Former Washington Township High School head wrestling coach and Highland High School/Bloomsburg University wrestling standout Ron Ippolite will be among honorees in the 40^th induction class of the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2, 2019, at Masso’s Caterers in Glassboro, NJ. Ippolite, a special education teacher at WTHS, will join 2019 Hall of Fame inductees Jordan Burroughs (Winslow Township HS), Scott Giffin (Eastern HS), Bill Heverly (Camden Catholic HS), Vince Jones (Winslow Township HS), Jimmy Rollins (West Deptford HS) and Darryl Scott (Overbrook HS).

While with the Minutemen, Ippolite amassed a 93-78 career record from 2010-17, coaching 35 all-conference wrestlers, 14 district champions, 1 regional champion and two state placewinners.  Four of his wrestlers posted 100 career wins. 

“Ron Ippolite held himself to the highest standards as an outstanding athlete, competitor and coach,” WTHS Director of Athletics Kevin Murphy said.  “He has always shown great respect for the sport and valued the growth and development of his student-athletes on and off the mat, placing a great emphasis on preparation and sportsmanship. Ron is most deserving of his Hall of Fame distinction. Our entire Washington Township school community extends our heartfelt congratulations to him on this honor.”

A 2015 inductee into the Highland High School Athletic Hall of Fame along with his 1983 teammates, Ippolite, a heavyweight on the Tartans roster, led his teams to New Jersey Group IV state titles in 1982 and 1983. The team captured the South Jersey Group IV championship in three consecutive seasons (1981, 1982 and 1983), ranked as the number one team in the state in 1983 and was recognized by the Courier Post as the team of the decade.  Individually, Ippolite was a District 30 and Region 8 champion, a state runner-up, team captain and most valuable player in 1983.

Ippolite wrestled at nationally ranked Bloomsburg University from 1984 to 1988, where he was an NCAA Division I national qualifier and a runner-up at heavyweight in the Eastern Wresting League.  He was the 1987 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion and served as team captain and ranked fifth in the nation in his weight class as a senior. Ippolite posted an 86-22 record in college as a member of Bloomburg’s teams that ranked fifth in the nation in 1987 and 19^th in 1988.

The 2013 District 30 Coach of the Year, Ippolite had served as an assistant coach at WTHS from 1995-2000 and was the District’s middle school wrestling coach in 1993 and 1994. He has taught special education in the District for 26 years and is currently teaching in that capacity at WTHS.