Jimmy Criscione, a PGA Class A Professional, is in his second season as head coach of the Wagner men's golf program and was hired in July of 2021.
The Paramus, N.J. native arrived on Grymes Hill fresh off a four-year undergraduate career at Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) institution Monmouth University. Criscione graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree. He majored in Business Administration/Management and Decision Sciences while minoring in Health Studies.
"I am honored to be a part of the Wagner Seahawks' family as the head golf coach," said Criscione. "I am excited to join the D1 golf program, and I look forward to the opportunity to work with the talented young men in building upon and improving the program. But, most importantly, I am looking forward to working with the team and helping them achieve their goals and grow both on and off the course."
The Seahawks had a solid start to their 2022 fall season under Criscione. The team shot an opening round of 282 at the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate, breaking a program-best for a singular round in Wagner Men’s Golf history. The fall concluded with back-to-back runner-up finishes at The Seawane Classic and the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Championship. Thomas Choi took medalist honors with his final round of 66 to win by one stroke. Under Criscione’s leadership, the Seahawks improved their stroke average to 292, breaking another program record for a single season.
The 2021-22 season featured two team victories. On March 24, 2022, Criscione recorded his first career win over Canisius in a match play event in Kissimmee, FL. A few weeks later, the team earned their second match play event win over St. Peter’s. Under Criscione's guidance, Tyler Galantini posted a top-five finish on the players’ leaderboard at the 2022 Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, FL.
A four-year member of the Monmouth Hawks golf team, Criscione played 32 total rounds over 19 tournaments during his collegiate career. He tallied two top-15 finishes and three top-25 finishes for the Blue and White. In April of 2020, Criscione was tabbed as Pepsi Zero MAAC Student-Athlete of the week. A team captain as a senior, Criscione served as President of the Monmouth Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a three-year board member. Other honors include being named to the MAAC All-Academic Team three times and being a three-year MAAC Academic Honor Roll member.
Prior to embarking on his collegiate career, Criscione was a four-year standout at Bergen Catholic High School, where he was a member of three state championship teams (2014, 2015, 2016). He was a two-time First Team All-State selection (2016, 2017) and won the prestigious American High School Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland (2014).
Most recently, Criscione has been elected to membership as a PGA Class A Professional from the Professional Golfers' Association of America. He is Level I and Level II Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) certified. Additionally, he successfully completed the SuperCoach54 Training Program under Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott.
Coach Criscione is also a member of the GCAA and AJGA. He previously worked in tournament operations with the New Jersey PGA and was a writer for LRT Sports, a company that helps families and student-athletes understand college athletics. Criscione has contributed to publishing numerous articles, blog posts, and interviews for the company’s social media and website. In April of 2020, Criscione released his first children’s book, Little Timmy, about a young boy who learns valuable lessons through baseball.
Criscione will be pursuing a Master's Degree in Media Management during his time on Grymes Hill.
