Cal Poly Humboldt Athletics

Cal Poly Humboldt athletics has announced the hiring of Anthony Mancini as the new head coach of the men’s wrestling program.

Mancini replaces the departed Lennie Zalesky, who stepped down earlier this year after reestablishing the program at the local university when the team was brought back in 2024.

Mancini arrives at Humboldt after serving as an assistant coach at San Francisco State since July 2021, where he played a key role in revitalizing the Gators’ program following the COVID-19 hiatus.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Mancini to Cal Poly Humboldt,” Executive Director of Athletics Dr. Nick Pettit said. “Anthony brings a strong track record of competitive success, student-athlete development, and coaching experience. 

“We look forward to continuing to build on the momentum and foundation that Lennie and Jim Zalesky have established over the past two years.”

During his tenure at San Francisco State, Mancini posted winning dual records in two of the last three seasons while excelling both on the mat and in the classroom. 

The program produced more than 60 Academic All-Americans, eight national qualifiers, three All-Americans, and a national champion.

“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead the wrestling program at Cal Poly Humboldt,” the new coach said. “I’m excited to work with this outstanding group of student-athletes as we push the program to new heights and represent the university and community with pride. Go Jacks!”

Mancini’s coaching experience also extends to the international stage. 

He has served as an assistant coach for Puerto Rico’s national team at the U23 World Championships and led Team Philippines at both the U20 and U23 World Championships, further demonstrating his ability to develop talent at the highest levels of competition.

Prior to his time in San Francisco, Mancini was a volunteer assistant coach at Nebraska-Kearney, where he also competed at 184 pounds for the nationally ranked Lopers during the 2020-21 season. 

As a competitor, Mancini compiled a 15-4 record as a graduate student while helping lead the Lopers to a top-five national ranking throughout the season. 

He was ranked second nationally heading into the postseason before suffering an ACL injury at the NCAA Division II Regionals.

Mancini began his collegiate career at Franklin and Marshall, where he competed from 2014-19 and served as a three-year team captain. After redshirting the 2017-18 season, he missed the 2018-19 campaign due to injury before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology.