Jordan Leen - Wrestling Coach - Pitt Panthers #H2P

Jordan Leen

Title:
Assistant Coach
Alma Mater:
Cornell, '09
Email:
jleen@athletics.pitt.edu
Season at Pitt:
Sixth
Phone:
412-648-8334

Jordan Leen enters his sixth season on the Pitt wrestling coaching staff after having spent six seasons with the Virginia Cavaliers where he was an assistant for five and an associate head coach in his final year. He primarily works with the middle weights.

Through five years as the Panthers' associate head coach under head coach Keith Gavin, Leen's leadership has helped spark Pitt's return to the upper echelon of wrestling in the Atlantic Coast Conference — and nationally.

Leen has coached 27 NCAA qualifiers, 10 ACC champions and seven All-Americans with the Panthers, including extensive work with Pitt's 2021 NCAA finalist, All-American and three-time conference champion at 165 pounds, Jake Wentzel.

In 2022, Pitt qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA Championships and posted another top-25 finish at nationals, with four Panthers earning top-12 finishes and Cole Matthews (141) securing All-America status. Wentzel also became Pitt's first ever wrestler to win three ACC titles in leading Pitt to a third-place finish in the conference.

The 2021 NCAA Championships showcased Pitt's tremendous progress on the mat on the national stage. Two Panthers — Wentzel (165) and Nino Bonaccorsi (197) — followed up their ACC titles by advancing to the national finals and securing NCAA All-America status at the national tournament in St. Louis. All five Panthers that qualified for NCAAs won at least won match and scored valuable team points. The result was Pitt finishing 11th in the nation — its best team finish at NCAAs since 1970 — largely thanks to the program placing two Panthers into national finals in the same year for the for the first time since 1963.

The 2019-20 campaign, Leen's third with the Panthers, resulted in a second-place team finish at the ACC Championships as Pitt placed three wrestlers on top of the podium while contending for the conference team title. Seven Panthers qualified for nationals and four were named NWCA All-Americans after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 NCAA Championships.

In his second season, Leen helped the Panthers notch a fourth-place mark in the ACC Championship. Two wrestlers left the tournament with titles in their respective weight classes, with four Panthers moving on to compete in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship. Three of four Panthers ended their season in the round of 12. Likewise, Leen helped oversee four Panthers as they earned spots on the All-ACC Wrestling Team this season.

In his first season as assistant coach, Leen helped build Pitt’s resume at the NCAA Championships, which sent four members to compete, two of which made it to the round of 16. He also helped oversee a team that sent a program best four wrestlers on the All-ACC Academic team.

“Jordan is a high character individual that has the experience and mentality it takes to build an elite team and will make an immediate impact on this program," Gavin said. "He is great at developing student-athletes and he is a very effective recruiter.”

“I am thankful and excited for the opportunity to help guide the Pitt Panthers to new heights,” said Leen. “I’d like to thank Pitt’s administration for entrusting me with the job. I have been impressed by Heather Lyke’s vision, the rest of administration and support staff’s commitment, as well as Keith’s plan for the program. I believe that together we can do something special here at Pitt and I think it can be a lot of fun in the process.”

During his tenure at Virginia under the guidance of Steve Garland, Leen helped produce 40 NCAA qualifiers, nine ACC champions and six All-Americans. The Cavaliers also claimed the 2015 ACC team championship.

As associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, Leen played a crucial role in landing several national recognized recruiting classes, including the 2015 class ranked No. 5 in the nation. In 2017, Leen assisted the Cavaliers to tie a program best NCAA team finish of 15th and individual finish of 2nd. He was heavily involved in the recruitment and development of 2017 NCAA runner-up George DiCamillo at 141 pounds and 2017 true freshman All-American Jack Mueller at 125 pounds.

Prior to joining the UVA staff, Leen got his coaching start at Duke, spending the 2010-11 season with the Blue Devils.

A 2009 graduate of Cornell, Leen was the 2008 157-pound NCAA champion, a three-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier. He posted a career record of 118-29 while garnering First-Team All-Ivy League honors on three occasions.