Former Wrestling Alumni to Referee NCAA Division I Championships

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 16, 2022) – Former Western New England University wrestlers Angel Rivera and Rey Santiago have been selected to officiate the Division I NCAA men's wrestling championships, which begin on Thursday, March 17 and conclude on Saturday, March 19 for the championship match. The championships will take place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The date will mark the first time in NCAA Division I Wrestling history that two Hispanic officials officiate the NCAA Championship. 

Rivera, who graduated from then Western New England College, was a New England Finalist in 1994 in the 134 lb. weight class. Santiago finished his Golden Bear career in 1988 and competed in the 167 lb. weight class and the 177 lb. weight class. Santiago was a two-time New England Champion and two-time National Qualifier for the Golden Bears Wrestling program who graduated from WNE in 1990. 

Rivera, the Springfield, Massachusetts local and graduate of Cathedral High School said Western New England was the perfect fit for him after high school graduation. "Western New England provided me with opportunities for many things that I would not realize until later in life.  Personally, it was evident that I wasn't ready to venture out of my hometown, so WNE provided me security of my surroundings and a comfort level with family nearby.  Also, since my major was engineering, I found a school nearby that could offer the curriculum that I intended to pursue.  The education that I received from WNE still holds true today as I am the General Manager and Director of Operations for my company.  Lastly, wrestling became a huge part of my life during high school and WNE provided me with an opportunity to continue athletics at a more elite level.  Essentially, I had the best of both worlds right in my backyard." 

Santiago, a native of Guilford, Connecticut wanted to stay close to his brother, who attended nearby American International College (AIC) in 1986. "I ended up at Western New England College in 1986 after graduating from Guilford HS. My brother Hector was attending AIC and I wanted to stay close to him as My parents had decided to move from Guilford Ct back to Puerto Rico." Both Santiago and Rivera gave much credit to their success on and off the mat to the former head coach of Western New England Wrestling, Bob Skelton and their teammates that came through WNE Wrestling, as well.  

Santiago went on to say "My mom passed away in January 1988, my sophomore year. It was the middle of the season and I just remember coach Skeleton being there for me like a father. He took care of me and made sure I was ok. My teammates helped me through this difficult time, and I will always cherish them." 

Rivera continued by saying, "The program was headed by Coach Skelton, who is a tremendous human being that sacrificed a lot of his personal time during the season and on the off-season to help mold me into the man I am today. "Time waits for no man" was his saying, and however simple it may seem, it's so true in whatever we choose to do in life."

Skelton, who founded the Western New England University Wrestling team in 1975, was the head coach of the Golden Bears until 2011. Skelton ranks among the winningest coaches in NCAA DIII Wrestling Coaches history, marking a 405-245-7 record. Skelton had high praise for both his former wrestlers. "They were outrageous wrestlers" said Skelton "they were incredible scholar athletes and very easy to coach."

Both Rivera and Santiago were appointed head officials on March 5, 2022, and March 6, 2022, of the B1G Ten Championships before heading to the NCAA Division I Championships this week.