Wrestling
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- seangray@princeton.edu
- Phone:
- 609-258-5447
Email Sean Gray at seangray@princeton.edu
Sean Gray, the associate head coach at Princeton and a member of the Virginia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame, enters his 13th season in 2023-24 with a Tiger program continuing to move toward the upper echelon of the sport.
Over the last several seasons, Gray has assisted head coach Chris Ayres revitalize Princeton wrestling in ways few could have imagined a decade earlier. Since 2016 alone, Princeton has:• won the Ivy League title in 2020 for the first time since 1986 and ended Cornell's 92-match, 18-year Ivy League winning streak
• in 2022, had the program's first NCAA finalist since 2002 and had two in the same year (Patrick Glory, Quincy Monday) for the first time ever
• in 2023, had the program's first NCAA champion since 1951 (Glory) and second ever
• Princeton placed 15th at the 2019 NCAA Championships and had a program-record three All-Americans (Patrick Brucki, 4th, Patrick Glory, 6th, Matthew Kolodzik, 5th)
• Matthew Kolodzik '21 became the program's first four-time All-American, and placed 13th in 2023 for its best finish since 1951
• sent Brett Harner to the 2016 All-America podium, ending a 13-year drought without one
• sent a program-record seven to the NCAA Championships (2017)
• placed in the Top 5 at EIWAs annually, when competing, from 2016-22 (third in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022)
• won 10 EIWA individual titles, all since 2016 (Harner, 2016; Jordan Laster, 2017; Kolodzik, 2017, 2018 & 2020; Patrick Glory, 2019, 2020 & 2023; Patrick Brucki, 2019; Quincy Monday, 2022)
• won four individual Midlands titles, all since 2018 (Brucki, Kolodzik in 2018, Glory in 2019, Monday in 2022) and placed fifth overall in 2018 and 2019; the first Midlands titles and best team finishes in event history
• earn EIWA Co-Head Coach of the Year honors (2017)
• earn Ivy League Coach of the Year honors (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020)
• had the program's first-ever Hodge Award finalist (Patrick Glory, 2020 & 2023)
Gray was in the corner for one of the most important moments for the program over several decades, when Harner won by fall in the blood round of the 2016 NCAA Championships in Madison Square Garden. That ended a 13-year drought of All-Americans for Princeton, and the Tigers have had at least one each year since, when the NCAA Championships have been held.
Gray has also played an instrumental role in both the recruiting and scheduling for Princeton, both of which have been key in the program turnaround. Through the Class of 2023, Princeton has brought in six nationally ranked recruiting classes during Gray's tenure, and that has created the foundation of a program that finished 15th at the 2019 NCAAs, and in 2020 won its first Ivy League title since 1986.
The Tigers have also been arguably the most aggressive non-conference scheduler over the last few seasons. In just the 2021-22 season, five of Princeton's six non-conference opponents were fellow EIWA top-25 teams, including three in the top 10 and a visit to No. 1 Iowa after the Hawkeyes came to Jadwin Gym in the 2019-20 season. That impact has been felt in the postseason, with Princeton going 6 for 6 in top-five EIWA finishes since 2016 and placing 15th, for its highest finish since 1978, at the 2019 NCAAs.
Gray, a two-time All-America wrestler at Virginia Tech, spent seven seasons with the Terriers and helped the program qualify six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships over the last two seasons. Last season, Boston University won five matches at nationals, including one upset over a Top-10 opponent, and earned its best NCAA finish since 1997. One year earlier, Gray helped Freddy Santaite reach the NCAA quarterfinal; the journey included an upset victory over defending national champion Troy Nickerson of Cornell.
Gray was more than just a mat coach at Boston University. He worked with all phases of the program, including recruiting, scheduling, fund-raising, travel planning and several other aspects that make up a successful program. After six years as the assistant coach, he was promoted to associate head coach during the 2010-11 season.
Gray also had a standout undergraduate career, and he graduated as the all-time Virginia Tech leader in wins (133), winning percentage (.850), pins (45), and pins in a single season (15). The 1998 CAA Rookie of the Year, Gray placed sixth at NCAAs as a junior and seventh as a sophomore.
He was also a three-time Eastern Wrestling League champion, and finished his collegiate career undefeated in conference dual-meet competition. Gray was inducted into the EWL Hall of Fame on March 4, 2007, and he was inducted into the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame during the fall of 2015.
In 1999, Gray won the FILA Junior National Freestyle Championship and wrestled to a sixth-place finish at 138 pounds at the Junior World Championship in Sydney, Australia.
Gray was also recognized for his work in the classroom, as he earned the Virginia Tech Wrestling Academic Achievement Award after posting a 4.0 grade point average as a senior. The Blacksburg (Va.) Sports Club named Gray the Outstanding Male Athlete at Virginia Tech for 2001.
Gray's wrestling accolades started in high school, where he was a three-time Prep National Champion for Blair Academy of New Jersey. He was also the first person in New Jersey history to win a Cadet Freestyle National Championship. Gray earned a Master's of Education degree with a specialization in physical education and coaching from BU in 2010. He graduated with an impressive 3.83 grade-point average.
Beyond his work in collegiate wrestling, Gray has also gotten involved in MMA/UFC. He was a wrestling coach/corner coach for the recently retired Kenny Florian.
Gray and his wife Jessica have a daughter Makayla and a son Eddie.
