Joe Narvaez is in his second season as an assistant coach of the New York University wrestling team. He aids in recruiting, while also organizing workouts for the wrestlers and coaching during matches.
Narvaez’s first year coaching NYU was a success as 133-pounder Nathan Pike became the program’s first-ever National Champion and the squad finished in 15th place at the NCAA Championships.
Pike was joined by freshman Blaise Benderoth (184 pounds, sixth place) as All-Americans in 2016-17, while both senior John Messinger (174 pounds) and junior Jacob Donato (125 pounds) also qualified for the NCAA Championships. NYU had a terrific dual-meet season as well, finishing with an 18-4 record and its sixth-straight UAA Championship. Additionally, Narvaez and the NYU staff were honored as the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.
The grapplers once again earned National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) academic honors after finishing the season with the sixth-highest GPA among Division III teams. Six different wrestlers also earned the distinction of NWCA Scholar All-America.
Narvaez came to NYU after a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Centenary University. Prior to that, Narvaez was an assistant coach for 12 seasons at the University of Southern Maine. Overall, he coached four All-Americans and 10 national qualifiers at those institutions.
A 1997 graduate of American International College with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration (international business), Narvaez wrestled for four seasons for the Yellow Jackets. He was a captain for three seasons, including his senior campaign when he helped lead the squad to a top-15 finish at the NCAA Division II Championships.
Following his career at AIC, Narvaez made the 1999 Puerto Rican Greco-Roman National Team and placed third at the New York Athletic Club Holiday International Wrestling Championships.
A native of Hillsborough, NJ, Narvaez resides in Stamford, CT, with his wife Christie and their son William.
