Saint Vincent College

Dominick Nania was named head coach of the re-born Saint Vincent College wrestling program in May 2022.

Nania built the Bearcat wrestling program from scratch, recruiting 20 student-athletes to compete in 2023-24, the first season for Saint Vincent wrestling since 1975. Nania made a splash in his first season at the helm in 2023-24, as he was named the Presidents' Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after guiding the re-born Bearcat wrestling team to the 2023-24 PAC Championship. The Bearcats had three PAC individual champions, including Sean Cain (125 pounds), Charlie Mesich (157 pounds) and Chase Brandebura (165 pounds), with Brandebura being named the PAC Newcomer of the Year. Along with the three PAC champs, the Bearcats produced seven finalists in the 10 weight classes at the PAC Championships, with the aforementioned champs joined by Kyle McCollum (133 pounds), Tyler Debnar (141 pounds), Logan Bechtold (174 pounds), and Jake Beistel (285 pounds). Beistel would then go on to place seventh, and Mesich eighth, at the 2023-24 NCAA Southeast Regional Championships. 

The Bearcats went 5-7 overall in dual matches in 2023-24,with Nania earning his first career win with a 39-12 victory at Pitt-Bradford on Dec. 8, while SVC finished 2-1 in dual matches against PAC opponents, with wins over Waynesburg and defending PAC co-champ Thiel College, while the Bearcats also handily defeated Division II foe Fairmont State.  Along with the honors earned by Bearcat wrestlers at the PAC Championships, McCollum was named the PAC Wrestler of the Week on Feb. 5, while Mesich (Feb. 5), Brandebura (Jan. 15) and Ryan Klingensmith (Nov. 20) were all named PAC Newcomer of the Week. 

A native of Hempfield Township, Nania arrived at Saint Vincent with more than six years of wrestling coaching experience at both the collegiate and high school levels, having most recently served as assistant coach for three seasons at Seton Hill University.
 
During his time on the staff at Seton Hill, the Griffins produced three NCAA Division II National Championship qualifiers. The Griffins went 16-12 in dual matches over the span, while tying for second place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and fourth at the NCAA Super Regionals in 2020.
 
Before joining the Seton Hill staff, Nania served as an assistant coach under Saint Vincent College alum and Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame inductee Vince DeAugustine for three seasons at perennial high school powers Hempfield and Norwin.
 
Nania is no stranger to a start-up program, as he was Wheeling Jesuit University’s first ever wrestling commit. Under head coach Sean Doyle, he enjoyed a standout four-year career for the Cardinals, serving as a three-year team captain and compiling 98 career victories. He was a two-time NCAA Division II National Championship qualifier and currently holds the program’s records for wins, pins (42) and technical falls (17). From the inception of the program to Nania’s senior season, he competed for a National Duals Championship in 2017, falling to Division II power Saint Cloud State in the finals.
 
He graduated from Wheeling Jesuit with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, before earning a master’s in educational administration at Duquesne University. While coaching at Seton Hill, Nania worked as a third-grade teacher at the Young Scholars of Greater Allegheny Charter School in McKeesport.