Former team member Sean Lyons was hired as an assistant coach of the New York University wrestling team in October 2021 and currently serves as a Volunteer Assistant. He helps run team practices and focuses on specific techniques.
In 2024-25, NYU’s wrestlers won three team titles, finishing first at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship, the Ned McGinley Invitational and the Racich Rumble. The squad posted a 14-6 dual-meet record and finished 29th at the NCAA Division III Championships, while NYU earned UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
Cooper Pontelandolfo become the first wrestler in program history to earn four All-America honors, completing his outstanding career as National Runner-up at 157 pounds. Arguably the most decorated wrestler in team history, Pontelandolfo ended his career by winning the NCAA Region III Championship, both the Ned McGinley and Racich Rumble titles, was named UAA Wrestler of the Year, a National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American, and earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors.
Jacob Venezia, the 133-pound champion at Ned McGinley, also qualified for the NCAA’s and earned NWCA Scholar All-American distinction.
Overall, seven wrestlers won UAA Championships, nine were NWCA Scholar All-Americans and 19 achieved UAA All-Academic honors. Tyler Kadish earned UAA Rookie of the Year honors, while Trent Furman concluded his career with the most falls (60) in program history.
In 2023-24, NYU achieved its best-ever team finish at the NCAA Championships (11th) and won the UAA title. Pontelandolfo (157) and Jason Geyer (174) were both All-Americans as Pontelandolfo finished third for his third All-America honor in as many seasons while Geyer placed fourth. Trent Furman also qualified for the NCAA’s at 184 pounds.
At the UAA Championship, Pontelandolfo (157) was named Most Outstanding Wrestler as he, Benny Bautista (125), enezia (133), Anthony Chavez (149), Geyer (174), Furman (184), and Evan Anderson (285) won Association titles. The Violets also posted their 12th-straight winning season with a 10-3 record in dual matches, and added team titles at both the Racich Rumble and Ned McGinley Invitational.
In 2022-23, the Violets went 12-4 in dual meets. Pontelandolfo (165) earned All-America honors as he placed sixth at the NCAA Division III Championships for the second year in a row and led NYU to a 36th-place national finish. He was also the UAA Wrestler of the Year and the Ned McGinley Invitational 165-pound champion. In addition, Anderson became NYU’s first-ever heavyweight qualifier at the NCAA’s and was selected UAA Rookie of the Year.
Several other team members received All-UAA distinction: Nick Bell (184), Tyler Crew (133), Scott DuPont (184), Geyer (174), Husan Khan (157), and Nick Kruczynski (141).
In his first season on staff, Pontelandolfo (165) earned All-America honors and was named UAA Rookie of the Year. NYU won its 12th UAA Championship, earned UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors, finished third at the NCAA Northeast Regionals, won the Racich Rumble, and produced a 16-3 dual-meet record.
Individually, Furman (157), Geyer (184) and Matt Kelly (197) were also NCAA Qualifiers, while Crew (125), Kelly, Danny Lightfoot (141), Will Ortman (285), and Pontelandolfo all won UAA titles. Geyer was also victorious in the 174 bracket at the Racich Rumble, while Pontelandolfo finished first at the Ned McGinley Invitational.
A May 2020 graduate of NYU’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, Lyons was a standout for the NYU wrestling team. A four-year team member and three-year captain, he compiled a 107-19 record wrestling at 141, 149 and 157 pounds. He graduated with the eighth-most wins and the second most falls (47) in program history.
Lyons earned First Team NWCA Division III All-America, won the NCAA Northeast Region Champion, and was named the UAA and NCAA Northeast Region Most Outstanding Wrestler that season.
A true scholar-athlete, Lyons earned NCAA Division III Wrestling Academic All-America and UAA Winter Sport All-Academic honors three times each.
Lyons, who went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Certified Public Accounting from NYU in December 2020, began his post-graduate career by working as a Banking Transformation Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
A native of Sewell, NJ, Lyons resides in Manhattan.
