Christopher Leese was named the first head coach in women's wrestling program history heading into its inaugural season in 2026-27. Leese joins the Lions with 30 years of coaching experience at both the high school and collegiate levels.
Leese brings extensive head coaching experience at both the high school and collegiate levels. He previously led the wrestling programs at Carlisle and Fairfield high schools before transitioning to the collegiate ranks.
Most recently, Leese served as an assistant coach at Shippensburg University beginning in the 2022-23 season. During his first season with the Raiders, he helped guide an inexperienced roster to sending multiple wrestlers to the NCAA Division II Championships for the first time in eight years.
Prior to Shippensburg, Leese served as the head coach at Penn State Mont Alto, where he coached 24 national qualifiers, three All-Americans, and seven USCAA/NCWA Academic All-Americans. He also guided the program to its first national champion during the 2021-22 season. In 2020, Leese was named Mid-East Conference NCWA Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 16-5 dual-meet record and a conference championship.
Leese is a graduate of Kutztown University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Education and competed as a four-year letterwinner for the Golden Bears wrestling program. He compiled a 51-15-1 career record, finished as a two-time Kutztown Invitational runner-up, and reached the NCAA Division II Regional semifinals twice. He also climbed as high as eighth nationally in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Outside of his coaching experience, Leese is a USA Wrestling-certified head coach and holds Bronze, Copper, and Teal certifications.
