Springfield Wrestling PrideCast

A 1994 graduate of Springfield College and founder of Journeymen Wrestling, Frank Popolizio joins the PrideCast from Albany, NY! Coach  Popolizio sits down to discuss the wrestling empire he's built, his coaching philosophy, the growth of his wrestling club, and the impact that fellow alumnus and Olympic Gold Medalist, Jeff Blatnick has had on his career.   

Coach Popolizio was inducted into the Upstate New York Chapter of the  National Wrestling Hall of Fame and receive the Lifetime Service Award in 2018. He was also a member of the coaching staff for the 2018 USA Cadet World Team. In this episode, Popolizio unpacks the impact that his events have had on the current landscape and the challenges and rewards associated with running large scale international competitions, and the influence of his younger brother, Pat Popolizio, the Head Wrestling Coach at North Carolina State University, has had on his career.

Frank graduated from Hudson Valley Community College in 1992, and during those two years, Frank successfully reinstated HVCC's NJCAA wrestling  program, as well as being a volunteer coach at Niskayuna HS. He would  later attend Springfield College and graduate summa cum alude in 1994. While at Springfield, he acted as volunteer coach at Cathedral High School in Springfield, and in 1995, Popolizio returned back to Niskayuna and coached with Joe Bena from 1995 to 2003. Fellow Springfield alumnus, Rob Weeks, successfully recruited Frank in 2004 to join him and Shenendehowa High School, and he has been at Shen since. While at Shenendehowa, the team has enjoyed great success, winning multiple Section II titles and garnering multiple New York State Team Championships along with multiple individuals winning NYS titles during his tenure.

In the 2008-09 wrestling season, Frank was selected by the National Wrestling Coaches Association as the NY State Assistant Coach of the  Year. In 1999 Frank launched the "Journeymen Wrestling" in Albany area whose main mission statement was to promote, teach, advocate and  showcase wrestling throughout the northeast. The main concentration of the early Journeymen Wrestling was to bring first class wrestling  clinics and tournaments to the Northeast. Popolizio has brought great coaches as Dan Gable, John Smith, Jay Robinson, Cael Sanderson, the  Brands brothers, Tom and Terry and other great wrestlers to the Albany area, including world champion Jordan Burroughs.

Some of Popolizio's major events include Pop & Flo Mini-Man Nationals, Pop & Flo National Duals held each year in May at Lake Placid and Pop & Flo Wrestling Duals. He also established the Journeymen World Classic--which has brought traditionally powerful wrestling countries Russia, Kazakhstan, Korea and Mongolia to the USA. In addition, he has coached Nick Gwiazdowski, 2018 Senior World team member, and Jesse Porter, 2018 U23 World Greco team member.   

Follow Coach Popolizio and Journeymen Wrestling on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @Journeymenwrestling or at journeymenwrestling.com  

Read more about Coach Popolizio here: https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/4498

This episode was recorded on May 24, 2022.  

**The thoughts and views expressed by the guest on their own social media platforms or in this podcast episode do not reflect those of the host or the Springfield College Wrestling program**  

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Colleen O'Connell recently concluded her fourth season as an assistant coach with the Springfield College women's basketball team in the 2021-22 season. While helping head coach Naomi Graves, O'Connell will continue the PhD program in Physical Education with a concentration in Teaching and Administration. She graduated with her Master's degree in Athletic Administration in 2020.    

A native of Maywood, N.J., O'Connell was a four-year captain at Vassar College and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Behavior in 2016. While with the Brewers, O'Connell helped lead her team  to two Liberty League Championships and also earned a pair of berths into the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. O'Connell was also the Liberty League and D3hoops.com All-East Region Rookie of the Year.  O'Connell is no stranger to coaching, as she was the recruiting  coordinator and assistant coach for the Montclair State women's basketball team from 2016 to 2018, where she was involved with all aspects of the program. O'Connell captured two NJAC Championships in her time with the Redhawks, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2017, and guided her squad to the Sweet 16 in 2018. 

If you'd like to reach out to Coach O'Connell, you can email her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @colleen_oc

#WinTheMoment 

Springfield College graduate alumnus, John Sutyak joined the PrideCast to rehash his time on Alden Street, his views on leadership, current events and issues in Division III, and the value of hosting the 2023 DIII Men's Wrestling Championships at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, VA. 

Sutyak joined the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) Membership Committee in September of 2021 and will begin a four-year term on the NCAA Nominating Committee in January 2022.  Sutyak's career began in a dual role as the assistant sports information director and area coordinator in residential life at Wheaton College (Massachusetts) in 2002. He then spent three years working in varsity sports operations and athletic facilities at Yale University before returning to Wheaton in July 2006 as the assistant director of athletics. At Wheaton, Sutyak was promoted to the associate director of athletics and interim director of athletics, before eventually assuming the permanent role of director of athletics and recreation in April 2012. He became just the second director of athletics in Wheaton’s coeducational era, which began in 1988.  

Off campus, Sutyak served six years on the NEWMAC Executive Committee, including a two-year term as president which made him the first, and only, former NEWMAC student-athlete to also serve as conference president. Sutyak also served as the New England Chair for the NCAA Division III Softball Committee from 2009 to 2012. Outside of collegiate athletics, he worked at Gillette Stadium during New England Patriots home games from 2002-2019, both with the Patriots media relations team and the National Football League on its Player Participation crew.  

A native of Scarborough, Maine, Sutyak received his Bachelor of Arts in history from Wheaton College (Massachusetts) in 2000 and a Master of Education in athletic administration from Springfield College in 2002. During graduate school, he served as an assistant baseball coach at Western New England University during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, where he played a part in the team's first Great Northeast Atlantic Conference (GNAC) championship and its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2001. At Scarborough High School, he was a two-sport athlete (baseball and basketball) and a finalist for the Maine Mr. Baseball Award in 1996. As a four-year member of the baseball team at Wheaton, he was a member of the college's first varsity team in 1997, the program's first two NEWMAC championship teams in 1999 and 2000, and a part of its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000. He also tied the NCAA record for home runs in one inning (2) against the University of Southern Maine in 1998. 

 #WinTheMoment

Known for his passion, drive, and enthusiasm for excellence in coaching, Dr. Adam Feit has over 15+ years of experience in the areas of strength and conditioning, performance nutrition, and sport and exercise psychology coaching. A former NFL and NCAA Division-I strength and conditioning coach, Adam now serves as an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science at Springfield College.

Adam’s journey into strength and conditioning started off with a season-ending injury in high-school. During that time, he learned about Springfield College and eventually completed his Bachelor’s degree in Applied Exercise Science while garnering all-consensus All-American football honors as a captain of the Springfield College football team. He later attended The Citadel and California University of Pennsylvania to finish his Master’s degree in Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention.

Before coming back home to Springfield College, Adam recently worked as the Head Strength & Sport Psychology Coach for Precision Nutrition, Inc., the largest nutrition coaching, certification, and software company in the world. Prior to Precision Nutrition, Adam was the Co-founder and Director of Sports Performance for Reach Your Potential Training (RYPT), helping mentor and train over 5,000 youth athletes over the course of five years. Adam also served as a college and professional Strength and Conditioning Coach and Nutrition Coordinator for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, Eastern Michigan University, University of Louisville, and The Citadel.

Adam is certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He is also a certified Strength and Conditioning Coach and Mentor from the Collegiate Strength  and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa). In addition to his  strength and conditioning certifications, he is also a certified Level 2 Master Nutrition Coach from Precision Nutrition.

He is the co-author of the Coaches Guide to Jump Training, Complete Guide to Training the Female Athlete, and recently completed his Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology. Adam and his wife, Mary Kate are the co-owners of TF Performance and provide training services, sport psychology coaching, nutrition consulting, and more!

If you'd like to reach out to Dr. Feit, you can email him at [email protected] or follow him on Instagram and Twitter: @aefeit

For episode 20, we welcome back a familiar face and voice to the PrideCast and check-in with former co-host and former Springfield Assistant wrestling Coach and graduate alumnus, James Kaishian.

Jimmy Kaishian is a 2017 graduate of Perennial Power Ithaca College. With the Bombers, Kaishian strung together an incredibly consistent college wrestling career as a four year starter at 125lbs. Kaishian earned 126 wins in four years, four berths to the national tournament and was a 2016 All-American finishing his junior campaign with a seventh place finish on the national podium in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Following his impressive career with the Bombers, Kaishian began his coaching career at Springfield College where he served as an Assistant Coach for the Pride for four seasons from 2017-2021. In his tenure with the Pride’s wrestling program, Kaishian coached 22 NWCA Scholar All-Americans and six national qualifiers.

In addition to the instrumental role he played in the Pride’s Wrestling program, Kaishian established himself as a leader, scholar, and educator on Springfield’s campus. In his first two years on Alden Street, Kaishian earned a Master’s in Sport and Exercise Psychology and served as a teaching fellow in the Physical Education and Health Education Department. After completing his Master’s, Kaishian transitioned into the Teaching and Administration Doctoral Program. Amidst this transition, Kaishian wore several hats to stretch his impact beyond the wrestling room - He served as an adjunct faculty teaching Sport Psychology, and served as the President of the Graduate Student Organization. In his role with the Grad Student Organization, Kaishian served on several campus committees including the Campus Program Planning Committee on Race, Alumni Committee, and the Graduate Faculty committee. For his efforts and contributions, Kaishian won the 2021 Springfield College Campus Voice Award.

He is a product of Yorktown Heights, NY and formerly Iowa Style Wrestling Club, now known as Empire Wrestling Academy. Kaishian has come full circle and is currently back in his hometown of Yorktown, NY and serving as a coach at Empire Wrestling Academy in Somers, NY and the Head Wrestling Coach at his alma mater, Yorktown High School.

Jimmy is the first author of an article recently published in the Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology titled, The Prevalence of Mental Health Conditions Among High School and Collegiate Student-Athletes: A Systematic Review

We hope you enjoy this conversation with Coach Kaishian as he discusses his growth as a coach, mental health in sport, his mindset in training as a college wrestler, and the value of the win the moment philosophy.

If you’d like to contact Jimmy, you can email him at [email protected], reach him on Twitter @JKaishianMS, connect with him on LinkedIn: Jim Kaishian, https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-kaishian/

For episode 19,  2014 Springfield College alumnus, and 2013 157lb Division III National Champion, Devin Biscaha joins the PrideCast!

Despite a lack of competition entering the postseason of his junior year, Devin managed to navigate a seemingly insurmountable national bracket where he was an unseeded wrestler that knocked off No. 6 seed Reece Lefever of Wabash, No. 3 seed Cole Welter of Wartburg, No. 2 seed Chris Burdge of Centenary, and No. 4 seed, Kris Krawchuk of Wilkes to capture gold.    

Devin is a Jackson, N.J. native and a 2010 graduate of perennial powerhouse Jackson Memorial High School. With the Jags, Biscaha was part of a contingent that was the No. 1 team in New Jersey in 2007, and consistently ranked in the top 10 in the state during his high school career. 

Biscaha was the first Springfield wrestler to compete in the national championship bout since John Roden was the national runner up at 174 in 2000. Biscaha became Springfield Wrestling’s first ever NCAA Division III title and only second national champ in the program’s long history next to Olympic gold medalist and the late Jeff Blatnick ’79, who won a pair of NCAA Division II national titles at heavyweight in 1978 and 1979.   

After graduating from Springfield with a bachelor’s degree in Movement and Sport Studies, Biscaha began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach at Powerhouse Christiansburg High School in Christiansburg, Virginia. While on staff, Biscaha helped lead Christiansburg to 3 team state titles, two team state runner-up finishes, coached 11 individual state champions that combined for 19 titles, and coached 20 state placewinners. He recently returned to his hometown of Jackson, New Jersey where he is now the head coach at Jackson Liberty High School.   

Following Devin’s title run, Springfield finished 8th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the 2013 Division III tournament. It was the highest team finish for the Pride since the 1998 team took seventh. Alongside Bischaha, Derek Adams and Joe Grippi wrapped up their seasons by earning All-America honors. This is the first time since 1999 that Springfield has produced three All-Americans. That year, Mike Gaydos (197-6th), Craig Vedrani (157-6th), and John Roden (174-4th) all took home the national honor.  

You can watch highlight’s of Devin’s national title run here: 2013 National Champion, Devin Biscaha  

If you would like to reach out to Devin, you can email him at [email protected]   Keep up with Springfield College Wrestling on Facebook (facebook.com/scpridewrestle), Instagram (@scpride_wrestle), and Twitter (@scpride_wrestle).

#WinTheMoment 

As the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications, Brian Magoffin ’05 G'17 is responsible for all aspects of communication, media, and sports information relating to the 26 intercollegiate men’s and women’s sports  teams at the College.

Though the pandemic halted athletic competition in 2020, Magoffin and his staff were motivated to apply their creative energy to provide student-athletes a platform to share their stories and expand the capacity of empathy of others through the "My Story, My Truth" series, as well as, the "True Colors" series. 

In the fall of 2020, Magoffin was recognized by the NCAA and D3SIDA with the Fall Recognition Award for the impactful nature of the "My Story, My Truth" series.

In August 2021, Magoffin was recognized as a national finalist in the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Fred Stabley Jr. Writing Contest for a feature that was written about Sringfield head men's lacrosse coach Keith Bugbee.

The article, entitled On Grief and Community, appeared in the Springfield College's Triangle Magazine in January of 2020 and was the District I winner which encompasses institutions in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Newfoundland, Price Edward Island, and New Brunswick. The article was one of eight nationally that was awarded in the Coach/Administrator category.

Full Release: https://springfield.prestosports.com/.../20210714mi3ah4

Magoffin has been a member of the athletics staff at Springfield  College since 2007, serving as the assistant director of sports  communications until being promoted to director of sports communications  for the College in July 2012.  In 2016, Magoffin earned the role of  assistant athletic director for communications.

Magoffin’s responsibilities include website maintenance and redesign,  designing and creating athletics enrollment management materials,  developing social media content, overseeing game-day functions, using  video production and graphic design to promote the College, and  enhancing alumni and donor communication in coordination with the  Friends of Springfield College Athletics fundraising arm.  In 2013,  Magoffin unveiled "Inside the Pride", a weekly video web series  dedicated to promoting Pride athletics, which has since had over 100  episodes produced in cooperation with students in the  Communications/Sports Journalism major on campus.

Springfield College's rise among the social media ranks has been  rapid over the past several years, with the Pride's social media  accounts ranking among the best at the NCAA Division III level.  Both  the Instagram and Facebook accounts each rank in the top six nationally, while the Twitter account ranks in the top 15 among the over 450 Division III institutions.

Prior to his tenure at Springfield College, Magoffin spent two years  as assistant director of athletic communications at Stony Brook  University, where he led the athletic department’s Web site redesign in  2006, while working primarily with the men's basketball, men's and  women's lacrosse, women's soccer, and softball programs. Magoffin earned  a bachelor’s degree in sport management from Springfield College in  2005 and a masters in athletic adminstration from in 2017, also from Springfield College.

The PrideCast hiatus is over and welcomes 2005 alumnus, and Emmy nominated filmmaker, Tim O'Donnell to the show! 

The New Hampshire native came to Springfield College after being coached by older brother, T.J. O'Donnell - Co-founder of Doughboy Wrestling Club - One of the premier training hubs in New England. A two-time National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American, Tim was a staple in the Pride's lineup under Hall of Fame Coach, Daryl Arroyo. 

An art education major, O'Donnell graduated from Springfield College and began his teaching and coaching career at nearby Springfield Central High School. During his stint with Springfield Central, O'Donnell was pursuing a Master's from the Massachusetts College of Art Design. Amid his teaching, coaching, and graduate school career, O'Donnell decided to capture the compelling story of one of his wrestlers, George Hargrove. This first project captured the essence of what overcoming adversity meant and the feature was titled "George: Wrestling with Resistance". The documentary gained the attention of the local community instantly as it had a premiere screening at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield in 2009. Following this, a major local television network wanted to air the documentary, and the rest was history for O'Donnell! 

In 2010, O'Donnell founded Pixela Pictura, an Emmy-nominated award winning production and creative film company located in the Greater Boston area. From there, he created another major documentary centered around the story of his father, Tom O'Donnell. "No Quit: a film about Tod O'Donnell" captured the journey of Tim's father overcoming a traumatic brain injury. This piece captured the attention and hearts of many and was later aired on ESPN's SportsCenter. 

Many in the New England wrestling community may have come across Tim's full length feature on Springfield College Wrestling alumnus, and heralded Lowell High School Wrestling Coach, George Bossi. The feature was titled, "Bossi: The Power of a Coach". 

In recent years, Tim and Pixela have created work that has been seen on ESPN, ABC, PBS, at the Sundance Film Festival and events around the world. Available August 3rd 2021, Tim partnered up with Executive Producer, Casey Affleck, and will be releasing his new film titled "Tougher than a Tank". A story about a marine running 145 miles in three days to reconnect with a wounded vet - Click the following link for Pre-Sale details on ITunes: Tougher Than a Tank on iTunes

If you want to peruse through an archive of Tim O'Donnell's work, you can check out his Vimeo channel here. 

If you want to learn more about Tim's company, Pixela Pictura, you can find them at www.pixelapicturafilms.com

Pixela Pictura Social Media Handles: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

If you would like to donate to Springfield College Wrestling, please click the following link (DONATE TO SPRINGFIELD WRESTLING) and in the "Designation" drop down box, please click "Doug Parker Fund" or "Wrestling".

Email PrideCast Host and Assistant Coach, Pankil Chander ([email protected]) with any recommendations for potential future guests for the show! 

No one word can justify the legend of Coach Jim Anderson, and the many that know him, characterize him in one word - Intense! To this day, Anderson's impact is felt through the example he set as a student-athlete and coach on Alden Street. 

A product of Hanover Park high school in Northern New Jersey, Anderson joins the PrideCast to talk about a fascinating career progression in athletics and business. Anderson's introduction to wrestling occurred under Coach Joseph Krufka, a 1952 Olympic Alternate and 1955 NCAA runner-up to legendary, Dan Hodge. 

Coming from humble beginnings, Anderson would go on to wrestle for Coach Doug Parker at Springfield, and met financial challenges along the way that derailed him from finishing his college career in the traditional four year span. The New Jersey native discusses his brief departure from Springfield to pursue a career in the Marines and start a family. He also shares what led to his return to Alden Street to finish his undergraduate career. Anderson went on to become a New England Champion in 1966 at 167lbs. 

Following a short stint as an educator in New York Public Schools, Anderson pursued the opportunity to complete a graduate degree while being an Assistant Wrestling Coach under Doug Parker, and leading Springfield's Men's Lacrosse program for eight seasons where he tallied 50 wins. 

The former men's lacrosse coach left Alden Street to travel globally to serve in a plethora of occupations including Westinghouse, and building theme parks in Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and more.