The Friends of Massapequa Wrestling (FOMW) C/O Vito Mundo

Ronald Serrano - Head Coach:
Wrestled for & Graduated MacArthur HS in 1998.
NYS 4th Place.
Wrestled for & Graduated Suny Cortland.

Kevin Shippos:
Wrestled for & Graduated Baldwin HS.
NYS Champion, NHSCA Senior Nationals AA.
Wrestled for & Graduated Penn State University.

Mike McCann:
Wrestled for & Graduated from Mepham HS.
Won two Section 8 (Nassau county) titles and was a 3X All-county honoree.

Howie Greenblatt:
Former MacArthur HS head coach and Hall of Fame Member.
Coached Coach Serrano at MacArthur HS.

Phil Soman:
Placed 6th in NYS in 1998 and won both Champion of Champions and Most Outstanding Wrestler awards after his memorable county final win.

Mike Labella:
Wrestled for & Graduated MHS in 2003. 
2X Nassau County (Section 8) Finalist. NYS Champion 2003.
Wrestled for & Graduated Edinboro University.

Massapequa wrestling is a program rich with history and tradition that dates back to the 1950’s. The Massapequa Wrestling program, comprised of all freshmen, began in 1952 under the leadership of Coach Len Connor.

In 1955, Bill Devaux took over as the head coach and managed the program through 1957, which included the first graduating class in 1956. John Haas officially took over as the head coach in 1958 and continued until 1962. Coach Haas developed a style and philosophy that became the building block of the program.

In 1963, former wrestler Al Bevilacqua took over as the head coach. Wrestling grew and flourished at Massapequa under the leadership and program development of Coach Bevilacqua.

Years later, another former wrestler, Gary Mims would become an assistant coach and help Coach Bevilacqua turn Massapequa into a wrestling powerhouse. Mims would go on to become the head coach in 1978 and guide the program through 28 successful years up until his retirement in 2006.

In 2006, Joe Catalanotto took over as head coach at Massapequa. Prior to 2006, Coach Catalanotto had been the Junior High coach for seven years and an assistant with both the Varsity and Junior Varsity programs at Massapequa. Coach Catalanotto wrestled for East Meadow High School where he was a Nassau County Champion, placed third in the New York State Tournament and amassed 98 wins during his career. After high school he attended Central Connecticut State for two years where he placed fifth at the East Coast Wrestling Association Championships in 1996. When Central Connecticut dropped its wrestling program he transferred to Hofstra where he went on to take first place at the ECWA Tournament, fourth place in the New York State Collegiate Championships and qualified for a trip to the NCAA Championships in 1997.

Following the conclusion of the 2012 - 2013 season, Coach Catalanotto stepped down as head coach. Shortly after, Coach Serrano was elevated from assistant coach to the head varsity coaching position.   Coach Serrano brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and enthusiasm to the program. He will focus on building and developing the program’s foundation for the future. Coach Serrano wrestled at MacArthur HS for Hall of Fame Coach Howie Greenblatt, placed 4^th in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association State Championships and went on to wrestled for and graduate from Cortland State University. Coach Serrano was a three year captain at Suny Cortland and became the wrestling program’s first ever 3X Scholar Athlete All-American.   Coach Serrano will be surrounded by one of the most impressive coaching staffs in the state. Head Football Coach Kevin Shippos returns and brings with him a wealth of experience. Coach Shippos was a New York State Public High School Athletic Association State Champion and a National High School Coaching Association National champion before wrestling at and graduating from Penn State University. Junior High Wrestling Coach Mike Labella will also be back to assist Coach Serrano.  Mike was a 2X Nassau County Section 8 Finalist and New York State Public High School Athletic Association State Champion before wrestling at and graduating from Edinboro University.   Also joining the staff this year will be Phil Soman, Mike McCann, Robert Tobia, John Hamilton (jr. High) and Howie Greenblatt.  Phil placed 6^th in NYS in 1998 and won both champion of champions and most outstanding wrestler awards after his memorable county final win. Mike graduated from Mepham High school where he won two Nassau county titles and was a 3X All-county honoree.  Robert was a 2008 Nassau County Champion and State Qualifier. Both John Hamilton and Howie Greenblatt are Long Island/New York State coaching legends and Members of the National Coaching Hall of Fame. Their accomplishments and achievements as head coaches are way to long to list, but their wealth of experience and knowledge will prove invaluable to Coach Serrano and the program.

To find out more about the history of Massapequa's coaching click on the "History" Tab.

Massapequa High School Educator 1974 - 1998
Massapequa High School Assistant Coach 1969 - 1977
Massapequa High School Head Coach 1977 - 2006
3X Section 8 Coach of the Year 1991, 1997 & 1999
7X Section 8 Tournament Team Champions
6X Section 8 Dual Meeet Champions
1998 New York State Dual Meet Champions
27X Section 8 Qualifying Tournament Team Champions
3 Individual NYS Champions
23 Individual NYS Place Winner Titles
31 Individual Section 8 Champion Titles
189 Individual Section 8 Place Winner Titles
4X New York State Scholar Athlete Team Championships
National Wrestling Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award 2007
Friends of Massapequa Wrestling Vice President and Director 2006 - present

Massapequa High School Educator 1961 - 1994
Massapequa High School Head Coach 1963 – 1977
USA Wrestling Eastern Development Director 1972 - 1979
USA Wrestling Board of Directors 1972 - 1986
USA Wrestling New York State Chairperson 1973 – 1979
Hofstra University Coach1977 – 1979
US Wrestling Federation Vice President 1978 - 1980
US Wrestling Federation Assistant Director 1979 – 1981
US Wrestling Federation Special Service Award 1981
USA Wrestling National Coach 1983 – 1991
FILA World Cup 1983
FILA Junior World Championships Head Coach 1983
USA Wrestling Coach of the Year 1983
FILA Espoir World Cup Head Coach 1984
FILA Coaches Commission 1985 – 1991
Tbilisi Games Team Leader 1985
Tbilisi Championships Head Coach 1986, 1987, 1988
New York State Wrestling Hall of Fame 1987
USOC Finalist Freestyle Head Coach Olympic games 1988
Metropolitan Wrestling Association Man of the Year 1990
Cerro-Pelado Championships Head Coach 1991
New York University Sports Hall of Fame 1992
Massapequa High School Hall of Fame 1996
National Wrestling Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award 1996
National High School Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Director 1996 - 1999
FILA President Pin World Championships Madison Square Garden 2003
Co-Founder Beat the Streets Wrestling Program 2004
USA Wrestling Man of the Year 2005
WIN Magazine Impact Award Winner 2005
Wrestling USA Magazine Man of the Year 2006
Friends of Massapequa Wrestling Director 2006 - 2010
Friends of Massapequa Wrestling Honorary Director 2010
National Wrestling Hall of Fame Order of Merit 2012