David Shapiro became the sixth Head Coach of the CWRU wrestling program on August 21, 2023.
Despite a 1-6 record in dual matches during the 2024-25 season, the Spartans improved on the mat and in the classroom during Shapiro's second season. Both juniors Art Martinez and Thomas Wagner placed fourth at the NCAA Regional Tournament with the squad finishing 11th out of 17 teams in a new-look region. Four members of the squad were named NWCA Scholar All-Americans (Martinez, Wagner, senior Calvin Cai, and first-year Chase Crutchley) with the team earning the 17th-highest grade point average among Division III schools.
In his first season at the helm of the program, the Spartans went 10-3 in dual matches and placed ninth in the Central Region. Shapiro guided sophomore Art Martinez to a fourth-place finish in the Central Region and mentored UAA Rookie of the Year Simon Bishop. Three members of the squad, Martinez, graduate student Mitchell Arch, and sophomore Thomas Wagner, were named NWCA Scholar All-Americans for their work on the mat and in the classroom.
Shapiro came to CWRU after working as an assistant coach at Baldwin Wallace University, his alma mater, for the prior six years. During the six seasons, the Yellow Jackets compiled a record of 84-12, won five Ohio Athletic Conference championships, and placed first in the Central Region twice. Most recently, the team finished third overall at the 2023 NCAA Championships with an NCAA champion at 149 pounds and national runner-up at 125 pounds.
With BW, Shapiro worked individually with student-athletes, honing their skills for the mat. He helped with recruiting, integrating multiple strategies to bring potential student-athletes to Berea, and assisted with the program's social media accounts to promote the university. Shapiro was also instrumental in developing and maintaining the culture of the Yellow Jacket program, facilitating relationships with team members around the core values of the team. The BW wrestling team earned NWCA Scholar All-America Team honors in each of the last five years, finishing as high as second in Division III in team grade point average following the 2018-19 season.
When he was a student at Baldwin Wallace, Shapiro wrestled for the Yellow Jackets under Gibbs, qualifying for the NCAA Championship in 2014. During that season, he earned All-OAC Second Team and All-Mideast Region honors and set a single season program record with 40 wins, including 13 pins. He finished his career with an overall record of 110-40, the eighth most wins in BW history.
After receiving his undergraduate degree, Shapiro worked as an intern in the BW Admissions office for one year and became a First-Year Student Admission Counselor in July 2018. He recruited Ohio, Indiana, and Western New York, and also served as the admission liaison for varsity athletic coaches.
While at Baldwin Wallace, Shapiro showcased a commitment to developing the holistic student. In May 2019, he was named the manager of the university's Ratcliffe Growth Practice, which helps mentor and coach a small group of student interns each year in consulting projects and professional development. He assisted graduates in finding full-time work or acceptance into a graduate program and was an adjunct professor, teaching a course on entrepreneurship, innovation, and character-based leadership.
Shapiro graduated from Baldwin Wallace with a Bachelor of Arts in exercise science in 2016 and earned a Master of Arts in Education in 2018 from BW.
