Drew Black enters his 10th year at the helm of Wesleyan wrestling as
an adjunct associate professor. Drew also serves as strength and
conditioning coach as well as fitness center coordinator at the
college. He is certified through both the National Strength and
Conditioning Association (NSCA) and USA Weightlifting as a Level I
club coach.
Drew has served as president of the NECCWA coaches association the
last five years and is a six-year veteran board member of the
National Wrestling Coaches Association. In addition he is
Connecticut's national team director with USAWCT for freestyle and
Greco-Roman wrestling.
A 1992 graduate of Syracuse University (Syracuse, N.Y.) who went on
to earn his Master's degree at Kent St. University (Kent, Ohio) in
1994, Drew Black took over as head wrestling coach and strength and
conditioning coach at Wesleyan in 1998-99. A four-year varsity
wrestler for the Orangemen and a team co-captain as a senior, Drew
was a two-time runner-up at the N.Y. state collegiate wrestling
championships, seventh-place finisher at the 1991 Midlands
Tournament and a fifth-place finisher in the E.I.W.A. Tournament in
1992.
Before coming to Wesleyan, Drew was the head wrestling
coach, fitness center coordinator and strength and conditioning
coach at Phoenix (AZ) College. There he directed his squad to a no.
6 National Junior College Athletic Association (N.J.C.A.A.) ranking
and an 11-3 dual-match record in 1997-98. One of his grapplers won a
national title while another finished third.
Prior to enrolling at Syracuse, Drew was a 1987 state
champion at 108 pounds while a senior at Mahwah (N.J.) High School.
He also placed third in the state his junior year.
Drew directed the Wesleyan wrestling team to its
winningest season in history in 2001-02 with a 17-2 mark and five
winning seasons over the past seven years with a 76-55-1 cumulative
mark over that span. He is looking to have a consistent winning
program by attracting quality student-athletes who have a solid
commitment to both academics and wrestling. Year in and year out,
the Wesleyan wrestling team competes natonally for wrestling and
academic recognition. The team has earned scholar All-America status
in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Drew and his wife Jennifer reside in Middletown with
their two children, a son Sean (8) and a daughter Leah (3).
Bringing great knowledge, energy and enthusiasm to the Wesleyan wrestling
program, Chris Eldridge joined the staff for his first year in 2006-07 and will
be in the roll again for 2007-08. He served as head
coach at the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, R.I. in 2005-06. He also served as
an assistant coach there for a season prior to his head coaching stint. In
addition he coached at Rogers High School (Newport, R.I.) for two seasons before heading to Naval Prep.
New to the coaching staff in 2007-08, Tom Medonis is a veteran Division III
wrestling competitor, having started for Springfield College for four season and
three times gaining all-New England honors. He capped his four years with
an NECCWA title at 197 pounds in 2004 and a trip to the NCAA tournament.
He was third at 197 in 2003 and sixth at 184 in 2002. Before attending
Springfield, from which he received his degree in 2006, Tom was a two-time
Connecticut state placewinner while at Wethersfield High School.