BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State Univeristy wrestling head coach JohnMark Bentley announced the addition of Ryan LeBlanc as an assistant coach and Dominic Parisi as a volunteer assistant coach on Friday.
“I am excited about the addition of both Ryan and Dom to the Appalachian wrestling staff,” Bentley said. “Ryan's wrestling, coaching and fundraising experience will vastly benefit our program. Dominic brings a passion and love for Appalachian that is unparalleled. He had an outstanding career here at Appalachian and he is going to be an awesome Coach!”
LeBlanc joins Appalachian after spending two years working for the State University of New York at Cortland. He started as a graduate assistant wrestling coach before transitioning to a dual position in coaching and alumni engagement. LeBlanc helped guide the team to a 7th and 13th place finish in the NCAA tournament including seven national qualifiers, four NWCA Scholar All-Americans, four NCAA All-Americans and two separate individual national champions. He also helped create the periodization plan for wrestling, strength and cardiovascular training throughout his seasons.
“I am honored to be a Mountaineer,” LeBlanc said. “The Appalachian State University Wrestling program appealed to me as it represents a well-rounded balance of both athletics and academics. I truly believe in Coach JohnMark Bentley's vision for the program and am excited to work with the kind of student-athletes this program attracts.”
Prior to SUNY-Cortland, LeBlanc amassed a career wrestling record of 103-51 at Indiana University. During his collegiate career, he was a three-time NCAA qualifier and finished in the round of 12 as a senior, a three-time academic all-American, a two-year captain and a Big Ten Academic all-Conference team member for four straight seasons.
LeBlanc was also selected as the Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient, one of the most prestigious conference awards in college athletics. First awarded in 1915, the Medal of Honor is given to one student-athlete from the graduating class of each university who attains “the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work.”
He graduated in 2014 from Indiana with a bachelor's degree in exercise science before receiving his master's in sports management in 2016 at SUNY-Cortland.
LeBlanc grew up in Morrisville, N.Y., where he played both tennis and soccer in high school. He joins the Appalachian family with his fiancé Morgan Wesner.
Parisi joins the wrestling coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach after graduating from Appalachian State in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in recreation management with a concentration in outdoor experiential education before getting his master's in higher education with a concentration in community college and university leadership at Appalachian as well.
Parisi amassed a collegiate wrestling record of 48-21 as a Mountaineer, winning the 125-pound Southern Conference division his senior year as well as being named to the NWCA All-Academic team. As a junior recovering from a sophomore campaign that was cut short by a knee injury, he placed third at the Hokie Open and Keystone Classic before earning a round of 12 finish at the NCAA's.
“I am beyond excited and motivated to help coach and give back to a program that has done so much for me during my entire collegiate career as a wrestling student-athlete,” Parisi said.
Parisi grew up in Canastota, N.Y. and Concord, N.C. and attended Jay M. Robinson high school.
