Will Ortman was hired as a Volunteer Assistant Wrestling Coach at New York University in October 2023. He is working mainly with the upper weights.
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 his first season, NYU achieved its best-ever team finish at the NCAA Championships (11th) and won 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.
A 2021 NYU graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Ortman returned and completed his Master of Science degree in Real Estate Development in 2022.
A four-year team member of the Violets’ wrestling team, Ortman competed as a heavyweight and won the 285-pound title at the 2022 UAA Championship. He compiled a 43-23 record during his NYU career, twice finishing fourth at the NCAA Northeast Regional.
A former team captain, Ortman was also named to the UAA Presidents Council Scholar-Athlete Team in 2022.
While at NYU, Ortman was part of the NYU Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He also worked as a Student Assistant in the NYU Athletic Training room during the 2019-20 academic year.
In addition to his coaching duties at NYU, Ortman also currently works as a Real Estate Salesperson at The Agency, a position he’s held since September 2021.
A native of Hopewell Valley, NJ, Ortman resides in Manhattan.
