Hofstra University Athletics

Former two-time Penn State All-American Dan Vallimont is in his sixth season as an assistant coach on the Pride staff and his first as head assistant wrestling coach in 2016-17. Under his direction in 2014, Hofstra had its first Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion in Joe Booth at 165 pounds

Vallimont, a native of Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, was a four-time NCAA qualifier for the Nittany Lions of Penn State from 2005 through 2010 who recorded a 110-36 mark during his collegiate career. A team captain in 2008-09 and 2009-10, Vallimont placed second at the 2010 NCAA Division I Championships at 165 pounds and finishing the season with a 30-9 mark. As a sophomore, he finished third at the 2008 NCAA Championships at 157 pounds and posted a 32-3 record.

A three-time top three finisher at the Big Ten Championships, Vallimont placed second in 2008 and third in 2009 and 2010. As a red-shirt freshman in 2006-07, he placed fourth in the Big Ten Championships and tallied a 22-12 record. Vallimont advanced to the NCAA Championships as the 12^th-seed at 157 pounds and came within one win of All-America accolades. As a junior, he placed third in the Big Ten, advanced to the NCAA Championships at 165 pounds and, again, came one victory shy of All-America status, finishing with a 26-12 slate on the season.

Vallimont has continued his wrestling career, and has been ranked as high as 21st in the world, while coaching the Pride. He has consistently been ranked in the top 10 U.S. National Team rankings over the past several years. Vallimont was a two-time U.S. World Team Trials qualifier and finished in the top six in 2014. He was also a member of the U.S. Freestyle World Cup team that placed third in Los Angeles in 2014. Vallimont was a runner-up at the 2014 Dave Schultz Memorial Tournament at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Vallimont, who graduated from Penn State in 2010 with a degree in architectural engineering, was a two-time New Jersey State High School champion at Jefferson Township High School in Oak Ridge, New Jersey. A three-year team captain and a four-year member of the National Honor Society, he posted a 134-9 career record in high school.