Hempstead, NY - Hofstra Wrestling Head Coach Dennis Papadatos announced the arrival of eight incoming student-athletes for the 2021-22 season of Hofstra wrestling.

The Pride graduated three members from the 2020-21 squad, including two starters. The team will see 18 grapplers return for the new season, including eight starters and six NCAA Championships qualifiers. Hofstra will add student-athletes hailing from Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Entering his eighth season as the head coach at Hofstra, Papadatos is excited to see the newest members of the Pride join the squad. "These guys fill needs we have ranging from 125 to 285, and they bring more balance to an already well-balanced, strong group of student-athletes. In addition to their talents on the mat, each one of these guys comes to us with very strong academic profiles. We're extremely excited about this group!"
 

Name	Wt.	Ht.	Cl.	Hometown/High School/Previous School
Dylan Acevedo-Switzer	125	5-5	Fr.	Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial
Noah Bila	Hwt.	6-0	Fr.	Miller Place, NY/Miller Place
Ty Cymmerman	149	5-8	Fr.	Latrobe, PA/Derry Area
Michael Leandrou	149/157	5-9	So.	Oyster Bay, NY/Oyster Bay/American Univ.
Nikolas Miller	197	5-11	Fr.	Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain
Jacob Moon	125	5-4	Fr.	Oregon, OH/Perrysburg
Joel Mylin	133	5-7	Fr.	Wildwood, MO/Lafayette
Eric Shindel	141/149	5-10	Fr.	Merrick, NY/John F. Kennedy

Dylan Acevedo-Switzer
Freshman, 5-5, 125
Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial



High School: Wrestled for Sayreville War Memorial High School in Sayreville, New Jersey…Compiled a 103-23 career record for the Bombers…Was the county champion and qualified for the state championships in 2020…Was named Second Team All-County as a sophomore (2019) and as a senior (2021)…Received the Sayreville War Memorial High School Male Athlete of the Year Award as a senior…Helped the Bombers to three White Division championships and a semi-final appearance in the 2020 New Jersey State Championships...Was a member of the Spanish National Honor Society.

Personal: Has two siblings…Hobbies include cars, fashion, and weightlifting…Lists Conor McGregor and Pete Alonso as his favorite athletes…Lists Holes as his favorite book…Started wrestling at the age of eight…Plans to major in Business Analytics.

Coach Papadatos on Acevedo-Switzer: "Dylan comes from the tough state of New Jersey and we believe is a lifer at 125. He moves well and has an aggressive style of wrestling that we look to build and expand upon."

Noah Bila
Freshman, 6-0, 184
Miller Place, NY/Miller Place



High School: Wrestled for Miller Place High School in Miller Place, New York…Earned All-State honors after finishing in eighth at the 2021 Journeymen Wrestling Championships…Helped the Bulldogs to two league titles and a finish of third-place at the county championships…Named All-League all four years of high school…Earned All-County honors as a sophomore in 2019, a junior in 2020, and as a senior in 2021…Also played football for four years.

Personal: Has two siblings…Hobbies include exercising and cooking…Lists Kobe Bryant as his favorite athlete…Lists Of Mice and Men as his favorite book…Started wrestling at the age of eight…Has been an active participant in the Shine A Light NF Walk to help end Neurofibromatosis…Plans to major in Finance.

Coach Papadatos on Bila: "Noah is a local All-State wrestler out of Miller Place in Suffolk County. He comes to us as a heavyweight, and we expect him to help us strengthen our upper weight classes. We like big guys that like to shoot and scrap, and he is definitely one of those kinds of guys."

Ty Cymmerman
Freshman, 5-8, 149
Latrobe, PA/Derry Area



High School: Wrestled for Derry Area High School in Derry, Pennsylvania…Compiled a career record of 153-29 for the Trojans…A two-time All-State honoree after as a sophomore in 2019 and again as a junior in 2020…Finished fifth at the 2020 Powerade Tournament and sixth at the 2021 Powerade Tournament…Was a four-time sectional champion…Helped the Trojans to a team title at the Pennsylvania Sectional Championships in 2018.

Personal: Has three siblings…Mother, Laura, played softball at the University of Pittsburgh…Hobbies include playing sports and video games…Lists Israel Adesanya and David Taylor as his favorite athletes…List 21 Jump Street as his favorite movie…Started wrestling at the age of seven…Plans to major in Business.

Coach Papadatos on Cymmerman: "Ty placed in the Pennsylvania State Championships twice in what is arguably the toughest state to wrestle in the country. He is a very scrappy wrestler and tries to find a way to score from every position, which is something we're always looking for."

Michael Leandrou
Sophomore, 5-9, 149/157
Oyster Bay, NY/Oyster Bay/American University



Previous College: Attended American University in Washington, D.C.

High School: Wrestled for four years at Oyster Bay High School in Oyster Bay, New York…Was the County Champion and finished in fourth at the New York State Championships as a senior…Finished as County Champion as a junior…Received the PE Excellency AP Scholar with Distinction as a junior…A four-time Principal's List honoree.

Personal: Has two siblings…Hobbies include lifting, cooking, and playing soccer…Lists Kyle Snyder and former Hofstra wrestler Chris Weidman as his favorite athletes…Lists The Contender as his favorite book…Started wrestling at the age of 13…Plans to major in Exercise Science and pursue a career in athletic training or sports medicine.

Coach Papadatos on Leandrou: "Mike transferred in from American Univeristy, but is a local guy coming from Oyster Bay. He was a place-winner at the NYS Championships, and was a huge addition since he arrived last April with his toughness and work ethic. He's projecting at 149 and has made a lot of fast progress in training and with the group."
 
Nikolas Miller
Freshman, 5-11, 197
Lock Haven, PA/Central Mountain



High School: Wrestled for six years at Central Mountain High School in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania…Went 88-24 for the Baymen…Finished as District Champion in 2020…Finished as Northwest Regional Champion in 2019…Won the PSAC Conference team title all four years.

Personal: Has one sibling…Hobbies include swimming and spending time with friends and family…lists Jon Jones, Derrick Lewis, and Sean O'Malley as his favorite athletes…Lists The Office as his favorite TV show…Started wrestling at the age of 13…Plans to major in Finance.

Coach Papadatos on Miller: "Nik is a tough Pennsylvania boy who placed at the tough Powerade Tournament. He is raw, gritty and looks to help us tighten up our upper weight classes as he looks to compete at 197. We're very excited to see him progress with us."

Jacob Moon
Freshman, 5-4, 125
Oregon, OH/Perrysburg



High School: Wrestled for Perrysburg High School in Perrysburg, Ohio…Also wrestled at Oregon Clay High School in Oregon, Ohio...Finished third at the Ohio State Championships as a sophomore…Won the Hammer Award as the Disney Duals champion…Finished fifth in the Elite 8 Duals…A two-time Iron Man place-finisher…

Personal: Has two siblings…Hobbies include spending time with friends and family and weightlifting…Lists Kobe Bryant as his favorite athlete…Lists Peaky Blinders as his favorite TV show…Started wrestling at the age of four…Plans to major in Business.
 
Coach Papadatos on Moon: "Like Dylan, Jacob is also a lifer at 125. He had a stellar high school career and the last two years lost opportunities to win a state championship due to COVID after he took third as a sophomore. He's very quick and versatile on his feet."

Joel Mylin
Freshman, 5-7, 133
Wildwood, MO/Lafayette



High School: Wrestled for five years at Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri…Went 172-27 with the Lancers…Was a three-time IHSA Regional and Sectional champion…Finished third at the MHSAA State Championships and was the District Champion in 2021…Won the IHSA State Championship team title in 2018…Finished runner-up in the team title at the 2019 IHSA State Championship…Three-time Academic All-State honoree.

Personal: Has three siblings…Sister, Faith, competed in gymnastics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater…Sister, Hope, ran track & field at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater…Lists Kyle Dake and Justin Gaethje as his favorite athletes…Started wrestling at the age of five…Plans to major in Accounting.

Coach Papadatos on Mylin: ""Joel is a tough wrestler from Missouri and Illinois, and had a lot of success wrestling in each state, including a state title out of Illinois. He ended his high school career with a runner-up finish at the High School Nationals at 132 pounds. He brings a scrappy, hard-nosed, fast-paced style that goes well with the guys in our group."

Eric Shindel
Freshman, 5-10, 141/149
Merrick, NY/John F. Kennedy



High School: Wrestled for John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, New York…Compiled a 77-39 career record for the Cougars…Was named All-County in 2020 and again in 2021…Named All-Conference as a sophomore in 2019…Helped the Cougars to Conference championships as a freshman in 2018 and again as a senior in 2021.

Personal: Has two siblings…Hobbies include going to the gym and playing video games…Lists Jordan Burroughs as his favorite athlete…Started wrestling at the age of 14…Undeclared major.

Coach Papadatos on Shindel: "Eric is an All-County wrestler from JFK-Bellmore, and he has a strong and super-high work ethic. He can wrestle at multiple weight classes, and he brings a lot of grit into our room that we're never shying away."

The Pride went 2-1 in dual meets last season before finishing fourth with 106.5 points and one weight class champion at the 2021 EIWA Championships, the program's highest finish at an EIWA Championship since placing fourth in 2014. Seven wrestlers were sent to St. Louis, Missouri for the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, the most sent by Hofstra to an NCAA Championships since 2011.