey Davis. I love watching him wrestle. He's doing great things for our sport. He has done great things for Division II wrestling. Joey Davis is definitely one of the best I've ever seen.
Steve Costanzo (Photo/Tom Nelson)Costanzo: Next year we have all of our national tournament qualifiers back. We have a couple other guys with national tournament experience back as well. I think we're going to have a really good team next year barring any injuries and things like that. Is it going to be any easier? No. Maryville University has everybody back. University of Nebraska-Kearney has everybody back. Mercyhurst University has everybody back. Notre Dame College is definitely not happy with their sixth-place finish, and you know they are going to come back strong. It's going to be another dogfight. Division II just continues to get tougher year after year. It doesn't get any easier.
This story also appears in the April 17 issue of The Guillotine. The Guillotine has been covering wrestling in Minnesota since 1971. Its mission is to report and promote wrestling at all levels -- from youth and high school wrestling to college and international level wrestling. Subscribe to The Guillotine.
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