Pat Santoro's Coaching Career: By the Numbers

Yesterday, Lehigh sent shockwaves throughout the college wrestling world as the school announced that longtime head coach Pat Santoro was stepping down after holding the head coaching reins since 2008. As mentioned on Twitter (X) by Willie Saylor, Santoro was probably not given his due by national wrestling fans because of the quiet way he went about business.

In a changing landscape that is college athletics, Santoro managed to adjust and keep winning, even though money and power continues to flow towards schools in the Power Four conferences. Taking advantage of a wrestling-rich tradition, strong alumni base, and a location in one of the hotbeds for high school wrestling, Lehigh didn’t miss a beat. In fact, the recruiting results and production on the mat were excellent during his final years guiding the program.

Below are some numbers that illustrate how well Santoro did at Lehigh and even before that, when he got his head coaching journey started at Maryland.

0: Number of ACC conference wins the year before Santoro was hired at Maryland and in his first two seasons. In his final two years at Maryland, Santoro’s teams went 5-0 both years and won the 2008 ACC title

1: U20 world championships won by Lehigh wrestlers - Luke Stanich captured a 65 kg world title in freestyle last summer. 

2: Number of national champions coached by Santoro (Zach Rey, Darian Cruz)

5: Consecutive seasons with at least one All-American to end Santoro’s tenure at Lehigh

5: Seasons without an All-American before Santoro was hired at Maryland. He would get one in his final season. Multiple were earned by wrestlers he recruited in the years that followed

6: EIWA team titles won by Lehigh during the Santoro years

7: Dual wins over former EIWA rival Cornell (plus one tie) 

7: Number of times Santoro has been honored as EIWA Coach of the Year

7: NCAA finals appearances by Lehigh wrestlers under Santoro

8: Times that Lehigh was represented at the NWCA All-Star Classic under Santoro

13: Top 20 finishes at the NCAA Tournament under Santoro. They peaked at #8 in 2011 and 2012. 

13: Number of different home states represented by Lehigh at the NCAA Tournament under Santoro

23: Dual wins during Santoro’s first season at Lehigh. This included victories over Michigan, Oklahoma State, Penn State, and Pittsburgh.

24: Top five seeds at the NCAA Tournament under Santoro

39: All-Americans at Lehigh during Santoro’s tenure

39: Number of Big Board recruits signed by Santoro’s staff in the last decade

47: EIWA titles won by Lehigh wrestlers under Santoro

48: Total number of dual wins during his five-year tenure at Maryland. A huge turnaround after winning a combined seven wins in his first two seasons. 

61: The highwater mark for NCAA team points under Santoro. This occurred in 2012 when four Mountain Hawk wrestlers made the NCAA podium. 

137: National qualifiers at Lehigh during Santoro’s stay at Lehigh

202: Dual wins for Santoro at Lehigh

2018: The year Santoro was named National Coach of the Year by the NWCA. He was also named National Assistant Coach of the Year by the NWCA in 2003, during his first stint coaching in Bethlehem.