Saint Vincent names Dominick Nania new wrestling coach

By: Paul Schofield
Tuesday, May 24, 2022 | 9:07 PM

Saint Vincent College announced it was adding a men’s wrestling program in March.

Tuesday, the school named a coach.

Hempfield graduate Dominick Nania was hired as the school’s newly relaunched program.

He was selected from a large list on candidates.

Nania has more than six years of wrestling coaching experience at the collegiate and high school levels. He spent the past three years as an assistant coach at Seton Hill. He also coached at Hempfield and Norwin with Saint Vincent alumnus Vince DeAugustine.

“This is a great opportunity for me and my family,” Nania said. “When I first arrived on campus I could tell what a special Saint Vincent is. I’m excited to revive the program.

“Accepting the head coaching position at Saint Vincent College has been a dream come true for my family and me. Everyone I have met throughout the interview process has been so welcoming and a pleasure to be around.”

Saint Vincent will become the fourth school in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference to offer wrestling, joining Washington & Jefferson, Waynesburg and Thiel.

“Being able to start a new program as a student-athlete in college and now coach at an amazing institution bringing back wrestling after almost five decades is something that means so much to me,” Nania said. “This opportunity is so unique, as the President’s Office, the Athletic Department and I are all on the same page. I think that is extremely rare and something that will make this program very successful in the classroom, on the mat and in the community.”

Nania will hire two assistant coaches in the fall. But for now, he’ll be out recruiting wrestlers from Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley.

Nania is no stranger to a start-up program, as he was Wheeling Jesuit’s first wrestling commit. He had an outstanding four-year career for the Cardinals, serving as a three-year team captain and compiling 98 victories.

He was a two-time NCAA Division II national championship qualifier and holds the program’s records for wins, pins (42) and technical falls (17).

He graduated from Wheeling Jesuit with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education before earning a master’s in educational administration at Duquesne.

“I have a lot of friends who are coaching in Pennsylvania and the Ohio Valley,” Nania said. “I’ll be trying to convince wrestlers the opportunity they have if they come to Saint Vincent.”

SVC executive vice president and chief operating officer Mallory said Nania is an outstanding addition to the Saint Vincent Athletic Department, and his alignment to the department is an outstanding fit.

“It is clear that he will have a tremendous impact on the student-athletes that he and his staff will serve, and he will represent the College community well as the leader of the men’s wrestling program,” Mallory said. “We look forward to supporting Coach Nania as we continue to pursue excellence in all we do at Saint Vincent College.”

Nania and his wife, Brooke, have a daughter, Gemma.

Saint Vincent announced the addition of men’s wrestling as its 24th varsity athletic program in March. The college had sponsored wrestling at the NAIA level from 1963-74 and then as a club sport for some years after.

The Bearcats will begin competition in fall 2023.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Hempfield