July 27, 2011

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Terrapin assistant wrestling coaches Todd Beckerman and Mike Catullo have been selected to participate in the annual National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Leadership Academy to be held August 3-4, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

"Both Todd Beckerman and Mike Catullo were unanimously approved by the Leadership Academy Selection Committee to receive full scholarships. The Selection Committee recognizes that these two coaches have been mentored by one of the top collegiate head coaches in the nation, Kerry McCoy, and it is clear that both have very bright futures in our sport," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "The NWCA is investing in the future of assistant coaches who will become part of the next generation of great head coaches."

The goals and objectives of the NWCA Leadership Academy are to help coaches strengthen their CEO skills in an effort to protect their programs, and to promote best practices for improving retention and graduation rates. Each participant must complete ten, two-hour online modules, a "program assessment survey," a 360 evaluation to evaluate the coach's proficiency in several areas, attend a three-day academy workshop, participate in an ongoing mentoring program, and assemble a program portfolio.

"This is a great opportunity for Todd and Mike," said head coach Kerry McCoy. "The experience will be beneficial to them personally, as well as our program as a whole."

Through donations, the NWCA is able to provide full scholarships for a minimum of 60 coaches to attend the event held each summer. In order to be accepted into the program, applicants must be nominated and complete the required written materials.

Entering his seventh season at Maryland, Beckerman was a four-time letterwinner and two-time All-American at Nebraska, and was named 2000-01 Nebraska Male Athlete of the Year.

"Participating in the NWCA's prestigious Leadership Academy will allow me to refine and grow my own coaching skill set," said Beckerman. "I'm excited for the unique opportunity to learn from some of collegiate wrestling's most accomplished and revered coaches and apply my learnings to benefit our team and the university's athletic department."

Catullo is entering his second season at Maryland. A member of the University of West Virginia wrestling team from 1997-2002, the Mountaineers posted two top-10 national finishes during his time in Morgantown.

"I am really excited to be a part of this year's NWCA Leadership Academy. This is an opportunity to be around some of the best minds in our sport, and I look forward to interacting and learning from each one of them," said Catullo. "This experience should be a reminder of why we are in this profession, and it should reinforce what we are doing in our programs."

A list of the participating coaches and mentors for this year's NWCA Leadership Academy can be found here.