Wrestling

	Lance Baden '99
	Head Wrestling Coach lbaden@wpi.edu 508-831-6138

The 2007-2008 campaign will mark the second season for Lance Baden at the helm of the Engineer wrestling program.  A year ago Baden returned to WPI as head wrestling coach after a Hall of Fame career as a wrestler and six years as an assistant coach from 2000-2006 under the tutelage of legendary coach Phil Grebinar and Sean Nelligan.

"It's great to be back with the program; It was really hard for me to be away from it," stated Baden. "I was really honored when Sean and Dana Harmon (WPI Athletics Director) asked me to come back and lead the program.

Baden ended his distinguished wrestling career at WPI as a two-time captain and earned All-American status his sophomore year. He was also a two-time New England champion, winning the 177-pound class as a sophomore and the 184-pound class as a senior. Baden was a four-time All-New England place winner and owns a 46-11 dual meet record for a .807 percentage.

A major part of WPI record books, Baden is fourth in pins in one season (10), fifth in career pins (23), seventh in individual career points (233), eighth in dual wins (46), eighth in pin percentage in one season (.625), and ninth in career pin percentage (.404). He's also third in consecutive pins in one season (5) and fourth in pins in less than one minute in his career (4).

"There's nowhere else that I would want to coach," stated Baden. "We're highly motivated to get WPI back to the top of the division and develop as many New England Champions and All-Americans as possible.

In high school, Baden won the state title as a senior at Framingham High and after placing third in the state in his junior year. He was also a two-time sectional champion and placed fifth in New England.

Before coaching at WPI, Baden was an assistant coach at MIT during the 1999-2000. Since 1999, he has worked as a project manager at Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc, based in Watertown, MA. Baden has refereed as a high school referee since 1995 and currently serves on the Executive Board of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Wrestling Officials Association.

	Rob Polin '98
	Assistant Wrestling Coach

Former assistant and standout wrestler Rob Polin returns to the WPI program after a two-year stint at Bridgewater State College. 

Polin earned All-New England honors twice for the Crimson and Gray.  In 1997 he earned the honor at 134 pounds before turning the trick a year later as a senior captain at 125 pounds. 

He returned to Boynton Hill in 2001 and assisted Hall of Fame coach Phil Grebinar for four years before departing for Bridgewater State.  In his six years as an assistant, Polin coached eight New England champions, 15 finalists, 34 All-New England athletes and nine NCAA qualifiers. 

Polin also enjoyed success at the high school level, coaching at Randolph and Canton High Schools.  He helped Canton to three top-10 Massachusetts finishes, including third place in 2003. 

Polin, a native of Randolph, graduated from WPI in 1998 with a degree in mechanical engineering.  He is currently employed as an electrical engineer for Independent Electric Supply in Somerville.

	Sean Nelligan '02
	Assistant Wrestling Coach

Sean Nelligan, who from 2004 to 2006 was just the sixth head coach in the history of the WPI wrestling program, made the seamless transition to an assistant under Lance Baden a year ago.

As an undergraduate, Nelligan burst onto the collegiate wrestling scene during his red-shirt freshman season of 1999-2000. He was nationally ranked at 165 pounds that season and his only losses came to the eventual NCAA champion and runner-up. During his standout career, Nelligan set the school record for most takedowns and wins in a season, served as a co-captain and earned All New England honors.

He graduated from WPI with distinction in July 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. During his days as an undergraduate on Boynton Hill, he was the President of the WPI Freestyle Wrestling Club in 2000-01 and the community service supervisor and the public relations chairman for Phi Kappa Theta fraternity.

After his days as an undergraduate, Nelligan stayed involved with the WPI wrestling program, serving as assistant coach to Hall of Fame Phil Grebinar. When Grebinar retired in the spring of 2005 after 33 seasons, Nelligan became the top Engineer where he guided the team to 14 wins in his two years at the helm.

A native of Brockton, Massachusetts, Nelligan was recently inducted to the Brockton High School Athletic Hall of Fame. During his scholastic career, he was a Massachusetts Division I State Champion and an All-New England member. Nelligan is also the founder of the Worcester County Wrestling Club.

	Colin Pacelli '04
	Assistant Wrestling Coach

Coach Pacelli begins his third year as an assistant for the Engineer wrestling team. Pacelli comes back to WPI after starting for four years under WPI's legendary wrestling coach Phil Grebinar from 2000-2004.

Pacelli, who hails from Foxboro, MA, spends his spare time as a high school wrestling referee in Massachusetts and he also serves as an assistant coach for the varsity soccer program at Foxboro High School.

Pacelli currently is employed as a special education teacher at Mansfield High School.

	Garret Trombi '95
	Assistant Wrestling Coach

Garret Trombi takes on an expanded role on the WPI coaching staff after serving as a part time volunteer assistant coach during the 2007-2008 season.

A two-time captain for head coach Phil Grebinar, Trombi capped an impressive career by winning the New England championship at 150 pounds as a senior.   He earned All-New England status three times, finishing second in 1994 and fourth in 1992.

Trombi's outstanding scholastic career at Milford High School was highlighted by a New Hampshire state championship in 1989.  

He graduated from WPI with honors in 1995 with a degree in Civil Engineering.  Since 2006  he has been doing estimating & sales for Barker Steel LLC, a rebar fabricator.  He and his wife Kathy have two children -  Paul (age 6) and Caroline (age 3).