Pete Di Pol
Pete Di Pol

Bio

Prior to coming to Bethany in their inaugural season, Di Pol served as the Head Wrestling Coach at Middlesex College in New Jersey, where he guided the team to six National Qualifiers, one District Champion, and a spot in the GSAC conference playoffs. Prior to this, he served as an assistant coach at Rowan College of South Jersey for the 2022-23 season.
 
Before returning to New Jersey, Di Pol spent three impactful years at Western Christian High School in Hull, Iowa. In his first season (2018-19), he led the team to double its dual meet wins from the previous year, while also mentoring Tristan Mulder to the school’s first-ever state finalist appearance. In his second season, DiPol coached the team to its first-ever playoff berth, sending three wrestlers to the state tournament, all of whom placed, setting a new school record. The team finished in the top 10 at the Iowa High School State Tournament in Class 1A. In his third and final season, Di Pol led the team to its first state champion in school history, with Tristan Mulder securing a dominant title, not surrendering a point throughout his championship run.
 
Di Pol also enjoyed a successful year at Harrisburg High School in South Dakota, where he guided the team to its first-ever Conference and Regional Championships, coached six state place winners, and led another wrestler to a State Title.. His efforts earned him Coach of the Year honors.
 
At MacMurray College, Di Pol founded both the men's and women's wrestling programs, achieving notable success in just one season. He coached seven National Qualifiers and secured his 300th dual meet victory. Di Pol left MacMurray College when the school faced accreditation issues, and it ultimately closed in 2020.
 
In 2015-16, Di Pol served as Head Wrestling Coach at Heelan High School in Sioux City, Iowa. In his lone season at Heelan, he led the team to a remarkable 24-win season, setting a new school record. Di Pol coached an Iowa Sectional and District Champion, with two wrestlers qualifying for the Iowa State Tournament for the first time in a decade, earning him recognition as a finalist for Northwest Iowa Coach of the Year.
 
Di Pol also had a significant impact at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas. In his first season, he coached five wrestlers to HAAC wrestler of the week honors, one Kansas NAIA Senior Wrestler of the Year, and one Scholar-Athlete in the NAIA. He also guided five National Qualifiers, two All-Americans, and coached true freshman Bryce Shoemaker to the first National Title in Baker University wrestling history. Under his leadership, the team finished 16th in the nation in 2014, and in 2015, captured a HAAC Conference Championship, finishing 14th nationally with five National Qualifiers, three All-Americans, and an Academic All-American.
 
As Head Wrestling Coach at Gloucester County College, Di Pol was named Region 19 Coach of the Year and Garden State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year twice. His teams finished fourth in the nation in 2012 and fifth in 2013 in the NJCAA Non-Scholarship division, winning the Garden State Athletic Conference Championships both years. Di Pol coached 19 National Qualifiers, two Regional Champions, two All-Americans, and one National Finalist there. A career highlight was his team’s upset victory over the top-ranked team in the nation during the 2012 Regional Qualifier and a historic win over a Division I program.
 
Before transitioning to college coaching, Di Pol was widely regarded as one of New Jersey’s top high school coaches. His teams won five state championships (three as head coach) and teams ranked among the top 50 nationally.  Best known for his time at Camden Catholic H.S. and Haddonfield H.S., Di Pol also coached at Edgewood H.S (Winslow, NJ -Home of Jordan Burroughs). and Schalick H.S. His teams captured five Conference Championships, five District Championships, and ranked as high as #1 in South Jersey and #2 in the state. Notably, his 2007 Camden Catholic team set a New Jersey state record with 32 dual meet wins in a single season. It was at Camden Catholic he coached his first State Champion wrestler. 
 
Throughout his coaching career, Di Pol has earned Coach of the Year honors six times at the high school level and three times at the college level. He remains the only coach in the United States to have coached a state champion in three different states: New Jersey, South Dakota, and Iowa. At the college level, DiPol has coached one National Champion, two National Finalists, seven All-Americans, 38 National Qualifiers, three Regional Champions, and five Academic All-Americans.
 
As a wrestler, Di Pol was part of four state championship teams at Paulsboro H.S. in the early 1990s. Di Pol was also a member of the 1996 NJCAA Division III National Championship team at Gloucester County College.
 
Di Pol holds a Bachelor's Degree from Rutgers University, a Master's Degree and Educational Specialist Degree from Liberty University, a Masters Degree in Higher Ed. Leadership from Northeastern University and currently completing his Doctorate at Centenary University. He has also completed the NWCA Leadership Academy (2011) and the Women’s Wrestling Leadership Academy (2014).
 
In recognition of his contributions to the sport, Di Pol was part of the 2005 Camden Catholic team, which was inducted into the Camden Catholic Sports Hall of Fame.     Di Pol was also featured in the documentary Home of Champions (2015), which chronicles the legacy of Paulsboro Wrestling.
 
Achievements & Highlights:
  • In the women's inaugural season, coached true Freshman Trinity Barrus to the NCWWC National Championships in Iowa. It was Bethany College's first wrestling national qualifier in school history.
  • 9x Coach of the Year (3x College, 6x High School)
  • Coached 1 National Champion, 2 National Finalists, 7 All-Americans, 39 National Qualifiers, 3 Regional Champions, and 5 Academic All-Americans at the College level
  • 336 Career Wins
  • 5 New Jersey State Championships as a high school coach
  • Graduate of the National Wrestling Coaches Association Leadership Academy (2011)
  • Graduate of the National Wrestling Coaches Association Women’s Leadership Academy (2014)
  • Coached Nationally Ranked High School and College Teams
  • Only High School Coach in the U.S. to Have Coached a State Champion in three different states.
  • Coached a Junior College Team to a Win Over a Division I Program - believed to be the only time a JUCO defeated a Division 1 School.
  • During his high school years, Coach DiPol trained at the renowned Foxcatcher facility under the guidance of Dale Bonsall in 1992 and 1993.