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Schools

Wantagh Wrestling Coach Earns National Award

On June 14, 2013 Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg and Senator Charles Fuschillo visited Wantagh High School to congratulate wrestling coach Paul Gillespie on being named National High School Wrestling Coach of the Year. Coach Gillespie was presented with a Legislative Resolution sponsored by Assemblyman Weisenberg honoring him for his outstanding season.

To be eligible for the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Coach of the Year award, recipients must first be selected as state and regional award winners.  They are then selected within their respective categories by a panel of NWCA scholastic representatives.

During the 2012-2013 season Gillespie coached the Wantagh team to Nassau County League 3A Dual Meet Champions, Nassau County Dual Meet and Tournament Champions, New York State Dual Meet Champions and New York State Tournament Champions, in addition to 40 consecutive match wins. Gillespie further coached five wrestlers in 2013 to All-State wrestling honors. The Wantagh wrestling team was also ranked first in New York State Public High School Athletic Association Division I wrestling by New York State reporters during the 2012-2013 season.

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In addition to the recent NWCA honors, Gillespie, who has been a head coach for thirty-three years, has been named a Nassau County Coach of the Year six times, was elected to the New York State Hall of Fame in 2005 and also the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006.

With regards to this past year’s accomplishments, Coach Gillespie remarked, “This year's team was a team that knew how to overcome adversity and win at each level. The staff was a group of outstanding coaches, administrators, and parents who helped contribute to this great season.”

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