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Men's Wrestling

 (630) 617-3774
 stevem@elmhurst.edu

Steve Marianetti
Head Coach

Steve Marianetti, a former NCAA Champion and assistant wrestling coach at the University of Illinois, is entering his seventh season as Head Wrestling Coach at Elmhurst College.

This past season, Marianetti guided Elmhurst to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships, the Bluejays' best-ever national finish. Mark Corsello and Jake Oster both earned All-America honors with Oster becoming the first Bluejay to win a national title. 

Marianetti's squads earned three straight CCIW Championships from 2005-2007 with Marianetti earning "Coach of the Year Honors" twice (2005 & 2006). In his seven season as the coach of the Bluejays, Marianetti has coached a national champion, 10 All-Americans, 19 national qualifiers, and 21 CCIW Champions. His teams have earned three top-10 national finishes at the NCAA Championships.

In his six seasons as Head Coach Marianetti has lead Elmhurst to three CCIW Championships.  He has sent 17 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, has coached eight All-Americans, and has twice been named the CCIW's Coach of the Year.

In 2005, Marianetti guided the Bluejays to their best season in school history. The wrestling team ended the year with a 16-3 record and won their first-ever CCIW Championship. At the NCAA Championships, three Bluejays earned All-America honors while the team finished eighth in the country. Marianetti was named the NWCA Division III Coach of the Year.

A four-time Academic All-Big Ten Conference selection Marianetti is a 1995 graduate of the University of Illinois (UI) with a bachelor of science degree in marketing. He earned his master's degree in advertising from Illinois in 2001. He was a first-team GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American in 1995 and was a two-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-American.

While a member of the UI wrestling team, Marianetti was one of the most decorated athletes at Illinois. He was a three-time All-American and won the NCAA Division I national championship at 150 pounds in 1995. He also held the Illini single-season mark for wins with 44, and ranks second on the school's career wins list with 120.

After graduation, Marianetti continued competing in freestyle wrestling, earning a gold medal at the 1997 Pan-American Championships, silver medals at the 1998 Goodwill Games and World Cup, and a gold medal at the 1998 U.S. National Championships. Marianetti represented the United States at the 1998 World Championships in Tehran, Iran.

Marianetti and his wife, Becky, reside in Elmhurst with their daughters, Abigail and Delia.

John Jung
Assistant Coach

John Jung is entering his seventh season as an assistant coach for the Bluejays.

A veteran of the high school coaching ranks, Jung spent four years as the head coach of the St. Charles North High School wrestling team. Prior to that, he spent 10 years as an assistant coach at Downers Grove South High School and Hinsdale Central High School.

Jung wrestled at Drake University where he was a four-year letter-winner. He was also an Espoir Greco All-American.

Rick Lamas
Assistant Coach

Rick Lamas is entering his fifth season on the Elmhurst College coaching staff after a successful wrestling career at Elmhurst.

Lamas closed out his senior season in 2004-05 by earning All-America honors at 157 pounds while posting a 38-7 record. He finished his career as a  two-time CCIW Champion and national qualifier at 157 pounds. He was named the CCIW's "Most Outstanding Wrestler" during the 2003-04 season. 

He finished his career as Elmhurst's all-time leader in wins with an overall record of 112-45.

Matt Kuschert
Assistant Coach

Matt Kuschert returns for his fifth season as a volunteer assistant coach with the Bluejays.

Kuschert spent three seasons with the Elmhurst wrestling team, where he finished as a two-time runner up at the CCIW Championships at 149 pounds.

During his senior season (2004), Kuschert placed second at the CCIW Championships and helped the Bluejays earn their first CCIW Team Championship. Kuschert placed fourth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, helping the Bluejays to a team-best second-place regional finish. 

Kuschert finished his career with a 74-34 overall record.

Chris Muscia
Assistant Coach

Chris Muscia is beginning his third year in his second stint as an assistant coach for the Bluejay wrestling team.

Muscia spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the Bluejays from 1999-2002.

Muscia was a four-year letter-winner for the Bluejays, wrestling from 1995-1999. He served as team captain during his junior and senior seasons.

Muscia and his wife, Samantha, currently reside in Lombard.