Mark Facciani, Head Coach of Boys' Varsity Wrestling for 13 years, who is credited for having developed a robust program that was struggling when he first inherited it, is passing the reigns to Assistant Coach George Sullivan.

Under Coach Facciani's leadership, the team had successful showings at county, district, and regional tournaments. Several of his athletes have qualified for the NJSIAA State Championship in Atlantic City (most recently, Frankie Dillon '17, in early March). During the 2015-2016 season, five wrestlers medaled in the competitive Somerset County Tournament and four placed at the District Tournament. In 2011-12, he was awarded the District 18 Wrestling Coach of the Year award by his coaching peers. Since 2007, he has been at the helm of a Middle School program aimed at transitioning younger wrestlers to the Upper School team.

Both former Williams College wrestlers-turned-passionate coaches, who teach Grade 7 history at Pingry, Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Facciani have much in common, making for a seamless coaching transition if ever there was one.

"The continuity of having worked under Mark for a few years makes this really easy," says Mr. Sullivan. "I come to the Head Coach position knowing all the parents and all the kids, with the guidance of Mark, who has really developed this program and stewarded it to such a competitive and healthy place."

Before joining the Pingry faculty in 2014 and jumping directly into the role of Assistant Coach of varsity wrestling, Mr. Sullivan worked for three years in commercial real estate finance in Boston. He found himself returning to his high school—Belmont Hill School outside of Boston—any chance he could get to assist his old wrestling coach. Before long, he decided to quit his job and heed the call of teaching. "Coaching was a big motive in that transition," he recalls.

A coach and competitive wrestler for many years, Mr. Sullivan will draw on both experiences to lead Big Blue. As an eighth grade student at Belmont Hill School, he made the varsity wrestling team. His senior year, he and his co-captain were the first wrestlers at their school to be named First Prep All-Americans at the Prep National Tournament at Lehigh University. In the midst of his high school success, he still took the time to help coach his Middle School team. At Williams College, a series of concussions disrupted his collegiate career; he was able to compete his freshmen and junior years, before being forced to retire.

"I left college feeling like I had unfinished business, so being able to coach at Pingry—and in New Jersey, where the sport is so competitive and played at such a high level, is great. It's very inspiring to be surrounded by kids who are working so hard."

Outside of the wrestling season, Mr. Sullivan is also Head Coach of Middle School boys' lacrosse and coach of boys' freshman lacrosse. Last year, he was also Head Coach of boys' Middle School soccer.

When not coaching, he serves as faculty advisor to the Middle School Outing Club and helps to organize the Upper School Journal Club, in which Pingry students and faculty can present on a range of scientific topics. He is a frequent presenter himself, having a penchant for physics and complex systems research, a hobby he picked up after college (his major at Williams was political science). Most recently, he gave a presentation on gravitational waves. Also an avid adventurer, Mr. Sullivan climbed in the Cordillera Blanca in northern Peru two summers ago, he has summited Mount Shasta and hiked the Sierras, and he likes to kite surf.

"I have been around coaching for a long time and I'm passionate about it, not just the coaching, itself, but the opportunity to steward a program," he says. "The values of Mark's program—the fundamentals of working hard and being six-minute warriors on the mat and men of character off the mat—these will absolutely continue to be the goal. The challenge for me now is to continue to build the program in a positive direction, proving that Pingry's wrestling program is very competitive, one that helps students meet both their academic and athletic goals."

Director of Upper School Athletics, Carter Abbott, is equally excited to welcome Mr. Sullivan into the position. "We are so fortunate to have a coach of George's caliber already on our staff, ready to take the reigns from Mark. George's knowledge and enthusiasm for wrestling are sure to set him up for a successful run as Head Coach."

Photo: George Sullivan (left) and Mark Facciani (right) at the state wrestling tournament in Atlantic City in early March, where they cheered on Frankie Dillon '17.

Contact: Andrea Dawson, Senior Writer, adawson@pingry.org