"We're really excited to have a coach of John's caliber on board," said Santoro. "He is someone I have known for 15 years and with the work he puts in year-in and year-out we could not have brought in a better coach to help our program going forward."
Hughes is regarded as one of the toughest wrestlers in Penn State history. He won an NCAA Championship at 142 in 1995 and added All-American honors with a seventh place finish in 1994 and a runner-up finish in 1996. Hughes ranks eighth in Nittany Lion annals with 121 career victories. In addition to his national title, Hughes was the 1995 Big Ten Champion and also won a gold medal at the 1994 Pan-Am Games and a University National Freestyle Championship.
"The opportunity to come to Lehigh was something I became very interested in," said Hughes. "I've gotten to know Lehigh University very well, and I'm excited to be part of such a great institution with a rich wrestling tradition. It was not an easy decision to leave Penn State, but I feel like Lehigh can be a great fit for me and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to help take this program to another level."
In five seasons on the coaching staff at Penn State, Hughes made a profound and immediate impact in the training room. Working predominantly with the Nittany Lion middleweights, Hughes helped guide Bubba Jenkins and Dan Vallimont to All-American honors, while as a team, Penn State crowned four All-Americans and finished third in the team standings, the program's best finish since 1994. Hughes also played a major role in Penn State's recruiting efforts which have produced recruiting classes that were among the nation's best over the last several years.
A native of Stillwater, Pennsylvania, Hughes won four PIAA state championships wrestling for Benton High School. He earned his bachelor's degree in landscape contracting from Penn State in 2002. Prior to joining the Penn State coaching staff on a full time basis, Hughes served as head coach for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. He also enjoyed a stint as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club and worked as an environmental technician for Groundwater and Environmental Services, Inc.
Hughes and his wife Melissa have one child, Riley.
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