Rochester Institute of Technology Wrestling

Jason Bovenzi enters his tenth season as the RIT head wrestling coach in 2025-26. He led the Tigers to a 6-6 dual-meet record last season with a third-place finish at the RIT Invitational, fifth place at the SUNYAC Championships and a 19th place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. Bovenzi led RIT to a program-best seventh place finish at the NCAA Tournament in 2021-22 with Kaidon Winters, Zach Stedeford and Austin Lamb earning All-American accolades. He led the Tigers to a historic season in 2018-19, earning Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Coach of the Year and National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Mideast Region Coach of the Year honors. During the 2018-19 season, RIT won a program-record 12 dual matches, while sending three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Bovenzi was a standout collegiate wrestler at St. Lawrence University and Ithaca College, advancing to the NCAA Championship four times. He was a three-time All-American and two-time National Champion in 1993 and 1995. In his final season at Ithaca in 1994-95, Bovenzi won his second straight national title at 190 lbs., finishing with an undefeated record. For 17 seasons, Bovenzi served as the head varsity wrestling coach at East Rochester (1996-2002) and Pittsford (2002-2013) high schools, developing both programs into New York State ranked teams while coaching 36 class champions and a New York State champion. In 2000, Bovenzi founded the Apex Wrestling Club, one of the largest wrestlin

James Cannon begins his seventh season on the RIT wrestling staff as an assistant coach for the 2025-26 season. Cannon brings nearly 40 years of coaching experience at the high school level, most recently serving as an assistant coach at Fairport High School under his son, John-Martin Cannon. At Fairport, he helped lead the Red Raiders to the 2017 Class AA Section V Championship. Originally from Grand Rapids, Mich., Cannon was the head wrestling coach at Grand Rapids Christian High School from 1984-92. He led Grand Rapids Christian to 126 dual wins as well as the school's only two Grand Rapids City League Championships. Cannon also served as head wrestling coach at Brockport High School from 1996-2008, amassing 122 dual meet victories. At Brockport, Cannon coached one New York State Champion, one New York State runner-up and 15 different place winners. In addition, he received three different Coach of the Year honors at Brockport. In three seasons at Fairport, Cannon helped coach a New York State Champion and three place winners at the state tournament. Cannon recently served as a Social Studies teacher for 41 years. His son, John-Martin, is also on the RIT wrestling staff as an assistant coach.

Sean Peacock enters his fifth season as an assistant wrestling coach at RIT in 2025-26. Peacock comes to RIT from Rush-Henrietta High School, where he helped coach the Royal Comets to its first Section V title in a half-century. Peacock coached eight Section V class champions and three New York State qualifiers with a pair of top-three finishers. Prior to that, Peacock was a four-year college starter, including two years at Division 1 Buffalo (2014-16), and two years at Brockport (2016-18). As the Golden Eagles captain in 2018, Peacock was named a 2018 Collegiate All-American and twice to the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference All-Academic team. During his collegiate career, he posted an 88-34 record while obtaining a degree in health science with a minor in psychology. Peacock was a two-time National High School Coaches Association All-American at Midlakes High School, where he won one state wrestling title, twice finished as state runner-up and took a state third place over his last four years of high school. Peacock won four Section V championships, and helped the Screaming Eagles to a NYS Division 2 team championship and a pair of team sectional final appearances, while also participating in lacrosse and cross country at Midlakes. As a senior, he accumulated a record of 48-2 and won by fall 38 times while earning the Daily Messenger newspaper's 'Wrestler of the Year' award three-consecutive years.

Torsten Gillespie begins his second season as an assistant coach on the RIT wrestling staff for the 2019-20 season. Gillespie, a native of Webster, spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at nearby Webster Schroeder High School. He also wrestled scholastically for Schroeder. Gillespie, a four-year standout at Division I Edinboro University, competed in four consecutive NCAA Championships, earning All-American honors at 149 lbs. in 2010. He recorded an impressive 101-65 record from 2007-11. He is one of just 29 wrestlers to crack 100 wins at Edinboro. Gillespie won a career-best 32 matches and placed sixth nationally at the NCAA Championships in his All-American season of 2009-10. He finished 23-12 in his final season for the Fighting Scots in 2010-11. A three-time National Wrestling Coaches of America (NWCA) Academic All-American, Gillespie earned a bachelor's degree from Edinboro in computer science in 2011.