Coach DeFilippis and his talented staff understand what is needed to develop a young athlete into a successful wrestler. Having been in the wrestling world for most of their lives, both as a competitor and as coaches, they have been exposed to most of what is out there. YSWC coaches have walked the road, have carried the load and can fully comprehend the good, the bad and the ugly that is involved in developing a great wrestler.
Yale Street Wrestling Club’s mission is to embrace and nurture all wrestlers, regardless of their ability, to work with them so that they can achieve their own ultimate potential. We treat all our athletes as unique individuals and we understand that each athlete requires individual attention and that no two wrestlers are the same. Fulfilling one’s potential at any level, is built on sound practice habits, strategy, mental toughness, conditioning, nutrition, and attitude. We believe in coaching. Our coaches have achieved the highest accolades and now are solely focused on getting our athletes to believe in themselves, to inspire them so that they achieve more than they ever thought they could and to install in our athletes that they must entertain possibilities that stretch the limits of their beliefs.
He was a 3-time NJ state finalist in high school, winning the title his senior year at 140 lbs. Donnie was ranked third in the country by Intermat that year, and finished his career with a 109-3 record. He was a 4-time County, District, and Region Champ while wrestling for Seton Hall Prep (96,97), and New Providence HS (98,99). He also won the 1998 NHSCA National Championships at 140 lbs.
In college Donnie earned a full scholarship to George Mason University where he broke the freshman wins record in 2000 by garnering 34 victories. He finished in the Top 12 at the NCAA Division 1 Tournament that year and was voted top ranked freshman in the country at 141 lbs. by Amateur Wrestling News. Donnie went on to place second at the prestigious Midlands Invitational as a true sophomore and entered the NCAA Tournament in 2001 as the fifth seed. In the Round of 16 he was holding an 8-3 lead over his Michigan State opponent when he suffered a severe knee injury ending his tournament and his season.
After the injury, Donnie transferred back home to Rutgers University where he finished his last season on the mat in 2004. He defeated the eventual NCAA Runner-up that year but failed to regain the abilities he possessed before the injury. Donnie was only able to compete 3 years in College and compiled a Division 1 record of 80-20. He was a 2-time NCAA Qualifier and ranked Top 10 in all 3 seasons. He believes that coming back from such a devastating injury and finishing out his career gave him the drive and motivation to enter into coaching.
Donnie has had the fortune of coaching with 3 championship programs over the last 10 seasons. He has helped guide many individuals to state medals and many teams to state championships. He started at his alma mater, New Providence, and coached there from 2005-2008. In 2005 the team was ranked #1 in Union County and #24 in the State Coaches Poll, and Pioneer wrestler Shane Mallory earned a trip to the State Finals with Donnie in his corner. He then had a brief stop at Brearley in 2009, who finished #3 in the Star Ledger Top 20 that season. Donnie then served three seasons as an assistant at Bound Brook from 2012-2014, where the team finished #10, #4, and #2 in the Star Ledger Top 20 in those three seasons respectively. The Brook was also ranked #20 in the country by Amateur Wrestling News in 2014. Donnie’s last stop was in Summit where he helped guide Craig Delacruz to his third state finals appearance. Craig won two state titles at Bound Brook, also with Donnie in his corner.
Donnie spent some time training in MMA and Jiu-Jitsu. In 2010 he won a gold medal at the Pan Jiu-Jitsu games in the blue belt division, where he won 2 matches by submission and went un-scored upon throughout the entire tournament. In 2011 Donnie competed in The Ring of Combat, which is a professional MMA organization. He won his fight via Rear Naked Choke in 1:52.
Donnie works as a Police Officer in Summit, where he resides with his wife Joanna, and their two sons Dominick and Anthony. Donnie serves as Rutgers University Wrestling Mentorship Program Law Enforcement Liaison, and recently named Lead Instructor of Defensive Tactics at the John H Stamler Police Academy, in Scotch Plains, NJ.
Co-founder and Associate Head Coach
Dan Hilt was a 3-time District champ and a 2-time Region Champ for Manalapan HS. He placed 7th in the NJ state tourn in 2001, 3rd in 2002, and 5th in 2003. He went on to Rutgers and received 4 Varsity letters in his four years of starting for the Scarlet Nights. He is a member of the Manalapan hall of fame and the shore conference hall of fame.
Head Assistant Coach
Shane had a High school record 121 career wins. He was a state runner-up as a senior a three-time district, county and regional champion and four-year letter winner in wrestling. Shane was the 2010 184-pound NCAA Division II National Championship runner-up. He ended his collegiate wrestler career with 80 career wins. He is a member of the Yale Street Wrestling Club Hall-of-Fame.
Assistant Coach
Peter Terrezza wrestled for New Providence HS where he was a 2x Union County Champion, a District-12 Champion, a Region 3 Champion and took 5th Place at the NJ States in 2008. He attended and wrestled for Duke University, where he had 63 Division-1 wins, was a 4-year starter, 2x All-ACC Academic Team, and Team Captain. He is a member of the Yale Street Wrestling Club Hall-of-Fame.
Assistant Coach
Clint matter wrestled for Delran HS where he was a NJ state qualifier. He attended and wrestled for University of Pennsylvania, where he was a 2x NCAA Qualifier, 2x EIWA Champion, and an All-Ivy selection.
