For Frank Perrelli, it’s a full circle experience.
An All-American and two-time EIWA champion in college for Cornell, Perrelli is returning to Ithaca as the Head RTC Coach at the Spartan Combat Regional Training Center.
“It’s awesome to be coming back,” Perrelli said. “Mike [Grey] has known that an RTC coaching position is something I’ve wanted for a long time and that I’m very passionate about. He reached out a few weeks ago and as I thought more and more about it, the more excited I got. I loved Ithaca when I was in college and I’m excited to bring my wife there and be surrounded by friends like Mike and Kyle [Dake]. I also have relationships with the new assistants - a great group. It’s really exciting.”
Perrelli brings a wealth of domestic and international freestyle experience with him to the Friedman Center. After graduation, he stayed in Ithaca for about a year and a half to begin his senior level career, then trained under John Smith at Oklahoma State, with former Big Red assistant Steve Garland at Virginia and, for the past four years, under Jeff Buxton at the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club.
During that time, Perrelli competed at the Olympic Trials in 2012, was a US Open runner up, took fourth at the Dave Schultz as well as the World Team Trials, nabbed fifth at the Yarygin Grand Prix and competed for Team USA at the 2018 World Cup. He earned All-American honors at the US Senior nationals in 2019 and 2020, and several more times in previous years.
“Throughout my career, the evolution of RTCs has been unbelievable,” he said. “I’ve had exposure to many places with great coaches and partners. I think I come in with a pretty unique perspective on how things run and I’ve definitely taken away things I like and don’t like from the places I’ve been. I’m excited to implement my ideas along with the ideas Mike and the rest of the staff have to offer.”
Perrelli said he was excited about a lot of things - including the high level talent that already exists at the RTC.
“Honestly, it’s such a gift to have this opportunity,” he said. “To be working with guys like Kyle, Yianni [Diakomihalis], Vito [Arujau], and Nick [Gwiazdowski] on the senior side and help propel them to the next level is a huge task that will be a lot of fun. With the support we have, the sky’s the limit.”
Perrelli first arrived in Ithaca in 2007 with high expectations after a stellar high school career alongside his close friend and Delbarton high school teammate Mike Grey. Now, the two reunite again, looking to bring more World and Olympic titles to upstate New York.
“I’ve missed the atmosphere at Cornell,” Perrelli said. “Ithaca is a very unique place. It will be fun to feel that same energy I felt in college, but with different perspective. Instead of working on my own wrestling and being a leader of the team, I can’t wait to help other guys improve and lead from the sidelines. I’m really honored to have this job and I’m pumped to contribute as much as I can. It’s awesome that it’s come full circle.”