Published: June 30, 2009 12:09 am      

Pecora not ready to give up recruiting

Pat Pecora had to give up some of his duties as wrestling coach at Pitt-Johnstown when he took over as the school’s athletic director.

His time constraints have led to a bigger role for assistant coach Jody Strittmatter, but Pecora’s not quite ready to hand over the recruiting reins.

“I still did the majority of the recruiting,” Pecora said Monday, when UPJ’s recruiting class was released. “I really did. But Jody is helping me. I think each year I’ll give Jody more and more of the recruiting. Right now, recruiting is the lifeblood of your program.”

Pecora said that he would make the initial contact with a recruit and decide which wrestlers to bring to Johnstown for a visit.

“You have to find that guy that slips right in and is a perfect fit,” Pecora said.

But Pecora said Strittmatter, who won a pair of Division II national titles at UPJ, has taken a bigger role in on-campus visits and follow-up calls.

“Definitely, Jody got much more involved in recruiting, but I still have a heavy hand in it,” Pecora said. It’s a good combination right now.”