Waller new assistant coach at Lock Haven; Pantaleo joins Liberty staff

July 9, 10:03 AMCollege Wrestling ExaminerMark Palmer

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Robbie Waller (Photo/Lock Haven Univ.)

Two NCAA finalists from different eras have landed assistant coaching jobs at Eastern universities beginning with the letter “L”…

Waller hired by Lock Haven. Lock Haven University has announced Robbie Waller as the new associate head wrestling coach for the Bald Eagle wrestling team.

Waller, a 2003 NCAA Division I champion at the University of Oklahoma, has spent the last four seasons as a top assistant for the Sooners under head coach Jack Spates, assisting in all facets of coaching, including recruiting.

The Latrobe, Pennsylvania native, graduate of Mount Pleasant Area High School, and 2006 inductee into the Western Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame is eager to return to the area. "I'm very excited to start here at Lock Haven," Waller said. "Lock Haven has such a great tradition and it's in the hot bed of scholastic wrestling."

Rocky Bonomo, now in his eighth season as Lock Haven head coach, shares in that excitement.

"To bring this caliber of a person to Lock Haven, it just goes to show the type of place Lock Haven is when it comes to wrestling," said Bonomo. ‘He's been a Pennsylavnia State Champion and a NCAA Champion, so he knows what it takes to win at the highest levels."

"He brings with him great energy, great people skills and he's proven that he can recruit some of the top athletes in the country," added Bonomo.

Waller is a 2003 graduate of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He earned his Master of Education degree in 2007.

Joe Pantaleo (Photo/Liberty University)

Pantaleo to Liberty. Liberty University head wrestling coach Jesse Castro has announced the addition of Joe Pantaleo as an assistant coach to his three-time defending NCAA East Regional champion coaching staff.

Pantaleo was a two-time NCAA All-American at the University of Michigan, where the 158-pounder finished second at nationals in 1988 and 1989. The two-time Big 10 runner-up completed his bachelor of science degree in physical education from Michigan in 1989. After graduation, Pantaleo remained with the Wolverine program as a graduate assistant for two years (1990-91), where he helped Michigan to a pair of Top 30 finishes at the national championship and a Big 10 team title in 1991.

Pantaleo continued his graduate work at the University of Iowa, where he coached under the tutelage of legendary wrestling coach Dan Gable. In 1992, the Hawkeyes finished the year undefeated at 16-0-0 and won their third-straight NCAA team national championship.

Pantaleo got his first full-time coaching position at Michigan State, coaching with the Spartans for five years (1992-97). From 1998 to 2006, Pantaleo served as the head wrestling coach at Grosse Pointe High School in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, before returning to the Michigan Wolverines as a volunteer assistant coach.

“We are very excited to have someone of Coach Pantaleo’s background and experience become a part of the Liberty wrestling program,” commented Castro. “He is a former world class wrestler himself, and he coached at the highest level of collegiate wrestling during his time at Iowa and Michigan State.

“We expect Coach Pantaleo to help raise the level of intensity in the practice room, and to greatly benefit our wrestlers through his focus on individual workouts. This is an important step in our effort to build a Top 25 wrestling program at Liberty.”
 

Resources

Scott Casber's audio interview with Robbie Waller for InterMat