Columbia University Athletics

Zach Tanelli enters his eighth season leading the Columbia Wrestling program for the 2023-24 campaign. The former Purdue Assistant Coach and Wisconsin All-American was named the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling in July 2016.
 
Tanelli became the ninth head coach in Columbia Wrestling history after spending two years at Purdue. Prior to Purdue, he had a stint at Hofstra, where he began his collegiate coaching career.
 
The 2022-23 season was one for the record books as Tanelli guided the Lions to a 6-7 overall record that included wins over two ranked opponents. The Lions sent a program record six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships after scoring the most points in program history at the EIWA Championships. Eight Columbia wrestlers placed at the EIWA Championships and five earned auto bids to the NCAA Championships. Columbia finished tied for fourth as a team at the EIWA Championships, notching its best finish since the 2014-15 season and its seventh top five finish in school history. Five Lions earned All-Ivy League honors after the completion of the regular season. The team also showed its commitment to the classroom as seven wrestlers earned EIWA All-Academic status and four wrestlers were named to the NWCA Scholar All-Americans list.
 
Matt Kazimir made history during the 2021-22 season as he became the first Lion to win an EIWA title since 2018. The 141-pounder earned the 24^th individual EIWA title in program history and became the third wrestler under Tanelli’s guidance to win an individual EIWA title. As a team, Columbia finished in fifth-place at the 2022 EIWA Championships after finishing the regular season with a 4-10 (4-5 EIWA, 2-3 Ivy League) record. Columbia finished the EIWA Championships with eight wrestlers on the podium. Eight podium finishers tied the most in school history and marked only the second time in program history that eight wresters have finished on the podium. Joshua Ogunsanya and Joe Manchio joined Kazimir as the three Lions that qualified for the NCAA Championships. Five wrestlers garnered All-Ivy under Tanelli’s watch in 2022.

The 2019-20 season saw Columbia record the most EIWA wins (eight) in program history as the Lions finished the season at 8-6 (8-5 EIWA, 2-3 Ivy League).  Sophomores Joe Manchio (125) and Matt Kazimir (141) each qualified for the NCAA Wrestling Championships as they both finished second at the EIWA Championships, giving Tanelli eight NCAA qualifiers over the first four years of his time at Columbia. Along with Manchio and Kazimir, first-year Angelo Rini (133) took seventh at the EIWAs and he added Second Team All-Ivy League honors as well.  Honorable mention All-Ivy League honors went to Kyle Mosher (157), Lennox Wolak (174) and Danny Conley (285).

During the 2018-19 season, Tanelli led Columbia to the most dual-meet wins since the 1998-99 season, finishing the 2018-19 season 10-5.  When the season came to an end, Columbia had six podium finishes at the EIWA Championships and senior Dan Reed, who finished sixth at the EIWA Championships at 157 pounds, earned a qualification to the NCAA Division I Championships.

The 2017-18 season saw three Lions head back to the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in their respective careers in Garrett Ryan, Markus Scheidel, and Tyrel White. Tanelli led five Lions to podium finishes during the EIWA Championships, as the trio was joined by Jacob Macalolooy and JP Ascolese. The highlight of the tournament however came for Scheidel, who gave Columbia two consecutive EIWA Champions when he claimed the 157-pound title at Hofstra.
 
Tanelli made an immediate splash in his first season leading the Columbia wrestling program. Garrett Ryan became the first EIWA Champion at Columbia since 2013. Ryan joined Tyrel White in returning to the NCAA Championships under Tanelli’s guidance. Four Lions earned podium finishes at the EIWA Championships. Columbia placed three on the All-Ivy League list for the 2016-17 season.
 
During the 2015-16 season, Tanelli helped Purdue send three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships at Madison Square Garden, with two of those qualifiers earning automatic bids from the Big Ten Championships. Seniors Danny Sabatello and Chad Welch led the way, as Tanelli helped the pair take fifth at 141 and 165, respectively, during the conference tournament. Tanelli left the Boilermakers in good shape, as FloWrestling ranked Purdue with the sixth best recruiting class of 2016.
 
During his first season with the Boilermakers, Tanelli saw eight wrestlers advance to the 2015 NCAA Championships after five grapplers took home podium finishes at the Big Ten Championships. Purdue spent seven weeks on the USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches Poll, finishing the season ranked 23rd. The 2014-15 dual season saw Purdue win 10 duals, including six home dual victories, which was the most in Holloway Gymnasium since the 2005-06 season.
Tanelli joined the Boilermaker wrestling program after a five-year coaching stint at Hofstra from 2009-14. During his time with the Pride, Tanelli worked his way up the coaching ranks, serving as interim head coach prior to his stint at Purdue. He was the head assistant coach for the two previous seasons after spending his first three years as an assistant at Hofstra.
 
The former Badger made an impact throughout Hofstra's lineup, particularly in the lower weights. Tanelli coached four All-Americans, while the Pride won three-straight Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) team titles from 2011-13 before moving to the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) in 2013-14. Hofstra placed fourth with two finalists during Tanelli’s time coaching in the EIWA, including the 165-pound champion, Joseph Booth.
While in the CAA, seven Hofstra athletes claimed tournament crowns under the guidance of Tanelli, including a pair of two-time champs. In addition, five other wrestlers claimed individual CAA titles during his stint.
 
Tanelli wrestled the first three years of his Wisconsin career at 133 pounds and bumped up to 141 for his senior campaign in 2009. He was a two-time NCAA qualifier at 133 and earned a spot on the 141 podium with a fourth-place finish to earn All-America accolades. Tanelli wrapped up his senior season with a 31-6 record, including a perfect 7-0 mark against Big Ten foes during the dual season. He was ranked No. 1 at his weight for the second half of the 2008-09 season after winning the 141-pound Midlands Championship, before becoming the runner-up at the Big Ten Championships.
 
A native of Millburn, New Jersey, Tanelli earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Wisconsin in 2009 and his master's degree in higher educational leadership and policy studies from Hofstra in 2012. Tanelli and his wife, Emily, along with his two children, Monaco and Scottie reside in Hoboken, New Jersey.
 
The Tanelli File
High School: Millburn High School (New Jersey)
College: Wisconsin ‘09
Degree: B.A., Sociology
 
Coaching Career: 
Head coach at Columbia, 2016-present
Columbia Record: 34-54
Assistant at Purdue, 2014-16
Assistant at Hofstra, 2009-14
 
Collegiate Highlights: 
Three-time NCAA Qualifier
2009 All-American
2009 Big Ten Runner-up
2008 Midlands Champion
88-31 Career Record