Steve Costanzo (Photo/SCSU Athletics)The National Wrestling Coaches Association has selected St. Cloud State University's Steve Costanzo as the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year Award winner for 2019-20.
Presented annually, this honor goes to a coach who has demonstrated outstanding effort in developing and elevating their program on campus and in the community. The coach of the year awards program is presented by Defense Soap, the official Hygiene partner of the NWCA.
This award was scheduled to be presented at the NWCA 2020 Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame Banquet on the eve of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. Unfortunately, the event was canceled along with the Division II Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Costanzo is in his fourteenth year as head coach and his 2020 squad captured its fourth consecutive NWCA Division II National Duals championship and his teams have won four of the past five NCAA Division II National Titles. The Huskies finished the season with a 16-0, 8-0 NSIC record and claimed its ninth consecutive NSIC championship in 2019-20. SCSU won the NCAA Division II Super Region 5 title in 2019-20 and saw seven Huskies win individual region titles and nine individuals qualify for the 2020 NCAA DII championships - the most of any team in the nation.
SCSU broke its own NCAA record this season and currently has won 64 consecutive dual matches dating back to 2017. The Huskies finished the season as the nation's number one ranked team in the Division II poll and nine SCSU wrestlers were individually ranked in the final NCAA DII poll. Costanzo has also earned NWCA DII Coach of the Year honors in 2016 and 2011 along with NAIA Coach of the Year honors at Dana College in 2006. He was selected as the 2020 NCAA DII Super Region 5 coach of the year and the 2019-20 NSIC Coach of the Year.
"Coach Costanzo has had a long track record of success having coached multiple National Championship teams at the NCAA and NAIA levels. We are proud to honor him as the 2020 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer.
The NWCA will recognize the 2020 national winners during the NWCA National Convention awards luncheon. This year's convention, presented by Cliff Keen, Defense Soap, and Resilite will be hosted on July 31 - August 2 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino located in Hollywood, FL.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.
2020 NCAA DIVISION II COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALISTS
SUPER REGION 1 Pat Pecora - University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
SUPER REGION 2 Derrick Nelson - Coker University
SUPER REGION 3 Joey Simcoe - Tiffin University
SUPER REGION 4 Todd Steidley - University of Central Oklahoma
SUPER REGION 5 Steve Costanzo - St. Cloud State. University
SUPER REGION 6 Austin Devoe - Colorado School of Mines
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