Michienzi brings fiery spirit to GLTS wrestling

“In wrestling and firefighting you always need to find an extra gear.
Excuses don’t matter, you just need to get the job done.”
~ Methuen firefighter and GLTS assistant wrestling coach Derek Michienzi

 

Derek Michienzi is the top assistant coach for the Greater Lawrence Technical School (GLTS) wrestling team, but the 40-year-old Methuen native and resident is not your ordinary coach. While Michienzi spends part of his time teaching his athletes how to fight on the mat and respond to pressure, his full-time job is fighting fires and responding to EMS calls as a 9-year veteran of the Methuen Fire Department.

For Michienzi, a 2004 GLTS graduate and former wrestler, coaching the sport he loves is an unexpected pleasure.

“I honestly never pictured myself coaching,” he relates. “I had helped out for a year after I graduated, but never really thought of it again.
“In 2013, my close friend and former teammate Juan Nieves (now the GLTS head wrestling coach) posted on Facebook looking for volunteer coaches. I spent two years as a volunteer before becoming an official assistant coach, a job I’ve held for the last three seasons,” he says.

The 39-year-old Nieves is in his ninth season at GLTS. He was a CAC, D2 North, D2 State, and Vocational tournament champion and inducted into the GLTS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2026, Nieves notched his 100th career dual team victory as a coach. He and Michienzi have known each other for 26 years. This is more than a partnership. It is family.

“I am not over-exaggerating when I say Derek is my brother,” says Nieves, who has been wrestling since the fifth grade. “He is the very best. We make decisions together and always lean on each other. He is always real with our athletes and his coaching comes from love.
“He sets the bar every day for us. He walks in our room, and respect is immediately earned and acknowledged. Derek does all this for us, and when he is done with his services to us, he steps back into his bigger role as a Methuen firefighter, saving the world. You have to admire this guy.”

Michienzi wrestled for the Reggies under the tutelage of legendary Merrimack Valley wrestling brothers Tony and Dib Sarkis. He grew up a huge fan of the WWE but had never competed in youth programs until another regional wrestling icon changed his life forever.

Says Michienzi, “The late, great Rob Niceforo approached me one day and asked, ‘How much do you weigh?’ I was about 115 pounds soaking wet with bricks in my boots, but when he explained that I would only wrestle people who weighed the same as me, it was a huge selling point. The rest is history.

“I made sure that I was always the hardest worker in the room. At GLTS, we had a team that was full of great wrestlers, but my hard work led me to be named captain by the middle of my senior year. I’m forever grateful to Coach Niceforo for getting me into the sport.”

Having learned under some top-notch wrestlers, how does Michienzi describe his own coaching style? He responds, “I am very animated and not afraid to stand up for my athletes. I may come across as angry, loud or kind of crazy, but it’s just my passion.

“I’m not aggressive in my behavior, but in how I approach it. I work out with the kids every single day, so they have no excuse to not do it. I’ll never ask them to do something I won’t do right next to them.”

Indeed, Michienzi stays in condition not only as a firefighter, but in other sports as well. At GLTS, he was a four-year competitor, three-year captain and Commonwealth Athletic Conference (CAC) All-Star for the golf team. He has competed in Spartan Races, the Boston Bruins BFit Challenge at TD Garden and other competitions. He also plays competitive softball and coaches Methuen Youth Soccer and Wrestling.

This hands-on approach has endeared him to his wrestlers.

“Coach Michienzi brings our conditioning up every day at practice,” says sophomore tri-captain Cole Mallon, the D1 North Sectional Most Outstanding Wrestler Award winner and a State runner-up this past season. “His style is always go, go, go. That helps us keep it moving on the mat and at practice. He has helped my endurance and drive along with my strength from his workouts and tactics. He also stresses the mental and technical parts of wrestling.”

Mallon’s teammate, Danyeliz Retamar, a GLTS female wrestler and a 107-pound State Vocational Champion, agrees stating, “Coach Michienzi gives his time, energy and heart to the program every single day, always showing up, always pushing, always believing. His dedication doesn’t just build better athletes, it builds a stronger team and a lasting impact. He never misses a practice, meet or tournament. He always does everything in his power to help us get better and grow as a team.”

So, how does Michienzi balance discipline and motivation? It is all about setting no limits and building relationships. He states, “I do not allow the word ‘can’t’ in the room. When you work out and wrestle alongside the kids, it builds a different bond. I like to help them self-motivate, but you have to be there to pick them up when they are down and cheer for them when they are at the top.

“Wrestling is an emotional roller coaster, much like life, so helping these young adults learn to handle these big-pressure moments at this age will help them when they go into the real world. I want these kids to succeed in every aspect of life.”

Kaelib Reynolds is a tri-captain on the GLTS wrestling team, a 175-pound Pentucket Holiday and State Vocational Champion who has amassed 100 wins and pins. He heeds the gospel that Michienzi is preaching.

“Coach Michienzi brings a lot of intensity, discipline and passion to the GLTS wrestling program,” says Reynolds. “He pushes everyone to work hard every day.”

Kaelib’s sister, Jordyn Reynolds, is also a team tri-captain and a D1 State Champion in the 165-pound class. She marvels at Michienzi’s relentless dedication to the team: “He’s got our backs, on and off the mat. Knowing he’s truly invested in us makes you want to leave it all out there for him every time you step on the mat. He consistently emphasizes the importance of believing ourselves and reminds us that setbacks are an opportunity for future improvement. The journey never stops.”

Jordyn, also the first GLTS girl to ever place in New Englands, credits Michienzi for inspiring her to the state title. She relates, “He believed in me when my confidence wasn’t the best. Before I went out for my finals match at States, he knew how much pressure I felt, so he grabbed me by the headgear and told me, ‘Just go have fun, it’s like any other match.’ To me, those moments are very important as they give me more courage and belief in myself.”

The Reynolds duo, Retamar and Mallon all competed in Methuen Youth Wrestling.

With Nieves and Michienzi at the helm, the Reggie wrestling program has thrived. When they started together, they were lucky to get a dozen kids. Today, that number has nearly quadrupled. This year, the program had 6 tournament wins, over 20 dual wins, and multiple State and State Vocational Champions.

Wrestling success demands a unique skill set and, more importantly, a unique attitude.

Michienzi explains, “There’s nowhere to hide. The mat does not lie, whatever work you put into it, the mat will pay it back to you. Wrestling is a sport that will expose all your weaknesses, but also help you to fight through them and be stronger.

“Every young athlete should try it because it helps build confidence, strength and discipline – skills that sadly seem to be falling by the wayside. Once you’ve wrestled, you can do anything.”

This credo carries over to the nine girls in the GLTS program. Gender does not matter to Michienzi. The objective remains the same: “We want to have the best girls’ program in the state. We finished second in Division 1 State and Massachusetts All-State Tournaments last season. Our goal next year is to win both.

“The girls won the George Bossi Holiday Tournament and State Vocational Tournament last season. We also crowned two D1 state champions who are both returning next year to defend their crowns. The team is full of underclasswomen, so we look to stay at the top for a long time.”

Retamar has seen this development and recognizes Michienzi’s impact: “It’s been amazing to be part of something that continues to build, get stronger and make history. Coach Derek has taught me the importance of patience. I don’t panic. He’s always believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself. There were no limits or stereotypes. I make it a point to accept constructive criticism, but Coach Derek is also funny and a goofball. He makes practices enjoyable while continuing to embrace the grind.”

I asked Michienzi the inevitable question about whether there is any common thread between competing in and coaching wrestling and his career as a Methuen firefighter. His answer was telling: “In wrestling and firefighting you always need to find an extra gear. Excuses don’t matter, you just need to get the job done. When you’re exhausted, you need to have a different level that you can reach.

“Wrestling helped me learn how to thrive under pressure. When the focus is on you, and coaches and teammates are yelling, you learn to slow the room down and manage the chaos. Firefighting is, at times, also about managing the chaos.”

Michienzi has three children and lives with his fiancée in Methuen. It is clear that wrestling has shaped him into the coach, father, firefighter and man that he is today. His desire is unrelenting and his goals are lofty.

“I see myself and Juan both making it into the GLTS and MIAA Hall of Fame as one of the best coaching duos to ever do it. I love wrestling so much. It saved me at a time when I was at a crossroads in my life. My grandfather was a firefighter in Arlington, Mass., and I never saw myself doing anything else. I worked many jobs as I tried to get on the fire department and, even though it seemed like I’d never accomplish my dream, I never quit.

“I owe it all to wrestling and the coaches that led me down the right path. Now, I want to help young adults find inner strength, conquer their fears, accomplish their dreams and follow the right path. I intend to pay it all back by giving back.”

John Molori is an author, columnist, and a 2011 inductee into the Methuen Athletic Hall of Fame. Facebook: John Molori, Twitter @MoloriMedia. Email molorimedia@gmail.com