WAYNESBURG, Pa. (June 12) – Waynesburg University head men's wrestling coach Bobby Patnesky has received the honor of being named to the coaching staff for the Pennsylvania Junior Men's Freestyle Team at the 2026 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. His appointment to the position is reflective of his well-earned national reputation as a high-end competitor and coach for more than 30 years.
 
"I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to an organization that played a significant role in shaping my freestyle wrestling career through the PAWF (Pennsylvania Wrestling Federation," Patnesky said. "Wrestling in Pennsylvania has provided me with countless opportunities, mentors and experiences, and I look forward to helping the next generation of athletes pursue their dreams of bring home the STOPSIGN."
 
Patnesky's work with the team begins at Clarion (Pa.) University, which runs from July 5-7. After a travel day to head to North Dakota, competition runs from July 9-12 at the Fargodome. During his time with the squad, Waynesburg's second-year head coach will get the opportunity to work with the best of the best in the Keystone State in terms of coaches and high school-age competitors. He also sees this latest addition to his impressive resume as a way to spread the name of Waynesburg University men's wrestling on a national stage
 
"This experience will not only enhance our recruiting efforts, but also continue to elevate the profile of Waynesburg University Wrestling," Patnesky said. "Most importantly, I am excited to work with some of Pennsylvania's best young wrestlers and help them pursue their goal of becoming National Champions.
 
Patnesky is coming off his first year as the leader of the Yellow Jackets, which was highlighted by rising senior Jessie Orbin (Houston, Pa. / Chartiers-Houston) winning his second-straight Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) championship and eclipsing 100 victories as a collegiate competitor. Several Jackets also saw a jump in their season win totals from the 2024-25 campaign and an increase in team GPA.
 
Patnesky enjoyed a standout prep and collegiate wrestling career at nearby Canon-McMillan High School and West Virginia University. He spent 12 years as the head coach at NCAA Division I Davidson and five years at Penn State Behrend, where he revitalized a Division III program that had been dormant for nearly 40 years.
 
Patnesky was tabbed to restart Penn State Behrend's wrestling program in the 2017-18 season. In the program's second year, 184 pounder Jake Paulson qualified for the NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships. Patnesky served as chair of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Committee while with the Lions. In addition to his coaching duties, Patnesky also served a professor of Kinesiology at Behrend.
 
At Davidson, Patnesky coached for 12 seasons and led the Wildcats to 68 dual match victories, the second-most in program history. He mentored four Southern Conference champions and five NCAA Division I national qualifiers.
  
The Wildcats excelled academically under Patnesky's watch. Davidson was included in the National Wrestling Coaches' Association's Division I All-Academic rankings seven times, including back-to-back No. 5 rankings in 2009 and 2010.
 
As a competitor at Canon-Mac, Patnesky was a WPIAL champion, a three-time Junior Nationals All-American and a Junior Nationals finalist.  With the Mountaineers, he was a three-time NCAA Division I national qualifier with over 100 collegiate victories. He claimed the Eastern Wrestling League championship at 133 pounds as a senior, competed for the U.S. on a tour of France and Poland and was an NWCA Academic All-American.
 
Patnesky was inducted into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. He earned a bachelor's degree in communications from WVU in 2000 and a master's in athletic administration from Ohio in 2003.