Links and features
-- Frank Molinaro lands assistant coach role with Arizona State Wrestling program
-- Southern grad, former Olympian Frank Molinaro to coach at Arizona State
-- Former Penn State wrestler Frank Molinaro joins Arizona State coaching staff
-- ASU Wrestling: Jones Adds Big Name Assistant
The addition of former four-time All-American and 2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro to the coaching staff was made official in April 2020, where he will now begin a new chapter as an associate head coach as of April 2026.
“Frank Molinaro has been operating like a head coach here at ASU now for several years. As director of all our sports performance operations, he has built the programming for our strength and conditioning, nutrition, sports psychology, and other areas of sports performance,” said head coach Zeke Jones.
“Molinaro helped coach Penn State to a national championship along with stops at Rutgers and Virginia Tech, he knows what the best programs in America are doing. As a member of the USA wrestling national team, he has shown wrestlers what it takes to win world and Olympic medals. He’s been there and done that at all levels and we are so excited to promote him,” Jones added.
Specializing with the Sun Devils' middleweights, Molinaro has consistently ushered his wrestlers to the national spotlight, headlined by Kyle Parco and Jacori Teemer, as both are four-time All-Americans and combined to win seven Pac-12 Championship titles under Molinaro’s tutelage.
In 2026, Sun Devil 165-pounder Nicco Ruiz continued the middleweight success with a 165-lb. Big 12 Championship title and a fourth place finish at the NCAA tournament.
Molinaro also played an instrumental part in Richard Figueroa winning an NCAA title in 2024. In Molinaro’s first two seasons at Arizona State, they would land two top-four team finishes at NCAA’s in 2021 and 2022.
Prior to joining the Sun Devils, Molinaro trained with Oklahoma RTC to prepare for a chance at making it back on Team USA's roster for the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo before the Olympic Committee announced postponement of the games to 2021. He had success at 70kg winning the 2018 Dave Schultz Memorial, and taking silver at the Dagestan Cup, and Bill Farrell Invitational.
He previously worked as an assistant coach with Virginia Tech in 2017-2018. During his time in Blacksburg, he played a key role in the development of four individual ACC champions while also helping guide the Hokies to their second consecutive ACC title and a top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships. He was particularly instrumental in the growth of Jared Haught (197), who would go on to make a run to the 2018 NCAA finals, as well as All-American’s Zach Zavatysky and David McFadden.
While as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech, he also competed with the Southeast Regional Training Center in Christiansburg, VA, where he was crowned the 2017 US Open Champion, placed second at the World Team Trials in 2017 and took home a bronze medal at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix at 70 kg.
Molinaro would make his way back to Happy Valley in 2014 as a volunteer assistant under Nittany Lions head coach Cael Sanderson. He would go on to help lead Penn State to their sixth NCAA team title in 2016. Prior to working at his alma mater, Penn State, he began his collegiate coaching career at Rutgers University in 2012 and spent two seasons with the Scarlet Knights. In his time at Rutgers, he helped coach the program to its first All-American finish since 2002, where Anthony Perotti would repeat as an All-American for a second time.
Molinaro imprinted his name on the international stage of wrestling in 2013, splashing into his freestyle career with wins at the NYAC Invitational and Dave Schultz Memorial Tournament. At the Olympic Trials in 2016, he ran the table as a nine seed at 65 kg, knocking off four-time World Team member Brent Metcalf, four-time NCAA Champion Logan Stieber and young phenom Aaron Pico to claim the top spot. A bronze finish at the Last Chance Qualifier and two disqualifications later secured his name into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. In Rio, he would wrestle his way to the quarterfinals where he would fall to eventual silver medalist Toghrul Asgarov of Azerbaijan. He finished his Olympic run winning five of six matches to claim fifth place at 65 kg for Team USA's men's freestyle team. Molinaro competed for Team USA on the World Cup stage in Los Angeles, CA in 2016, Tehran, Iran in 2017 and Iowa City, IA in 2018.
During his collegiate wrestling career at Penn State, he won an NCAA Championship at 149 lbs. in his final season with the Nittany Lions, capping off a perfect 33-0 record. He ended his college wrestling career as a four-time NCAA Division l All-American, a two-time NCAA finalist, and a two-time Big Ten Champion, while being named the Big Ten most outstanding wrestler in 2012. He became just the fifth four-time All-American in Penn State's history.
Molinaro graduated from Penn State with a degree in criminal justice while also minoring in kinesiology and business. He and his wife, Kera have three sons, Kason, Frank Jr., and Weston. Both of his wife's parents graduated from ASU, including her father, Kerry Bolen, who most notably wrestled under Hall of Fame head coach Bobby Douglas.
Coaching experience
Associate Head Coach, Arizona State (2026-present)
Assistant Coach, Arizona State (2020-2026)
Assistant Coach, Virginia Tech (2017-18)
Assistant Coach, Penn State (2015-16)
Assistant Coach, Rutgers (2012-14)
Collegiate/international wrestling achievements
U.S. Olympic Team member (2016)
Fifth in Olympic Games (2016)
World Cup champion (2016)
Pan American Championships champion (2016)
U.S. World Team Trials runner-up (2017)
Grand Prix of Spain champion (2015)
NCAA champion for Penn State (2012)
Four-time NCAA All-American (2009-12)
Two-time Big Ten champion (2011-12)