Jay Antonelli of Chesapeake, Va. been named 2007 Greco-Roman Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the second time in his career that Antonelli has won this prestigious honor (1988, 2007).

Antonelli served as a World Team Coach for the historic 2007 U.S. World Team that won the World Team Title in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was the first U.S. Greco-Roman team to win a Senior World Team title, and featured three individual medalists.

Antonelli has been selected to serve as a U.S. Olympic Team Coach for Greco-Roman at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, along with Rich Estrella and Steve Fraser.

He also served as a World Team Coach for the 2005 U.S. World Team that competed in Budapest, Hungary, which earned one medal and placed 17th in the team standings.

Antonelli served as the Assistant Coach of the 2003 U.S. Greco-Roman World Team that competed in Cretiel, France. The U.S. team placed 13th in the standings, led by three athletes in the top 10 of their divisions.

He was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team coaching staff. Antonelli has also been a member of three other U.S. World Team coaching staffs. He was the head coach for four CISM World Military Championship teams.

He was the head coach of the 2002 U.S. World Cup team. Antonelli has coached a number of other U.S. teams on international tours. He has been active in coaching youth Greco-Roman teams in the past, including working with the New Jersey Junior National team.

Antonelli worked seven years as the head coach of the U.S. Marines Corps team, through the end of the 2004 season. Numerous members of the U.S. Marines team have made U.S. World Team, or qualified for Greco-Roman Team USA during Antonelli's tenure. The Marine Corps was the overall champion at the 2001 Armed Forces Championships, and claimed the Greco-Roman team title in 1998. Antonelli has coached dozens of individual Armed Forces champions in both styles.

He is a major in the U.S. Marine Corps currently stationed at JPASE in Suffolk, Va. Antonelli has served in Baghdad, Iraq in 2004-2005 and most recently in Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2007.

As an athlete, Antonelli was a nationally-ranked Greco-Roman wrestler for the U.S. Marines team. He placed eighth in the 1995 U.S. Nationals, and was fifth in the 1994 World Team Trials. He competed in college for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Antonelli also received a masters degree in Exercise and Health Fitness Promotion from George Mason Univ. He competed for the Pingry School in New Jersey in high school.
	
USA Wrestling will be announcing major award winners this week on TheMat.com.

PAST GRECO-ROMAN COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
2007 - Jay Antonelli, Chesapeake, Va., U.S Marines
2006 - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2005 - Shawn Sheldon, West Palm Beach, Fla., New York AC
2004 - Andy Seras, Sandy Hook, Conn., Sunkist Kids
2003 - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2002 - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2001 - Andy Seras, Sandy Hook, Conn., Sunkist Kids
2000 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm
1999 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm
1998 - Jay Antonelli, Quantico, Va., U.S. Marines
1997 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm
1996 - Rob Hermann, Pensacola, Fla., U.S. Navy
1995 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm
1994 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota USA Wrestling
1993 - Tony Thomas, Fort Benning, Ga., U.S. Army
1992 - Rob Hermann, Pensacola, Fla., U.S. Navy