Joseph Pistone, of the Class of 2000, was a talented wrestler who set college program records and dominated at 177, 184 and 197 over four years with the team. In his freshman campaign, Pistone had an immediate impact, finishing second at the Kutztown University Invitational and winning the Oneonta State Invitational. That was only a taste of what was to come, however; as a sophomore, Pistone tore through his opponents, winning the Oneonta State Invitational, the Hunter State Invitational, and the Ithaca College Invitational, where he was named Most Outstanding Wrestler. That set the stage for an NCAA run, where Pistone finished second in the NCAA Regional Tournament and then eighth at the NCAA National Championship, earning All-American honors as a result.
His junior season, one which he served as team captain, was full of promise as well—he won the Oneonta State Invitational again at 184, and again took the Most Outstanding Wrestler award at the Ithaca College Invitational, which he also won. He was ranked in the top six the entire season, but just before the start of the regional tournament, a knee injury forced him to withdraw. Coming back as captain for his final campaign in 1999-200, Pistone wrestled at 197, winning the Springfield College and Roger Williams University Invitational, and finished his career by finishing fourth in the NCAA Regionals.
Overall, Pistone’s record of 120-29 is tied for the highest winning percentage of any AIC wrestler; his 73 dual meet wins are also a college record.
Since graduating in 2000, Pistone has continued to have an impact in wrestling. Coaching at Southern Maine from 2003-2015, he coached 39 All-New England wrestlers, with eight regional champions and nine wrestlers reaching the national tournament; eight of those earned All-American status. He has coached at Florida Gulf Coast University since 2015, and already has 11 NCWA National Championship qualifiers.
