Olympian hired as wrestling coach
By fred david andzachary levine
In filling the void left by wrestling coach Roger Reina, who departed after 19 seasons, Penn looked to the world’s biggest stage.
The man they found was 2004 U.S. Olympic freestyle coach Larry “Zeke “Jones, who becomes the program’s 17th head coach.
In hiring Jones, athletic director Steve Bilsky found somebody with quite a bit of experience on the major college and international levels.
Jones comes to Penn from West Virginia University, where he was an assistant for seven years — coaching three NCAA champions in the process.
In the 2004 Athens Games, Jones’ wrestlers won three medals.
In addition to his resume as a coach, Jones was quite a wrestler in college and internationally.
At Arizona State, he finished the 1990 regular season undefeated at 118 pounds, only to finish second at the NCAA meet.
Two years later, he would trump that with a silver medal at the Barcelona Olympics.
Jones could not be reached for comment on his hiring, but he did issue a statement in a press release.
“I am excited to be a part of such a university with a rich tradition and excellence in both academics and wrestling, “Jones said. “I look forward to helping these young men reach their goals of being national, world and Olympic champions as well as achieving success in the classroom.”
Jones will have a difficult job replacing Reina — the winningest coach in Penn history.
Reina went 205-106-6 with the Quakers, winning his historic 200th match with a 21-13 victory over Columbia on January 28.
Reina’s tenure featured a stretch of seven consecutive Ivy League titles from 1996 to 2002. Since 1993, Reina’s squad has featured 17 All-Americans. In 2000, Reina coached Brett Matter to a national championship at 157 pounds and the team to a ninth-place finish at the NCAA tournament. That same year, alumnus Brandon Slay — who was coached by Reina while at Penn — won a gold medal in wrestling at the Sydney Olympics.
When asked what prompted his decision to step down, Reina, a father of two, said, “I felt it was really important to dedicate more time to my children. It was a difficult decision. I know it’s the right decision for me and my kids right now.”
Reina will remain at Penn, moving to the Medical School’s Office of Program Development where he will serve as a senior major gifts officer. Reina explained the reasoning behind his decision to continue working at Penn.
“I’ve been at the University for 21 years as an employee and a student-athlete, so it’s a very strong community that I’m going to be very pleased to continue to contribute to.
“It’s also an opportunity for me to say thanks to so many Penn alumni and faculty and staff. My life has been so tremendously enriched by all the experiences that I’ve had coaching at Penn, and I look forward to continuing my involvement with the program now as an alumnus.”
In his final season at the helm, Reina saw four of his wrestlers qualify for the NCAA championships in St. Louis. He coached his top wrestler in 2005 — then-senior Matt Feast — to his third consecutive EIWA heavyweight championship and All-American status.
Even with the loss of Feast, Jones and his staff will have plenty of talent coming back for the 2005-06 season.
Dustin Wiles and Mason Lenhard, both of whom went to the NCAA championship last season, return.
Also returning to the program is Matt Valenti, a senior who is one of the lighter members of the team. Valenti said that he looks forward to having a coach who knows the technique vital to lighter-weight wrestlers.
“He has the expertise from previous wrestlers to take people to the All-American level and the national championships, “Valenti said.
A sneak peek at Zeke
New Penn wrestling coach Larry ‘Zeke’ Jones has had a distinguished wrestling career
– Undefeated at Arizona State in 1990
– Ranked No. 1 freestyler in U.S. from 1989-95
– Silver medalist at 1992 Olympics
– 2004 U.S. Olympic freestyle coach
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