FELICIANO ’97 RETURNS TO ST. BENEDICT’S PREP
Alumnus to coach 7th & 8th Graders

June 2010

St. Benedict’s wrestling coach Solomon Fleckman has announced the addition of alumnus Omar Feliciano ’97 to his staff at The Hive.

Feliciano, a former captain and four-time National Prep placewinner while at St. Benedict’s, will coach of the 7th and 8th Grade Team for coach Fleckman. Feliciano is also the Assistant Head Coach of the very successful New Jersey Scorpions Wrestling Club.

“Ever since Father Edwin asked me to coach the wrestling team, I have been working to hire a 7th & 8th Grade coach,” said Fleckman, who just completed his first-year as the coach of the Gray Bees. “There are not many high schools that have a 7th and 8th grade blended right into their structure both academically and athletically as we do here. There is no question that we want to take full advantage of our unique school structure to build future champions.

“Coach Feliciano is the absolute perfect match for this opportunity at this point in our program’s illustrious history. I am extremely honored and grateful that he decided to join our efforts.”

Feliciano, who was a National Prep runner-up as a senior in 1997, embraces the opportunity to give back to his alma mater and develop the 7th and 8th Grade Program. He had the rare perspective, when he matriculated to St. Benedict’s; of being a youth wrestler who had already attained a good deal of success prior to coming to The Hive back in 1993.

Feliciano was an age-group AAU National Champion and saw firsthand how wrestling during the middle school years provided him with a foundation of skills that helped to make his transition to high school significantly more manageable. He now finds himself in a position to help others build a similar foundation prior to taking on all the challenges of a demanding college preparatory educational experience.

Feliciano was also a two-sport standout at St. Benedict’s, having competed for the legendary soccer coach Rick Jacobs, while wrestling under the tutelage of Mark Gerbino, Mike DiPiano, Sr. and Roman Ruderman.

He credits his former coaches with much of his own current success as a teacher and coach. Since Feliciano has taken the reigns of the training regimen at The Scorpions Club, he has helped to produce a bevy of age-group state and national champions.

Feliciano attended Bradley University in Illinois where he majored in Public Relations and picked up a minor in Marketing while becoming a four-year letterman on the varsity soccer team.

After Bradley, Feliciano began his career working at Lincoln Park Care Center for two years before securing a position at the Division of Children and Family Services in Newark where he worked for five years.

While working for the government, Feliciano caught the wrestling bug again and eventually became the co-owner of the Scorpions Wrestling Club, which is now based in Fairfield. Eventually, The Scorpions Club grew in numbers and success to the point that he had to give up his job in the public sector in order to attend to the increasing demands of his students.

“Throughout his entire professional career, Omar has been a giver,” said Fleckman. “It is this spirit of community and devotion to others that attracted me to St. Benedict’s in the first place, and Omar is just one more example of the type of person who makes St. Benedict’s, in my opinion, a fantastic place to grow and learn.”

Notes: With the addition of Feliciano, Fleckman is now surrounded by a support staff steeped in the traditions of St. Benedict’s wrestling that spans the coaching years from Johnny Allen ’54 to Michael DiPiano Jr. ’95. Volunteer assistants John Baker ’66 and Stanley Foster ’02, along with assistant David Carlo ’99 round out the current staff of committed, giving coaches who look to help the next generations of St. Benedict’s men reach their potential.

The Feliciano File

• Four-time Placewinner at National Preps
  • 1997 Runner-up 119 pounds
  • 1996 Third 112 pounds
  • 1995 Third 112 pounds
  • 1994 Seventh 103 pounds
• AAU National Champion
• 160-20 career High School Record
• Held record for most wins as a wrestler at St. Benedict’s Prep
• 2005 Colorado Who’s Bad? National Classic-Open Division National Champion