​Iona Prep will welcome a new face and voice in the wrestling corner for the upcoming season, as the Gaels announced Jacob Ferreira as their new head coach, succeeding longtime coach Tom Straehle, who has retired. Ferreira, 26, most recently served as an assistant coach at Horace Greeley, his alma mater. A standout in his own high school days, he was a Section 1 champion in 2017 at 170 pounds and again in 2018 at 182 pounds, advancing to the state final in 2018. He continued his wrestling career in college at Bucknell, N.C. State, and Hofstra, earning a bid to the NCAA Championships with Hofstra in 2023. Today he teaches social studies at Bronx Dance Academy.
Straehle, 62, founded the Iona Prep wrestling program in 2006 and reached the milestone of his 300th dual meet victory last December. “It means a lot,” Ferreira said. “I’ve always wanted to be a head wrestling coach, especially at a storied program like Iona Prep. I think I’m ready for the challenge.” Straehle explained that retirement had become the right move after selling his Mahopac house and moving to Seaside Heights, New Jersey. He had contemplated stepping away since his wife Sharon died on January 6, 2025, in the middle of a season. He entered the 2025-26 season with 298 career victories and felt he didn’t want to delay retirement any longer, yet he also acknowledged that postponing it again could have meant never leaving. “The team is in great shape,” he noted, adding that he would remain the wrestling chairman of the CHSAA. “We left the team where we wanted it.”
The Gaels are optimistic about the 2026-27 season, returning several accomplished wrestlers led by Shane Degl, who finished fourth at 138 pounds in the New York State tournament. Other returning contributors include Dorian Hidalgo, Fotis Koufalis, Ralphie Rodriguez, Lorenzo Gunzer, and Malcolm Davis. The program will also welcome Benjamin Rivera, a transfer from Port Jervis in Section 9, who competed in last season’s Division II state tournament. Ferreira’s recent experience as a competitor and coach should serve him well as he takes the helm, especially given his proximity to the sport’s highest levels and his ongoing involvement with Empire Wrestling Academy in Somers, where many Gaels train in their club program.
Ferreira believes his proximity to competitive wrestling will help him connect with his team. “Being around some of these guys year-round gives me a special connection with the wrestlers that not every coach will have,” he said. “I get to watch their training and also wrestle with them.” Ferreira’s perspective as a former competitor is expected to keep him actively engaged on the mat, including with the Gaels’ heavierweight wrestlers. His coaching pedigree includes time at Empire Wrestling Academy in Somers, which has contributed to the Gaels’ training ecosystem and provided a bridge between in-season competition and out-of-season development.
Before Ferreira’s appointment, Straehle had guided Iona Prep since 2006, when the program had only occasional club activity and lacked consistent traction. His leadership laid the groundwork for a robust program that could attract top talent and cultivate a competitive culture. With Ferreira now at the helm, the program aims to build on that foundation, leveraging Ferreira’s recent competitive experience and his hands-on approach to training. As the Gaels move toward the 2026-27 season, the expectation is that they will continue to recruit strong wrestlers and develop a cohesive unit capable of competing with prominent programs in the region, including Blair Academy, Wyoming Seminary, and Don Bosco—schools that have long defined the local and national wrestling landscape.
Ferreira’s appointment is timely for Iona Prep as it seeks to sustain momentum and recruit a new generation of champions. The combination of Ferreira’s youthful energy, his direct coaching experience in the region, and his familiarity with elite training environments positions him to guide the Gaels through a transition that honors Straehle’s legacy while charting a course for continued success.