Dennis Papadatos, a two-time NCAA Division I National Championship qualifier for the Pride, has been named the 12th head coach in the history of the Hofstra University Wrestling program.
“This is an exciting time for the Hofstra Wrestling program,” stated Hathaway. “From my initial meeting with Dennis I could see the tremendous passion he has for Hofstra University and our wrestling program. Hofstra Wrestling has experienced great success in its history and Dennis has played a role in that both as a student-athlete and as a staff member. His belief in developing well-rounded student-athletes who succeed in the classroom, on the mat and in the community made him the perfect choice to lead our program. Dennis’ tireless efforts have enhanced every program that he has worked with during his journey resulting in him becoming our new head coach. Dennis is a native Long Islander who understands what it will take to be successful at Hofstra on a local, regional and national level. On behalf of the entire Hofstra University community I am thrilled to welcome Dennis, Angela and their three children to our family.”
Papadatos was a four-year starter at Hofstra under then-head coach Tom Ryan from 1997-2001 and recorded 95 career victories. At 157 pounds, he qualified for the NCAA Championships in 1999-00 after earning a New York State championship and a second-place finish in the ECWA Championships. He returned to nationals as a senior in 2000-01 after winning the ECWA title with three straight victories.
Papadatos has served an assistant coach with three well-respected Division I wrestling programs, including the previous two seasons at North Carolina under head coach C.D. Mock. At Chapel Hill Papadatos served as the recruiting coordinator, where he helped the Tar Heels post a top-10 recruiting class for 2014 following a top-20 ranked class in 2013. As a key member of Mock’s staff in running practices, he helped work with the upper weight classes and was part of a coaching unit that saw nine North Carolina wresters qualify for the NCAA Championships. Under his tutelage, North Carolina earned its first All-America selection in eight seasons when Evan Henderson earned the spot at 141 pounds in 2013. Henderson would follow that up with another All-America selection in 2014, becoming UNC’s first two-time All-American since 2005 and also the highest finisher in nearly two decades as he finished in fourth place.
