Over 70 years of wrestling excellence, and over 900 dual meet wins includes countless stories and pieces of history. The ethos of Wilkes University Wrestling was coined by longtime coach and National Wrestling Hall of Famer, John G. Reese and it goes like this, “Victory Goes To Those Who Are Willing To Pay The Price”. Associate Head Men’s Coach, Pankil Chander welcomes guests of the past and present that have paid the price and left an indelible impact on the Colonel’s storied wrestling program and the Wilkes University community alike.
Episode 6: USA Greco Olympic Trials Qualifier, Ally Sleiman '96
Host Pankil Chander interviews Ally Sleiman '96, exploring his journey from Wilkes Wrestling standout to decorated Army Officer and emergency management leader, revealing how wrestling builds lifelong leadership.
Pankil Chander interviews Cam Butka, two-time NCAA All-American and 2025 NCAA finalist, about his record-breaking wrestling career at Wilkes University and his commitment to academics.
9 Mar 2025
Episode 4: 2015 DIII NCAA Champion, Matt Grossmann '18
2015 NCAA DIII Champion at 133lbs and 2018 Wilkes Alumnus, Matthew Grossmann joins the ColonelCast to discuss his wrestling journey, path to a national championship, coaching on staff with the Colonels post-grad, and more!
Grossmann became the 11th Individual National Champion in Wilkes program history and first since 1975 as a freshman in 2015 when he captured the 133-pound weight class title to earn All-American honors. He was also named the 2015 d3wrestle.com Freshman of the Year and to the Amateur Wrestling News Rookie of the Year Team along with being named the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Rookie and Wrestler of the Year.
He finished his four-year career with a 99-18 record. He was the MAC 141-pound champion his junior season and a runner-up at the MAC Championships his freshman and senior years. Grossmann also captured titles at the Will Abele Open and NCAA East Regional as a freshman, the Monarch Invitational as a sophomore and the Messiah Petrofes and Will Abele Open as a junior.
Grossmann was named to the 2018 Winter Academic All-MAC Team and graduated this past spring with a degree in business management and will be taking graduate classes at Wilkes as we works toward his MBA.
While at Manheim Township High School, Grossmann was a two-time state medalist with second and fifth place finishes and completed his high school career with a 136-31 record.
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13 Feb 2025
Episode 3: National Runner-Up & 2025 National Wrestling Hall of Fame - PA Chapter Inductee, Rick Mahonski '77
Rick Mahonski '77 joins the ColonelCast to discuss his journey through wrestling that led to him being named into the 2025 class of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame with a Lifetime Service to Wrestling honor.
He earned a 112-pound PIAA state title for Williamsport High School before going on to wrestle for Wilkes University from 1974-77, securing an NCAA runner-up finish at 118 pounds while helping the Colonels earn the 1974 NCAA Division III team championship.
As a junior in 1976, Mahonski and the Colonels became the first and only program in Wilkes history to compete at the Division I level where the squad took home first place at the Binghamton Open and second place at the Wilkes Open. Mahonski again shined where he captured second place at the EIWA Tournament at 126-pounds.
As a senior in 1977, Mahonski led the Colonels in their second season at the DI ranks serving as a quad-captain while placing fifth at the EIWA Tournament.
A member of the District 4 Hall of Fame as well as the West Branch Wrestling Hall of Fame, Mahonski served as an art teacher within Hughesville School District for 35 years and is now a successful business owner and goldsmith.
In April of 2024, Mahonski, at the age of 69, ended a 47-year hiatus and returned to the mats at the US Open in Las Vegas, winning a championship in the Masters Division in Greco-Roman and finishing runner-up in freestyle.
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27 Jan 2025
Episode 2: 2x All-American, Anthony Dattolo '12
Anthony Dattolo joins the ColonelCast to discuss his transformational journey through wrestling to the national stage, the positive impact of the Wilkes Wrestling culture and system, transitioning to coaching at NYU, and more!
Dattolo was inducted into the Wilkes Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024. The 2012 graduate of Wilkes was a two-time NCAA DIII All-American and 2012 national finalist.
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9 Jan 2025
Episode 1: Coach Al Zellner '72 & Jon Laudenslager '99
The kickoff episode of the Wilkes Wrestling ColonelCast features two alumni and two of just six head coaches in the storied history of Wilkes University Wrestling in Coach Alan Zellner and current Director of Wrestling, Jon Laudenslager!
Alan Zellner sits down with his former wrestler and Assistant Coach, and now current Director of Wrestling, Jon Laudenslager to chat about their journey's through wrestling, the legacy of the late John Reese, the different eras and transitions of Colonel Wrestling, and how the future remains bright for the program.
Breakdown of the conversation below:
2:50: Al Zellner's journey through wrestling and to Wilkes
9:42: Jon Laudenslager journey through wrestling and to Wilkes
16:25: How did the wrestling nickname "The Snake" get coined for Alan Zellner?
22:30: The legacy of wrestling and coaching with the late, John Reese
35:00: Zellner succeeding John Reese as Head Coach and the how the college athletics landscape evolved to transition from Wilkes Wrestling's tenure in Division I to Division III
45:00: Breakdown of timeline of Wilkes Wrestling
50:50: The Laudenslager era
58:25: Helping guys accomplish their goals at the NCAA Championships
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Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 8 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
3
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
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