Jason Bovenzi

Biography

Jason Bovenzi enters his tenth season as the RIT head wrestling coach in 2025-26. He led the Tigers to a 6-6 dual-meet record last season with a third-place finish at the RIT Invitational, fifth place at the SUNYAC Championships and a 19th place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships. Bovenzi led RIT to a program-best seventh place finish at the NCAA Tournament in 2021-22 with Kaidon Winters, Zach Stedeford and Austin Lamb earning All-American accolades. He led the Tigers to a historic season in 2018-19, earning Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference Coach of the Year and National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III Mideast Region Coach of the Year honors. During the 2018-19 season, RIT won a program-record 12 dual matches, while sending three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Bovenzi was a standout collegiate wrestler at St. Lawrence University and Ithaca College, advancing to the NCAA Championship four times. He was a three-time All-American and two-time National Champion in 1993 and 1995. In his final season at Ithaca in 1994-95, Bovenzi won his second straight national title at 190 lbs., finishing with an undefeated record. For 17 seasons, Bovenzi served as the head varsity wrestling coach at East Rochester (1996-2002) and Pittsford (2002-2013) high schools, developing both programs into New York State ranked teams while coaching 36 class champions and a New York State champion. In 2000, Bovenzi founded the Apex Wrestling Club, one of the largest wrestlin