Joey Rivera enters his 11th season as the head wrestling coach at East Stroudsburg University in 2017-18. Under his tenure, the Warriors have sent multiple wrestlers to the NCAA Division II Championships in six of the past eight years.
Dylan Nace (141) and Joey Kratochvil (157) continued ESU’s long run of success in 2016-17, with each booking a spot at nationals after placing in the top four in their respective weight classes at the Super Region I Championships. The Warriors have had a total of 16 selections to the national tournament since reclassifying to DII prior to the 2009-10 season.
Rivera has coached four All-Americans during that span, with Brendan McKeown (2013 - 174, 6th), Ed Ebewo (2012 - 197, 3rd), Braden Turner (2012 - 157, 6th) and Shane Mallory (2010 - 184, 2nd) all placing in the top eight nationally. The program has also had three Super Region 1 champions in McKeown (174) in 2013, Ebewo (197) in 2012 and Jeff Jacobs (174) in 2011.
McKeown concluded his career in 2014 as ESU's first three-time national qualifier since 2000. In 2013, he was the regional's Outstanding Wrestler, winning the 174-pound title with a 3-2 decision over Mike Williams (UNC-Pembroke), the nation's #1 ranked wrestler and the returning NCAA champion at 165.
Rivera guided the team to unprecedented success in 2012, with the Warriors sending a program-record four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. All-Americans Ebewo and Turner led the way, while Thad Frick (165) and McKeown (174) also earned a trip to the national stage. ESU would ultimately place 16th in the team standings at nationals, finishing first among PSAC schools and fourth among Super Region I institutions.
In 2009, ESU's final season in Division I, Chris Birchler (285) was an NCAA qualifier and finished in the top 12 in the nation. Birchler, Frick and Ebewo were all top-eight finishers at the EIWA Championships.
In the PSAC, five wrestlers - Frick, Mallory, Birchler, Sean Carr and Matt Swallow - have earned All-Conference honors with places in the top three under Rivera. Frick (165) was the only DII wrestler to make the final in 2011-12 and was one of five Warriors to place in the top four of the tournament, which included five DI and five DII schools.
Academically, the Warriors have consistently ranked in the top 20 in the NWCA DII team rankings, including a run of four-consecutive seasons from 2013-16. A total of 21 Warriors have been named NWCA All-Academic, with Kratochvil and Blake Cohen each honored in 2016-17.
McKeown was named Academic All-America in 2012 and 2013 and was a three-time Academic All-District selection. ESU has had three PSAC "Champion Scholars" with the top GPA at the PSAC Championships site in Tony Vorndran (2012-13), Joseph Hoy (2013-14) and Dan Ingulli (2014-15).
Rivera was an assistant coach for the Warriors under Jason Kutz during the 2006-07 season and moved into the head coach’s chair the following year. He has proven himself as a top-level coach in the wrestling room and has also demonstrated his ability as a recruiter, bringing in talented classes for the Warriors.
Rivera was an NCAA qualifier at Boston University following a standout career at Stroudsburg High School. He was the team’s outstanding freshman and outstanding wrestler while at Boston, and was team captain as a senior. He qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2004 and finished his career with a record of 86-30.
Rivera earned his degree in Psychology from Boston in 2005 and was a recipient of the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner’s Academic Award. At Stroudsburg High School, Rivera was a four-time state qualifier and set the school record with 137 career wins. He finished fifth in the state as a freshman and sophomore, eighth as a junior and fourth as a senior. He was also a two-time regional champion and was inducted to the District 11 Hall of Fame in April 2012.
As a freestyle wrestler, Rivera placed eighth in the 60kg weight class at the U.S. National Freestyle Tournament in 2008. It was the first freestyle tournament in which he had competed.
Rivera and his wife, Leah, were married in October 2007 and reside in Stroudsburg. They have three sons, Julian, Adrian and Lane.
Joey Rivera By the Numbers
• 13 wrestlers have been NCAA national qualifiers:
Chris Birchler (2009, Division I - 285)
Adam Hluschak (2010 - 141)
Shane Mallory (2010 - 184)
Jeff Jacobs (2011 - 174)
Ed Ebewo (2011-12 - 197)
Thad Frick (2012 - 165)
Braden Turner (2012-13 - 157)
Brendan McKeown (2012-14 - 174)
Tyson Searer (2013 - 197)
Luke DeLuise (2015 - 184)
Tyler Richardson (2015 - 197)
Dylan Nace (2017 - 141)
Joey Kratochvil (2017 - 157)
• 4 All-Americans - Mallory (2nd - 2010), Ebewo (3rd - 2012), Turner (6th - 2012) and McKeown (6th - 2013)
• 3 Super Region 1 champions - Jacobs (2011), Ebewo (2012) and McKeown (2013)
• 4 Super Region 1 runner-ups - Hluschak (2010), Turner (2012), McKeown (2012, 2014) and Richardson (2015)
• 5 All-PSAC performers - Frick, Mallory, Birchler, Sean Carr and Matt Swallow
