Mike Torriero is in his third season as an assistant coach with the New York University wrestling team. Among his many responsibilities, Torriero works with the team’s middle weights and helps run practices and individual workouts.
Torriero has played a critical role in the last two of NYU’s three consecutive University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships (2012-14). Last season, six grapplers won UAA crowns in their respective weight classes, the most in program history. For their efforts, Head Coach Bruce Haberli, along with Torriero and the other assistants were selected UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.
The UAA win came at home and in dramatic fashion. Trailing the University of Chicago 18-15 entering the final match, senior Chris Amro (174) produced a pin at 1:43 to give NYU a 21-18 victory.
Under Torriero’s guidance, John Messinger burst onto the scene at 165 pounds. The freshman ranked second on the team with 22 victories, including a first-place finish at the College of Mount St. Vincent Open.
In Torriero’s first year, Patrick Sheehan (174) qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships and advanced to the consolation third round, falling just one win shy of earning All-American honors David Rice (165) also had an outstanding campaign, posting a 23-8 record..
Torriero came to NYU with a great deal of coaching experience. From September 2009-May 2013, he served as the Program Director at Beat the Streets Wrestling, a non-profit organization devoted to helping expand and develop the sport of wrestling in New York City’s five boroughs, particularly in the public school system. Torriero founded Journey Wrestling in September 2005, where he coached multiple high school state champions, All-Americans and college standouts in the tri-state area.
A 2005 graduate of NCAA Division I West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education, Torriero was a captain and starter for the Mountaineers’ wrestling team. He qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships in 2004 and was an All-Eastern Wrestling League performer.
A native of Sound Beach, NY, Torriero resides in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY.
