From Jim Kalin of Amateur Wrestling News - There's something extra-satisfying when choosing the Rookie Coach of the Year when he was also an NCAA Champion in his college days.

Matt Valenti is the University of Pennsylvania's all-time winningest wrestler. He leads the program with 137 career wins. Valenti is the first head coach from Penn to be named Rookie Coach of the Year in the award's 54-year history.

Valenti took over the Quakers' head coach position immediately after last year's NCAA tournament, from Roger Reina, who happened to be the winningest coach in program history. Reina left last April after amassing a career 258-150 record as head coach for the Quakers.

Valenti served as the Joshua J. Harris Associate Head Coach last season. He assumed command of the program after April 1, 2025, and Roger Reina served as Head Coach Emeritus during the past 2025-26 season.

Valenti has been on two coaching staffs since graduating from Penn in 2007. He began at Columbia as an assistant coach, then transitioned to associate head coach. After the 2009 season, he returned to Penn, and was an assistant coach until 2015. He transitioned to athletic administration for the Quakers before returning to coach their wrestling team.

"Matt's administrative experience has helped through the transition into his new role," said PRTC (Pennsylvania Regional Training Center) Chief Operation Officer Kevin McGuigan.

In Cleveland, Penn ended in 19th place with 21 team points. They produced a pair of All-Americans: CJ Composto, 141 and Cross Wasilewski, 149. Jude Swisher, 157 reached the Round of 12, which meant he was just one win from also becoming an All-American. Wasilewski, who entered Cleveland as the No. 3 seed, and Swisher, return next season. Two Quaker freshmen made the Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie Team. Davis Motyka, 125 and Caden Bellis, 174 were named to our Rookies' feature Third Team.

Valenti will be the catalyst in Pennsylvania's pursuit for some of the country's best high school recruits, and he'll lead the development of Quaker wrestling teams that hopefully produce numerous All-American yearly.

"Matt's a very good connector," said McGuigan. "His technical expertise on the mat is among the best in the country, and his athletes are certainly benefitting from it. The future looks bright for Penn Wrestling and the PRTC."

As a wrestler, Valenti competed for Kittatinny High School and won two New Jersey state titles. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he became a two-time national champion for the Quakers. He won NCAA titles at 133 pounds in 2006 and 2007. He was a three-time All-American, a three-time EIWA champion, and the 2007 Ivy League Wrestler of the Year. Valenti was inducted into the Penn Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017 and teh EIWA Hall of Fame in 2014.

Congratulations to the University of Pennsylvania's Matt Valenti on being named Amateur Wrestling News' 2026 Rookie Coach of the Year.