Longtime Wesleyan Coach Elected To National Wrestling Hall Of Fame

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A longtime coach at Wesleyan University is among nine outstanding individuals from the state’s wrestling community who have been selected for induction into the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Drew Black recently completed his 26th year as the head coach at Wesleyan and an associate professor of physical education. A two-time New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Coach of the year, his 223 wins are the most of any wrestling coach in school history. Wesleyan won the NEWA championship in 2012 and finished the season ranked No. 11 nationally in Division III.

In Jan. 2020, Black was inducted in the NEWA Wrestling Hall of Fame. Under his leadership, Wesleyan has qualified wrestlers for the NCAA Division III national championships in 13 of the last 16 years. The Cardinals have had four All-American wrestlers under Black, including three since 2018 – Devon Carrillo, Isaiah Bellamy and Marco Gaita.

Wesleyan has earned team Scholar All-America status for 20 consecutive years, and has had 35 wrestlers receive the prestigious Scholar All-American award a total of 57 times in Black's coaching tenure.

The other new electees are:

• Shirzad Ahmadi, longtime high school and collegiate coach and wrestler
• Fritz Blasius, benefactor to many local charities and organizations
• Gerry deSimas Jr., longtime sportswriter, founder of Connecticut Wrestling Online
• Dave D’Alessio, former coach and teacher in Madison
• David Green, head coach at Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury
• Ted Oczkowski, coach, official and administrator
• Chris Piel, head coach at New Milford High School
• Ray Southland, longtime official and middle school principal

D'Alessio and Southland will be inducted posthumously.

An induction dinner is scheduled for April 26, 2025 at Mohegan Sun to honor these men for their contributions to the sport of wrestling and their communities.

All nine will receive a Lifetime Service award for coaches, officials, or contributors with at least 20 years of service.

They will be permanently recognized in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma with an embossed name plaque, and each receives a plaque and jacket to commemorate this special occasion. They will join 51 other inductees in the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Anyone interested in obtaining tickets is asked to email ctwrestling7@yahoo.com with your email address for a message when they go on sale.

Learn more about the Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame by going to the chapter’s own website or the chapter website at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.