Why former Seneca Valley wrestler Nick Montalbano reopened his dad’s former gym
EVANS CITY — Longtime Seneca Valley wrestling coach Joe Montalbano provided a space to young wrestlers for years to train OMP.
OMP stood for One More Period, a wrestling room he ran in Evans City where athletes honed their skills during and after the season.
“A lot of kids cut their teeth and grew up on the sport here,” Montalbano said.
But Montalbano underwent two hip replacements and OMP closed in October 2023. Another OMP club is in Sewickley, but Butler County-area wrestlers lost a training facility.
Until now.
Montalbano’s son, Nick, a 106-win wrestler during his years at Seneca Valley, enlisted the help of other former area wrestlers and reopened the club in late April. It is now named North Pittsburgh Wrestling Club.
“He asked me countless times if he could reopen it the last couple of years, and I kept saying no,” Joe said. “He was working full-time, and it would have been too much on his plate.
“Now he’s put together quite a staff and it’s flourishing. I’m excited about where this is going.”
All of the NPWC coaches, including Montalbano, are volunteers. All have interest in growing the sport and developing young wrestlers.
The tradition of that wrestling room is strong.
Former SV all-time wins leader Louis Newell trained there. So did Raider wrestling greats Dylan Chappell and Alejandro Herrera-Rondon. The latter set the county wins record, a mark broken this year by Butler’s Santino Sloboda, who also trained at OMP.
“We want to help wrestling in Butler County reach a new level,” Nick said.
Members of his staff include SV graduates Caden Leighty (Slippery Rock University club wrestler), Newell (Kent State) and Hunter Swedish (Washington & Jefferson); Pine-Richland graduate Hunter Baxter (Maryland); Butler graduate Caleb Hartung (Apprentice School, in Va.); Mars graduate Sean McElhinny (John Carroll) and W&J wrestler Josh Searle, from New York.
“I learned so much here,” said Leighty, who placed third at the National Collegiate Wrestgling Championships with SRU. “I just want to give back. WPIAL wrestling is elite wrestling. It takes work to compete. We want to build something here.”
Swedish has been helping out with the junior high team at Seneca Valley.
“I’ve always wanted to coach, and this is a great opportunity to do just that,” he said. “This room is where it all began for me. I started wrestling in fifth grade.
“Just being here brings back memories. This is pretty cool.”
Joe isn’t surprised at the dedicated staff that’s been built at NPWC.
“I didn’t want this to be a burden (to Nick),” he said. “It’s not going to be like that. These guys are in this together. Wrestlers are a brotherhood. The sport becomes a lifestyle.
“Once it’s in you, it never leaves.”
Within a couple of weeks of opening, NPWC had 50 young wrestlers in the room, including some female wrestlers. One comes from as far as Reynolds. A few others are from outside the county.
“I know it’s going to grow,” Nick said. “Some wrestlers who were in OMP when it was here have come back. We’re thrilled to have it open again.”
