Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wrestling
DelPorto, Derek
Derek DelPorto
- Title:
- Head Wrestling Coach
- Email:
- ddelport@emich.edu
- Phone:
- 734.487.6429
The 2013-14 season marks the eighth year for Derek DelPorto as a head wrestling coach and eighth as the head man of the Eastern Michigan University wrestling program.
In 2012-13, Phillip Joseph and Nick Whitenburg made it to the NCAA Championships to mark a total of 13 wrestlers to make the NCAA Championships under DelPorto and 48 in EMU history. Aaron Sulzer finished his career with 87 wins for the fifth most in EMU history under DelPorto’s guidance.
The 2011-12 season was a breakout campaign for DelPorto’s squad, which posted a winning MAC record (3-2) for the first time since 1991 and took third at the MAC Championships. EMU also had four national qualifiers for the first time since 1995-96. DelPorto’s squad also included three Academic All-MAC honorees and a pair of NWCA All-Academic team members.
In 2010-11, Sulzer and Seth Schaner qualified for the NCAA Championships under DelPorto’s direction.
The 2009-10 season was highlighted by Sean Clair and David Wade qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Wade also became the first returning national qualifier since 2004. DelPorto’s squad also cracked the top-20 in the Academic Performance Rankings, tying Pittsburgh and Princeton with 971 points and ranking higher than any other MAC school. It was a new program best for EMU.
The 2008-09 season was capped off with senior John McClure taking top honors at 197 lbs. at the Mid-American Conference Championships which EMU hosted. McClure went on to wrestle at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., marking the third EMU grappler to compete nationally during DelPorto’s tenure.
DelPorto led the Eagles to their best record in school history (15-8-1) in the 2007-08 campaign, which smashed its previous top mark of 12-9-1, set in the 1974-75 season. Under DelPorto’s direction, Charlie Pienaar claimed second place at the MAC Championship, which earned him a spot in the NCAA Championships.
In his first season, DelPorto led the Eagles to their first winning record since the 1990-91 campaign, posting an 8-7 mark. He also led the Green and White to only the second MAC dual victory in the past decade. At his first MAC Championship, two of DelPorto’s wrestlers competed for a weight class championship; Jermain Thompson at 149 lbs. and Tony Lyssiotis in the 197 lbs. class. Thompson would go on to win a MAC title, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
DelPorto, a former All-American wrestler while a Slippery Rock undergraduate, returned to his alma mater as head coach for the 2004-05 season. Slippery Rock won the team championship at the NCAA Division I East Regional tournament and advanced a tournament-record 10 wrestlers to weight-class championship final bouts while recording a school record-tying four individual titles.
In addition, SRU sent a school-record five wrestlers to the 2006 NCAA Division I National Championship. For his efforts, DelPorto was named NCAA Division I East Regional Coach of the Year. His 2004-05 Slippery Rock squad was the NCAA East Regional runner-up, and had three NCAA Division I championship qualifiers and three Academic All-Americans.
DelPorto began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Slippery Rock from 1999-2000 before moving on to the University of Oklahoma as an assistant from 2000-2002. From 2002-2004, DelPorto was an assistant wrestling coach at Cornell University before returning to his alma mater to take over the head coaching duties in 2004.
For his efforts at Slippery Rock as a student-athlete, DelPorto was inducted into the Slippery Rock Hall of Fame in 2011. The Erie, Pa. native compiled the third highest win total in Rock wrestling history with a 116-38 career record and was a three-time regional champion (177 lbs in 1996, heavyweight in 1998 and 1999). DelPorto won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference heavyweight title in 1998 before capping off his collegiate career with an eighth-place finish in the 1999 NCAA Division I national tournament.
The 37-year-old DelPorto (4-10-76) grew up in Erie, Pa. and graduated from Cathedral Prep of Erie in 1994. DelPorto went on to wrestle as a collegian at Slippery Rock where he recorded the third-best record in school history at 116-38 in his four seasons. He earned NCAA All-American honors in 1999 in the heavyweight classification at the NCAA Division I championship. He was also a three-time East Regional champion, winning the heavyweight titles in 1998 and 1999 and capturing the 177 lbs. crown in 1996. DelPorto also won the PSAC heavyweight title in 1998.
DelPorto earned his degree in English education from Slippery Rock in 1999 before receiving his masters in sport management from Eastern Michigan in 2007.
In 2012-13, Phillip Joseph and Nick Whitenburg made it to the NCAA Championships to mark a total of 13 wrestlers to make the NCAA Championships under DelPorto and 48 in EMU history. Aaron Sulzer finished his career with 87 wins for the fifth most in EMU history under DelPorto’s guidance.
The 2011-12 season was a breakout campaign for DelPorto’s squad, which posted a winning MAC record (3-2) for the first time since 1991 and took third at the MAC Championships. EMU also had four national qualifiers for the first time since 1995-96. DelPorto’s squad also included three Academic All-MAC honorees and a pair of NWCA All-Academic team members.
In 2010-11, Sulzer and Seth Schaner qualified for the NCAA Championships under DelPorto’s direction.
The 2009-10 season was highlighted by Sean Clair and David Wade qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Wade also became the first returning national qualifier since 2004. DelPorto’s squad also cracked the top-20 in the Academic Performance Rankings, tying Pittsburgh and Princeton with 971 points and ranking higher than any other MAC school. It was a new program best for EMU.
The 2008-09 season was capped off with senior John McClure taking top honors at 197 lbs. at the Mid-American Conference Championships which EMU hosted. McClure went on to wrestle at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., marking the third EMU grappler to compete nationally during DelPorto’s tenure.
DelPorto led the Eagles to their best record in school history (15-8-1) in the 2007-08 campaign, which smashed its previous top mark of 12-9-1, set in the 1974-75 season. Under DelPorto’s direction, Charlie Pienaar claimed second place at the MAC Championship, which earned him a spot in the NCAA Championships.
In his first season, DelPorto led the Eagles to their first winning record since the 1990-91 campaign, posting an 8-7 mark. He also led the Green and White to only the second MAC dual victory in the past decade. At his first MAC Championship, two of DelPorto’s wrestlers competed for a weight class championship; Jermain Thompson at 149 lbs. and Tony Lyssiotis in the 197 lbs. class. Thompson would go on to win a MAC title, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
DelPorto, a former All-American wrestler while a Slippery Rock undergraduate, returned to his alma mater as head coach for the 2004-05 season. Slippery Rock won the team championship at the NCAA Division I East Regional tournament and advanced a tournament-record 10 wrestlers to weight-class championship final bouts while recording a school record-tying four individual titles.
In addition, SRU sent a school-record five wrestlers to the 2006 NCAA Division I National Championship. For his efforts, DelPorto was named NCAA Division I East Regional Coach of the Year. His 2004-05 Slippery Rock squad was the NCAA East Regional runner-up, and had three NCAA Division I championship qualifiers and three Academic All-Americans.
DelPorto began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Slippery Rock from 1999-2000 before moving on to the University of Oklahoma as an assistant from 2000-2002. From 2002-2004, DelPorto was an assistant wrestling coach at Cornell University before returning to his alma mater to take over the head coaching duties in 2004.
For his efforts at Slippery Rock as a student-athlete, DelPorto was inducted into the Slippery Rock Hall of Fame in 2011. The Erie, Pa. native compiled the third highest win total in Rock wrestling history with a 116-38 career record and was a three-time regional champion (177 lbs in 1996, heavyweight in 1998 and 1999). DelPorto won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference heavyweight title in 1998 before capping off his collegiate career with an eighth-place finish in the 1999 NCAA Division I national tournament.
The 37-year-old DelPorto (4-10-76) grew up in Erie, Pa. and graduated from Cathedral Prep of Erie in 1994. DelPorto went on to wrestle as a collegian at Slippery Rock where he recorded the third-best record in school history at 116-38 in his four seasons. He earned NCAA All-American honors in 1999 in the heavyweight classification at the NCAA Division I championship. He was also a three-time East Regional champion, winning the heavyweight titles in 1998 and 1999 and capturing the 177 lbs. crown in 1996. DelPorto also won the PSAC heavyweight title in 1998.
DelPorto earned his degree in English education from Slippery Rock in 1999 before receiving his masters in sport management from Eastern Michigan in 2007.
Eastern Michigan - 2018 MAC Wrestling Championships Preview
Monday, June 04
2018 MAC Wrestling Championships 165-lb Match:
Monday, June 04
2018 MAC Wrestling Championships 197-lb Match:
Monday, June 04
2018 MAC Wrestling Championships 285-lb Match:
Monday, June 04
