By Eirik Bjorno
Sports Editor
Long Island University has decided to expand the athletic program at LIU Post. Several new sports will be added to the athletic department, including: women’s fencing, women’s golf, and men’s wrestling. Joe Patrovich is appointed head coach for men’s wrestling, Tom Kane will be in charge of the women’s golf program, while Mike Corona is set to guide the new women’s fencing program.
New LIU President Dr. Kimberly R. Cline has decided to bring seven new sports to Post, and Athletic Director Bryan Collins has started to fill the open coaching positions around these teams.
Patrovich has accepted the Athletic Department’s offer to run and build the newly reinstated wrestling program. The program was discontinued after the 1987-88 season, but is now set to reopen come fall 2014. Potential LIU Post wrestlers will have a great mentor in Patrovich, as he was inducted to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012. He has coached 21 county champions, 13 state finalists, 10 All-American selections, eight state champions, and has been named coach of the year in Nassau and Suffolk.
“I’m working 16 hours a day with high school football and wrestling, but it’s an opportunity that I just couldn’t pass up. I want to build that program,” said Patrovich, in a Dec. 11, 2013, Newsday article.
To build a proud program is also something head coach for the women’s golf team wants to do. Tom Kane resides in Stony Brook, N.Y., and comes over from Smithtown West High School where he coached the varsity boys’ squad from 1974-2003. Since 2006, he has guided the girls’ varsity golf team. Between those two appointments, Kane led his team to six Suffolk County titles and a Long Island Championship.
On Friday, Feb. 7, Collins announced Mike Corona as the man who will mentor the women’s fencing program for the Pioneers. Corona has served as head coach of the Brentwood fencing team since 2002, where he has developed a competitive program reflected by his six Coach of the Year awards. Among his achievements are 27 top-6 fencers, including six individual champions. Corona has experience as a fencer, as he was County Champion in Epee from Centereach High School in 1978, supplementing his bronze medal from the first-ever Empire Games. In addition to the mentioned sports, the Pioneers have adopted men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field.
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