Former Stanford wrestling assistant coach Alex Tirapelle rejoined the staff in 2017-18 after spending three seasons as the head coach at Penn. He begins his third season as an assistant coach and his seventh overall as a part of the Cardinal program in 2019-20.
"We are thrilled to welcome Alex back to our program, as he is one of the best coaches and wrestling minds in the country," said head coach Jason Borrelli. "Alex epitomizes our program's Cardinal Caliber values and I have zero doubt that our student-athletes will benefit tremendously from his direction."
Tirapelle served as an assistant coach for Stanford from 2010-14 before becoming the head coach at Penn (2014-17). While on The Farm, Tirapelle helped guide the Cardinal to its best dual-season record in school history with a 17-5 mark in 2013-14. That year's team sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships – tying a then-school record. Four of the five NCAA qualifiers were Pac-12 champions, also a school record.
"During Alex's previous stint on The Farm, he was part of a stretch from 2011-2014 that saw us hit numerous program milestones. We look forward to having him be a part of even more milestones in the future," added Borrelli.
In his six combined seasons at Stanford, Tirapelle has helped coach 22 wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships, including Stanford's second three-time All-American and first two-time NCAA finalist in Nick Amuchastegui. The Cardinal has earned five total All-America honors during Tirapelle's tenure, including three at the 2011 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia – the highest All-America output at any NCAA Championships by a Stanford squad. The three All-Americans in 2011 propelled the Cardinal to an 11th-place finish overall, the highest team finish in program history.
During his tenure at Penn, Tirapelle went 21-18 in duals and had 13 wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships, including All-American Casey Kent in 2016.