Tom Borrelli - Wrestling Coach - Central Michigan University Athletics

Photo by: Allissa Rusco

Tom Borrelli

Title:
Head Coach
E-Mail Address:
borre1tr@cmich.edu
Phone:
(989) 774-3856
Year at CMU:
33rd year at CMU
Alma Mater/Year:
The Citadel/1979
Experience:
40th year

In 33 years in charge of the Central Michigan program, Tom Borrelli has distinguished himself as one of the most highly respected names in collegiate wrestling.

Borrelli has led the Chippewas to 30 Mid-American Conference titles, 15 at the MAC Championships and 15 regular season crowns. He led CMU to a record 11 consecutive first-place finishes at the MAC Championships from 2002-12.

In March, 2024, Borrelli was named the MAC Coach of the Year Award for a record 15^th time after leading his Chippewas to the MAC Championships title.

Borrelli has amassed 414 career victories (against just 204 losses), ranking fourth among active college coaches and second to Oklahoma State’s John Smith among those leading Division I programs. He has amassed a 368-179 dual meet record at Central Michigan.

In 33 seasons, the Borrelli-led Chippewas have finished .500 or better in all duals, a ledger made all the more extraordinary by the fact that his teams annually go head to head in duals with top-25 programs, including the likes of Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan.

A testament to Borrelli’s legacy is the Chippewa Challenge, a quad featuring CMU, Cal State Bakersfield, American and Campbell. Those three programs are coached by former Chippewas who wrestled at CMU for Borrelli: His son, Jason (American); Scotti Sentes (Campbell); and Luke Smith (CSU Bakersfield).

Further cementing Borrelli as a legend in the sport was his 2018 induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Michigan Chapter.

The Chippewas’ dominance of the MAC under Borrelli has been remarkable, as they have amassed a 154-36 record in conference duals during his tenure. Thirteen times the Chippewas have finished unbeaten in MAC duals, and 28 times they have finished .500 or better in all duals.

Two Chippewas, Alex Cramer and Johnny Lovett, earned individual MAC crowns in 2023 and those two, along with teammate Corbyn Munson, qualified for the NCAA Championships.

That trio brought to 171 the number of times a Chippewa has qualified for the nationals under Borrelli.

Borrelli has coached one national champion, 45 All-Americans, 10 MAC Wrestler of the Year honorees, 10 wrestlers who have earned the MAC Freshman of the Year Award, seven who have walked away with the Outstanding Wrestler Award at the MAC Championships, 92 MAC champions, 61 National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-Americans, 79 Academic All-MAC selections, and two Academic All-Americans.

A record five of those MAC individual championships were claimed by heavyweight Matt Stencel, who in 2022 made history in becoming the first wrestler in league history to capture five crowns.

Only nine wrestlers have won as many as four individual titles in MAC history. Three are Borrelli protégés.

In 2021, CMU’s Drew Hildebrandt finished fourth at 125 pounds in the NCAA Championships, marking the 45^th time a Chippewa wrestler has ended the season as an All-American under Borrelli.

Borrelli became Central Michigan's all-time wins leader while leading the Chippewas to their 10th consecutive conference crown in 2008. A 19-16 victory over No. 11 Ohio State at the National Duals was Borrelli's 196th career dual victory, and it moved him past Chick Sherwood and into first place on the all-time list. Sherwood guided the Chippewas to 195 dual victories from 1965-89.

A highly respected name on the national level, Borrelli was honored by his peers when he was presented with the National Wrestling Coaches Association Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award at the 2004 NCAA Championships. The award goes annually to one coach in recognition of his contribution to the sport.

In 1998, Borrelli was named the National Coach of the Year by two organizations, the National Wrestling Coaches Association and Wrestling International Newsmagazine (W.I.N.). He shared the W.I.N. Dan Gable Coach of the Year Award with Minnesota coach J Robinson.

While the CMU program has been top notch in the wrestling room and on the competitive mat during Borrelli’s tenure, so too has its academic performance. CMU has finished in the top 15 nationally in team GPA in 18 of the past 28 seasons, including third-place finishes in both 1994 and 2003.

Borrelli protégés Wynn Michalak (2008) and Mark DiSalvo (2006) were recipients of NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships and both earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors following their respective senior seasons.

Before coming to CMU, Borrelli coached at Lake Superior State from 1986-91, compiling a 46-25-1 dual record and leading the Lakers to five top-20 finishes in the NCAA Division II Championships, two regional titles, and a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. In 1991, he was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year.

In his five seasons at Lake State, Borrelli produced 17 All-Americans, 26 national qualifiers, and two national finalists.

Borrelli served as an assistant at Clemson for two years from 1984-86. He earned a master’s degree in education administration and supervision from Clemson in 1987.

Borrelli was a standout wrestler at The Citadel, where he was a four-year letter winner from 1975-79, finishing with a 58-27-2 career record. He twice earned the program’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award. He graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education.

He and his wife Lorri reside in Mount Pleasant. They have two sons, Bob and Jason, both of whom wrestled at CMU. Jason is the head coach at American after having served in the same capacity at Stanford from 2008-21.