PHILADELPHIA – Over the summer, a familiar face returned to the Penn Wrestling program as a new era began for the Red and Blue as former student-athlete and head coach Roger Reina C’84, WEV’05 rejoined the coaching staff and helped head committees planning special events for the Quakers. For his efforts in support of his alma mater, Reina is this month’s “Alumni Spotlight”.

The all-time winningest coach in Penn Wrestling history with 205 wins, 30 EIWA champions, 17 NCAA All-Americans, and a national champion to his credit in addition to eight Ivy League team championships and four EIWA team titles, Reina returned to his roots with the Red and Blue this summer while the program was searching for its new head coach – a position to which Alex Tirapelle would eventually be named. In addition to serving on the search committee to select the 19th head coach in the 110-year history of the program, Reina signed on as a volunteer assistant coach to help run workouts during the transition period.

“During the hiring process, what stood out about Alex were his tremendous integrity and his exceptional wrestling IQ,” Reina said. “He possesses a capacity to relate well with our student-athletes, clearly articulated values and vision, communication skills and empathy – in my mind the No. 1 characteristic of great coaches.”

Helping to select the next leader of the program was an important task for Reina as the head coaching position at his alma mater bears his name after an endowment campaign from the Penn Wrestling Grapplers Club. Having so many of his former student-athletes rally to honor his dedication to Penn via the naming of the head coaching position reminded Reina of who matters most in the sport of collegiate wrestling – the student-athletes.

Tirapelle was announced as head coach in July, retaining two-time national champion and Penn Wrestling alum Matt Valenti C’07 as an assistant and bringing his longtime friend and college teammate, Pete Friedl in from American University as another assistant. That coaching group gives Penn a combined 390 collegiate wins, eight NCAA All-American finishes and three national final appearances of competition experience to proudly display, accolades few coaching staffs in the country can rival.

Looking at the coaching group that Tirapelle has assembled, Reina sees one capable of molding the program into a state similar to his standout programs of the 1990’s and 2000’s.

"There is a cohesiveness of not only of staff,but also team members, athletic administration, alumni, and community within the program that reminds me of the early stages of where we were when I took over in 1986,” said Reina. “Programmatic direction needs to be clearly communicated to all constituents, and ultimately student-athletes need to be able to rely on this consistency and stability to pursue their goals effectively on and off the mat.I'm very impressed thus far with the communication and cohesiveness of the coaching staff."

Tirapelle is grateful to Reina for his efforts during the transition process, helping him acclimate to life in University City.

“I don't even like imagining what the transition would've been like without Roger,” Tirapelle said. “He has been an invaluable asset to me and the program as he has provided insight and perspective based on years of outstanding service.”

Reina continued his work with the Quakers throughout the summer as he brought a group of Quakers to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to work with Penn alum, Olympic gold medalist, and Resident Freestyle Coach, Brandon Slay W’98.

In addition to his work on the mats with the Red and Blue, Reina has been instrumental in launching the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center as its president and Chairman of the Board. Opened this fall, the Pennsylvania RTC is a new option for aspiring competitors in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling to train for international competition.

“We are building a new entity, and it is no small task,” said Reina. “This effort resonates squarely with my entrepreneurial interests. We have had to incorporate as a non-profit, formulate by-laws and a Board of Directors, build a web site and informational infrastructure, hire a head coach and raise financial support from Founding Donors who share our vision. It has been an arduous process, but one that will pay dividends for the sport of wrestling down the road.”

All the while, Reina – a veteran of 19 years as a collegiate head coach – has been working with Tirapelle – in his first-ever year as a collegiate head coach – on how to build a successful program at Penn.

One of the first undertaking Reina assisted Tirapelle with was hosting the NWCA All-Star Classic at The Palestra on November 1. Penn Wrestling is no stranger to hosting big events, with two previous NWCA All-Star meets, six recent EIWA championships and a U.S. Olympic Trials to its credit and Reina was a natural fit to lead the organizing committee for the All-Star Classic. The Quakers have an “all-star” collection of coaches with Alex Tirapelle, Matt Valenti and Pete Friedl all having competed in the event as collegians. Reina and the organizing committee’s work allowed those coaches on preparing their wrestlers for competition in the event. When all was said and done, over 5,000 fans filled The Palestra to watch the nation’s elite collegiate wrestlers – including Penn’s own Lorenzo Thomas and C.J. Cobb – compete in the kickoff event of the 2014-15 season.

The Penn Wrestling Grapplers Club board has been hard at work this fall ushering in this new era of Penn Wrestling. The NWCA All-Star Classic served as a great opportunity for alumni to meet the new head coach as part of Homecoming and Reina has worked with new Grapplers Club president Brett Matter W’00 and Tim House, Major Gifts Officer at Penn Athletics to re-engage many generations of Penn Wrestling alums during this exciting period of growth for the Quakers.

“While his professionalism and meticulous work ethic have impressed me from the beginning, what has struck me the most about Roger is that he goes about his business without ego,” said Tirapelle. “It is very evident that he cares a great deal for the student athletes (both past and present), and he is genuinely invested in the program.”

Whether it is competing for the Red and Blue, serving as head coach or passing down years of experience to a new generation of Quakers, Roger Reina’s heart is never far from University City and the Larry Lauchle Wrestling Room.

?"In my view, the 2014-15 Penn Wrestling team has come through transition admirably.They are recognizing the leadership and clarity of direction that coaches Tirapelle, Valenti and Friedl are providing daily.They are learning, growing, handling success and adversity well, and ‘gelling’ in important ways. I believe this development has the potential to accelerate as the year progresses, and we can look forward to moments where this team will shine and shock the competition. By the Easterns I believe we will see a cohesive, technically prepared, and confident unit taking the mats at Lehigh.By the NCAA's, I believe we will have multiple wrestlers going deep into the tournament and we'll see Penn with meaningful points on the scoreboard in the final team standings."

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