Former New York University wrestling standout Nathan Pike was hired by his alma mater as an assistant coach in October 2021.
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), Venezia (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 Pike’s 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 2017 graduate of NYU’s College of Arts and Science with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, Pike was a three-year wrestling team member. As a senior, he became the first NYU wrestler in program history to win an NCAA National Championship, doing so at 133 pounds.
In addition to earning All-America status, Pike was also named NYU’s Senior Athlete of the Year.
A three-time All-American, Pike recorded a 69-15 career record. He also earned All-UAA honors three times and was named the NYU Male Junior Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016. Pike graduated with 63 career wins at 133 pounds, a program record, as was his one-season mark of 28 victories set during the 2015-16 season.
Post-graduation, Pike has been working in the finance field. He worked in Investment Banking/Mergers & Acquisitions at CastleOak Securities and Ohana & Company before moving to the startup world where he has been a Strategy Finance Manager at Curalate and Medly. He currently works as a Financial Lead at Pinwheel.
A native of West Covina, CA, Pike resides in Brooklyn, NY.
