North Carolina State University at Raleigh Wrestling

The 2025-26 wrestling season marks Pat Popolizio’s 14th at the helm of the NC State wrestling program, as he was named head wrestling coach of the Wolfpack on April 10, 2012. Popolizio was named the 2018 Dan Gable co-NCAA Coach of the Year and the 2016 National Coach of the Year by FloWrestling. He has also been a finalist for the NWCA Division I National Coach of the Year each of the last five years in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. He has been named ACC Coach of the Year three times, in 2018, 2020, and 2021. In 13 seasons under Popolizio, NC State Wrestling has had: 4 National Champions 8 NCAA Finalists 31 All-Americans 36 ACC Champions 5 ACC Wrestlers of the Year 4 ACC Rookies of the Year 5 ACC Scholar-Athletes of the Year Popolizio has captured seven ACC Championships, including six straight (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024). He has led NC State to a school record 10 straight top-20 finishes at the NCAA Championships. Over the last 10 NCAA Championships, NC State has finished 19th in 2014, 16th in 2015, 11th in 2016, 17th in 2017, t-4th in 2018 (earning its first-ever team trophy), 17th in 2019 (2020 was canceled due to COVID-19), 6th in 2021,10th in 2022, 10th in 2023, tied for 11th in 2024, and 8th in 2025. The '21, '22', and '23 seasons, the Pack brought home consecutive top-10 finishes for the first time since 1992 and 1993. NC State has earned 31 All-America honors in the last 10 years. In 2018, NC State set a school-best with four All-Americans, including

NC State wrestling's first-ever five-time All-American returned to Raleigh to rejoin the NC State wrestling staff, this time as an assistant coach, at the en...

Malik McDonald joined the NC State wrestling staff in June of 2025, the Wolfpack alumnus brings several years of experience as a DI assistant coach. In his f...

Zack Esposito joined the NC State wrestling staff in April of 2024, and jumped right in the position by helping coach Trent Hidlay and Isaac Trumble at the U.S. Olympic Trials which resulted in both earning a spot on the national team. In his first season in Raleigh, he helped coach the Pack to boast a national champion for the first time since 2018, three All-Americans, and an ACC Champion. After the collegiate season concluded he also led the Wolfpack RTC members at the 2025 U.S. Open in Vegas which resulted in all five of his senior division athletes placing, as well as Trent Hidlay winning the 92 kg bracket to earn a ticket to Final X. "Zack is a big impact hire", said Popolizio. "He comes from an elite background of wrestling, has produced at all levels and is a proven winner. His values mirror everything that our program stands for and I am confident that we will continue to build on the momentum that has continued to grow in the past several seasons. He shares the same goals as the rest of us, to win a national title." After previously holding the associate head coach position at Oklahoma State for seven years, he was most recently the National Freestyle Development and Resident Coach for USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States. In his position, Esposito coordinated the U.S. Pan American and World Teams at the U15, U17 and U20 levels. He also managed USA Wrestling's Elite U20 Resident Program, which trains at the U.S. Olympic & Par