EVANSTON, Ill. — Matt Storniolo, a two-time All-American at 149 pounds while wrestling for Oklahoma, is the newest addition to Northwestern’s coaching staff, head coach Tim Cysewski announced on Friday. Storniolo has spent the last two seasons as a volunteer assistant at Old Dominion where he trained closely with Ryan Williams, the 2009 NCAA runner-up at 141 pounds.

“Matt was an outstanding college wrestler and we saw in person the influence he had on the wrestlers he coached at Old Dominion,” Cysewski said. “We think his experience, technical skill and passion for the sport will really help our guys, particularly at the middle weights.”

“We’re really excited to bring in an individual like Matt who has gone deep in the NCAA Championships as a wrestler and a coach,” said associate head coach Andrew Pariano. “He’s going to play a huge part in all aspects of our program moving forward.”

Storniolo began his college wrestling career at Penn State, reaching the finals of the Big Ten Championships on his way to winning the conference’s Freshman of the Year honors. After transferring to Oklahoma, Storniolo reached the Big XII Tournament finals each of the next three years, claiming the league championship as a senior in 2007.

By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY
Northwestern’s Jake Herbert, named Tuesday as the 2009 winner of the Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top college wrestler, didn’t celebrate with a day of rest.
Instead, he was training for the U.S. freestyle wrestling championships, a step toward his goal of becoming a 2012 Olympian.

Herbert plans to compete April 11 in Las Vegas at freestyle nationals, a qualifier for the world team trials May 30-31 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The freestyle world championships will be held in September in Denmark.

“My immediate goal is to go win nationals and win the world team trials. If you’re not training to win a tournament, why even enter it?” Herbert said after a workout in Naperville, Ill., at the Overtime School of Wrestling, where he is now a staff member.

As a Northwestern junior, Herbert won the 2007 NCAA championship at 184 pounds, going 32-0. He took a year off from college wrestling in 2008 in an unsuccessful try to make the Olympics.

In his return to college wrestling, Herbert recently completed a 34-0 season and won another NCAA title at 184. He did not allow a takedown all season.

Jake Herbert is arguably the most accomplished wrestler in the long history of Northwestern University. He completed his college career with a 66-match win streak, a 2009 Big Ten title and conference Wrestler of the Year honors, and the 184-pound championship at the 2009 NCAAs — his second national crown as a Wildcat. Now add to this impressive resume: 2009 Rev Wrestler of the Year.

Northwestern’s Jake Herbert won his second NCAA title at 184 pounds (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)

This award is presented each year to the nation’s best college wrestler across all divisions, and is based on a vote of RevWrestling.com writers and executives. With this award, Jake Herbert joins previous Rev Wrestler of the Year honorees Brent Metcalf of Iowa (2008), and Missouri’s Ben Askren (2006 and 2007).

Herbert garnered 60 votes, including five first-place votes, to land the 2009 Rev Wrestler of the Year award. Coming in a close second was 149-pound NCAA champ Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State, with 58 votes, including three first-place votes. Jordan Burroughs, Nebraska’s 157-pound national champ, was third with 34 votes, while 174-pound NCAA titlewinner Steve Luke of Michigan placed fourth with 15 votes. Rounding out the top five vote-getters: Arizona State’s 125-pounder Anthony Robles, the first Division I wrestler to earn All-American honors wrestling with one leg.

By Philip Hersh | Tribune reporter

Jake Herbert continues to take nothing for granted in his prolonged career as a Northwestern student-athlete.

Herbert may not have lost a college wrestling match since 2006 — and just one of 81 matches since his freshman season — but he refuses to consider himself the favorite for what would be his second straight NCAA title at 184 pounds.

And he may need just one more class to graduate in March, but that does not mean Herbert will refuse the opportunity for more.

“I will be fully enrolled,” Herbert said. “I have been lucky enough to get a free Northwestern degree, so why would I miss out on some classes?”

As he prepares for his final appearance as a collegian at the annual Midlands Wrestling Championships on Monday and Tuesday at Northwestern, it is clear Herbert, 23, has availed himself of every opportunity during a six-year stay in Evanston.

After taking a redshirt first year to adapt to college, Herbert’s first major tournament was the Midlands in 2004, when he became the first NU wrestler to win an individual Midlands title in 30 years.