Hayes also announced that Associate Head Coach Rob Anspach will become the 11th Head Wrestling Coach effective March 28.
Anspach, a 2001 Hofstra alumnus with a degree in American studies, is in his ninth season on the Pride wrestling staff and his third as associate head coach in 2010-11. His tenure on the Pride coaching staff has resulted in a 112-58-6 dual meet record, eight conference championships and 33 league champions. A total of sixty-three wrestlers have reached the NCAA Championships during his nine years on staff including 11 that earned All-America honors.
"I am truly grateful to Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz and Director of Athletics Jack Hayes for this opportunity and the confidence they have expressed in me to lead the Pride Wrestling program," Anspach said. "I am excited about the challenges that lie ahead and I feel I have the ability to continue leading Hofstra in the right direction. I would also like to thank both Tom Shifflet and Tom Ryan, both mentors and friends, for helping me get to this day."
As a student-athlete, Anspach compiled a 69-51 record and made two trips to the NCAA Championships during his five-year career at Hofstra. As a freshman in 1996-97 he recorded a 20-13 record, placed third in the ECWA Championships, and was named to the ECWA All-Freshman Team at 158 pounds. A year later, he posted an 18-12 mark, placed third again in the ECWA Championships and captured the New York State Championships title at 167 pounds.
After red-shirting in 1998-99, Anspach recorded his best collegiate season with a 20-15 mark and captured the ECWA title at 174 pounds to earn his first NCAA Championship bid. He also captured the title at the Congressional Cup in Washington, D.C., and placed second at the New York State Championships. As a senior in 2000-01 Anspach posted an 11-11 record, finished second at the ECWA Championships and earned a wild-card selection to the NCAA Championships. That season he also won his weight class at the Bearcat Open, compiling a perfect 4-0 record.
The Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, native, who is now a resident of Hauppauge, New York, is engaged to be married to Ms. Alexandra Overkamp on August 5, 2011.
"Rob Anspach has been the link between two very successful Hofstra coaches during the past nine years," Hayes said. "He brings solid experience as a coach and administrator and has great knowledge of the talent-rich East Coast wrestling community. We are confident that he will continue the Pride's winning tradition. In addition, as a Hofstra wrestling alumnus, he will continue to bridge the rich history of our fine program."
Shifflet became the 10th head coach in Hofstra wrestling history on May 17, 2006. Since his arrival in Hempstead, the Pride reached a NCAA Championship finish benchmark as well as continued the tradition of excellence in the CAA. During his tenure with the Pride, Shifflet's teams posted a 61-34-5 (.635) dual match record, captured four CAA championships, produced 17 conference champions, sent 31 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships with six earning All-America honors and placing in the NCAA Championships top 20 twice including a school-best seventh place in 2007.
Shifflet was also the major catalyst in the fund-raising effort and development of the Teague Ryan Wrestling Complex, which opened in 2009.
"I would like to thank the Hofstra administration, my assistant coaches and our wrestlers for five outstanding seasons," Shifflet said Wednesday. "I truly enjoyed my tenure at Hofstra and look forward to supporting the program in the future."
A four-time NCAA Championships qualifier and a three-time All-American as a student-athlete at Edinboro University, Shifflet has sent six or more wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in four of his five seasons. In 2007, he directed the Pride to an 18-4-2 dual record, a final record season ranking of ninth, the program's sixth straight Colonial Athletic Association championship and the school's seventh consecutive conference title, an upset victory of top-ranked Minnesota, a sixth-place finish at the NWCA National Duals and, most importantly, a seventh-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Along the way, the Pride developed four All-Americans, seven conference champions including the CAA Wrestler of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. For Shifflet's efforts, he was given the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year award, the first of two during his Hofstra tenure.
In 2007-08 Shifflet directed the program to its 11th consecutive winning season with a 13-8 overall record and a 6-0 conference mark while leading Hofstra to its seventh straight CAA wrestling championship and eighth consecutive conference title. Along the way the Pride faced 13 Top 25 opponents and posted victories over #4 Iowa State, #13 Edinboro and #22 Old Dominion. Hofstra placed third at the Southern Scuffle, 10th in the Cliff Keen-Las Vegas Invitational, first in the CAA Championships with three conference champions and seven national qualifiers, and 15th in the NCAA Championships with two All-Americans and the Gorrarian Award winner.
In 2008-09, Shifflet, faced with a rebuilding season, captured the University's ninth consecutive conference championship with three individual champions, posted a 10-6 dual record and a 5-1 mark in the CAA and sent eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis. He was also named CAA Coach of the Year. The 2009-10 season was a year filled with injuries to starters in three weight classes while a fourth was red-shirted as the Pride struggled through a 6-12-2 season. Nonetheless, three Pride wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships.
The Pride rebounded in 2010-11 to produce the fifth-most dual match victories in a single season with a 14-4-1 record. This season also included Shifflet's fourth conference title with four champions and six NCAA Championship qualifiers for the 2011 tournament that will be held in Philadelphia from March 17-19.
Shifflet, who also served as an assistant at Georgia State, and Cornell, was the head coach at UNC Greensboro from 2003-2006. He has a 93-66-5 career record as a head coach. Shifflet, who has two young children, will be leaving coaching to enter private business.
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