Mia Macaluso named first full-time East Stroudsburg Women’s Assistant Coach

EAST STROUDSBURG – After a prolific career on the mat for the East Stroudsburg University women's wrestling team, Mia Macaluso '24 will return to the Warriors as the first full-time assistant coach in the history of the program, ESU men's and women's wrestling head coach Anibal Nieves announced on Monday.

"After four transformative years, East Stroudsburg University feels like home," said Macaluso of her new appointment. "I look forward to being part of the women's coaching staff and helping continue its success. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue working with and learning from coach Anibal Nieves. Go, Warriors!"

Macaluso is the only Warrior to earn NCWWC All-America status twice and became the first three-time honoree at ESU this past season. Along with taking sixth place at 123 in 2024, she earned third place at 123 in 2023 (best finish in program history) and fourth place at 130 in 2022.

She was a major factor in the Warriors tying for 12th in the nation at the NCWWC National Championships.

"For the past five years, the ESU women's wrestling team has climbed into the top ten in the country and Mia Macaluso has been on four of those teams and was a major reason for our success," Nieves said of his newest assistant.

"Mia has established herself as one of the best wrestlers ever to compete in an ESU singlet. The timing was perfect, and Mia is the future of our Warrior Nation. I'm very excited to see her impact on our program."

The Otisville, N.Y. native completed her collegiate career with a program-best 68-19 record in just three seasons.

In high school at Minisink Valley, Macaluso was a two-time girls New York Public Schools Athletic Association state champion and a three-time New York State freestyle state champion. She finished fourth at the boys' 2020 NYPHSAA Section IX Championships, becoming the first girl in section history to reach the semifinals.

In 2021, Macaluso represented the United States at the Women's Freestyle Junior World Championships in Russia, winning a junior national championship at 59 kg to qualify for the world team. She is a five-time US National Team Member, winning a U17 gold medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Mexico and was named Most Outstanding Wrestler. In 2019 at Pan American Games in Guatemala, Macaluso claimed a U20 Bronze Medal.

This month, Macaluso won a senior championship at the 2024 Carolina Beach Nationals. Macaluso was one of the top Beach wrestlers in her weight class internationally in 2022. She clinched a berth for a remaining United World Wrestling Beach World Series event with her senior championship on May 11.

Macalsuo started her position on Friday, May 31.