Joe DeMeo of Niskayuna, N.Y. has been named Developmental Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States. The award honors the top coach in the nation working with age-group wrestlers and programs. DeMeo, who is considered one of the nation's top Greco-Roman coach at all levels, has made a tremendous impact on the sport in the age-group levels, through his club program, the Adirondack Three-Style Wrestling Association (ATWA), as well as with the New York USA Wrestling program. Athletes who train with DeMeo made a major impact on the 2004 ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet Nationals in the Greco-Roman tournament. Five of DeMeo's ATWA wrestlers were in the championships finals of the 2004 Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman, with three of these athletes winning Junior Nationals titles. This was the best performance by athletes from one club in the history of the event. There were nine ATWA members who were All-Americans at the 2004 Junior Nationals, an amazing feat. Scoring points as a club, ATWA would have earned more team points at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals than 49 of the state associations entered. "I think this is one of the biggest honors I have ever received, because the competition is so fierce," said DeMeo. "The ASICS Junior and Cadet Nationals is a wonderful, outstanding event and is the biggest one in the world." ATWA has won the New York state Junior title in both Greco-Roman and freestyle for four straight years, with numerous athletes earning medals on the state level. DeMeo has been one of the most successful and respected coached in Greco-Roman for more than 30 years, coaching numerous athletes who have made U.S. World and Olympic teams. Among the athletes who have competed in the Olympics and were tutored by DeMeo are Shawn Sheldon, Andy Seras, Ike Anderson, Frank Famiano, Chris Catalfo, Dave Schultz, Jeff Blatnick and others. In addition, a number of DeMeo's students have gone on to become tremendous coaches within USA Wrestling. Seras, now head coach at Sacred Heart Univ., was a coach of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman team. Dale Oliver, another DeMeo pupil, is among the coaches for the 2005 U.S. Greco-Roman World team. DeMeo has served as head or assistant coach on numerous U.S. World Teams. He was head coach of the 1994 and 1998 and 2001 U.S. World Teams, as well as the 1999 Pan American Games team. He has also served on four U.S. Olympic coaching staffs. DeMeo has been head coach of U.S. teams at the World Cup, the Pan American Championships and the Espoir World Championships and Junior World Championships. DeMeo is a club coach for the New York Athletic Club, as well as with ATWA. He has been coaching on the national level since 1971, developing Olympians, World Team members and national champions on the Senior level, as well as World Team members and national champions on all of the age-group levels. In Senior Greco-Roman, the team he has coached with has placed first or second in the national every year but for 34 years. DeMeo served as head coach at the State University of New York at Albany for 18 years. He was also a head coach at Stanford Univ., and served an assistant coaching stint at Michigan State. He competed in college for Cornell Univ., and was also a successful freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestler on the Senior level. DeMeo has been a leader within USA Wrestling, serving as a member of the Board of Directors for many years, as well as on a number of standing committees. Developmental Coach of the Year 1989 - Al Kastl, Michigan 1990 - Kevin McCleary, Pennsylvania 1991 - J. D. Robbins, California 1992 - Tony Jones, Oregon 1993 - Morrie Geselter, Illinois 1994 - Jerry Kuntz, Oklahoma 1995 - Mike Hagerty, Missouri 1996 - Bob Kopnisky, Indiana 1997 - John Leone, New York 1998 - Mike Rial, Iowa 1999 - Greg Strobel, Pennsylvania 2000 - John Hohman, Pennsylvania 2001 - Randy Baker, Minnesota 2002 - Archie Randall, Oklahoma 2003 - John Matthews, Arizona 2004 - Sean Bormet, Illinois 2005 - Joe DeMeo, New York