Robert Seidel Jr. Joins St. Mary's Ryken as the New Head Wrestling Coach

St. Mary's Ryken is pleased to welcome Robert Seidel to the community as the new head wrestling coach. Coach Seidel brings many years of coaching experience and personal wrestling experience and accomplishments to the team.  

Coach Seidel was the Head Varsity Wrestling Coach at Colts Neck High School In New Jersey. While there, he coached Colts Neck to the most dual wins in a single-season, most district champions and placed-winners in the school's history, He coached five state placed-winners and many state qualifiers in his eight years as their coach. There were no previous place-winners in the school's history.  

"In this first year, I hope to build upon the previous successes of the St. Mary’s Ryken Wrestling Team and to improve the performance of our student-athletes, both in the classroom and on the wrestling mat," said Coach Seidel.  "My goal is to help St. Mary’s Ryken defend its WCAC title, and make a larger impact on the national level.  The talent of the athletes at St. Mary’s Ryken, coupled with the commitment from the administration to the wrestling program, has given us a solid base to become one of the top teams in the region and the country."

Coach Seidel was also the Head Boys’ and Girls’ Varsity Judo Coach at Waialua High School in Hawaii where he led the Boys’ Judo team to its most successful finish in the school's history. The team completed the season with a 12th place overall team finish in the state and two state place-winners, a 3rd place and a 4th place respectively. While at Waialua, Coach Seidel was also the assistant Varsity Wrestling Coach and worked individually with Waialua’s lone state place winner in 2017.

He will also join our teaching community as a member of the history department at St. Mary's Ryken. Coach Seidel has a master's degree in Social Foundations of Education from the University of Virginia and a bachelor of science degree from the University of Virginia in Foreign Affairs and Middle East Relations. 

“The SMR community is blessed to have Bob educating our students in the classroom and student-athletes on the mat," said St. Mary's Ryken Athletic Director, Jon Lombardo. "He is a proven leader from a family of educators. Dating back to Bob’s time competing as a captain for the wrestling team at the University of Virginia, he has accomplished so much as a competitor. He is an Academic All-American, and an ACC Champion who has 15 years of coaching/teaching experience relating to young student-athletes. He has a wealth of experience as a head wrestling coach at Colts Neck High School in New Jersey, one of the premiere hotbed wrestling states as well as proven teacher across several other sports. Bob will be instrumental in continuing to build a transformational experience through a championship culture in our wrestling program in the elite WCAC. SMR wrestling is one of the most tradition rich programs we have in athletics and I have no doubt Bob will help defend the WCAC 2019 Championship as well as build the character of our young men and all of his students.”

As a student athlete and in his early professional career, Coach Seidel earned many accolades including:

• 2013 - Winner of the 2013 New Jersey Shore Conference Wrestling Officials’ Sportsmanship Award for both coaching staff and wrestlers
• 2013 - Inducted into the New Jersey Shore Conference Wrestling Hall of Fame
• 2003 - ACC Outstanding Male Scholar – Athlete of the Year for University of Virginia
• 2003 - NWCA Academic All – American 
• 2003 - ACC Wrestling Champion, 2002 ACC Runner - Up
• 2003 - NCAA Div. I Tournament Top 16 Finish (80+ D1 CAREER WINS)
• 2002 - 2003 Captain of University of Virginia Wrestling Team
• High School Greco-Roman All American, 2X New Jersey Freestyle/Greco State Champion, 3X NJSIAA Place Winner, 114-16 Career High School Record

For more information about the 2021-22 wrestling season, please contact SMR Athletic Director, Jon Lombardo at jonathan.lombardo@smrhs.org.