George Mason Wrestling Head Coach Frank Beasley has announced the addition of Mike DePalma to his coaching staff.
 
DePalma comes to Mason after coaching one season at Edinboro University.
 
"We are excited to have Mike join our coaching staff," said Beasley. "I've known him for several years and have always appreciated his passion for wrestling. Mike will hit the ground running here and make an immediate impact on our program."
 
The native of Jeannette, Pa. wrestled for the Fighting Scots as a redshirt freshman in 2012-13 before transferring to Kent State. He wrapped up his competitive career with the Golden Flashes, earning All-American honors as a senior.
 
"I want to thank coach Frank Beasley for this great opportunity," DePalma said. "I'm impressed with the culture and the vision the coaching staff has established for the Masong Wrestling program. I'm looking forward to learning from the staff and working with our student-athletes."
 
After graduating from Kent State in 2016, DePalma spent two years as a resident athlete at The Ohio State University Ohio Regional Training Center. He trained under World Team member Tervel Dlagnev, and competed in numerous international freestyle wrestling competitions. He competed in both the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Opens, before retiring from competition to begin his coaching career.
 
DePalma started for Kent State for three seasons at 149 lbs. He capped his career with an All-American performance at the 2016 NCAA Division I National Championships. He finished fifth at 149 lbs., going 6-2 with wins over the number four, five and nine seeds. He was a three-time national qualifier for the Golden Flashes.  
 
DePalma won the 2016 Mid-American Conference Championship and placed third at the MAC Championships both his sophomore and junior seasons. He went 2-2 at Nationals, including a win over seventh seed Gus Sako of Virginia. He totaled 11 wins over nationally-ranked opponents.
 
As a Fighting Scot, DePalma finished third at the PSAC Championships and fifth at the EWL Championships. He was named to the 2013 Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie Team.
 
Overall, DePalma had 97 wins in his collegiate career.