Chander was named Penn College's head wrestling coach in June 2022.

In his second season, Chander led the Wildcats to a 9-12 season and ended the year with three Mideast Regional placewinners. Under Chander's guidance, the Wildcats finished the season with the program's first national-top 25 academic recognition as the team posted the 23rd-highest team GPA (3.53) in Division III. Four grapplers finished with 30-or-more victories with three being freshmen (Travis Green - 36, TJ Martin - 35 and Kaden Wre 33). Other notable accolades on the season included Noah Hunt becoming the program's first four-time NWCA Scholar All-American and three-time regional placewinner after finishing eighth at 141 pounds, he also placed fifth as a freshman and sixth as a sophomore. Freshman heavyweight Nicholai Brotzman finished among the top five in NCAA Division III pins as he racked up 21 falls in his rookie campaign.

 As a team, the Wildcats started the 2023-24 season ranked 23rd in the NWCA preseason poll for the first time in program history and reached the rankings again at 24th in the Dec. 28 poll. Penn College knocked off then-19th ranked Oswego State (30-19) on Nov. 11 to pick up the program's first top 25 victory and won its first-ever team tournament title at the RIT Invite on Dec. 2. The Wildcats finished as runner-up in the team's first showing at the AMCC Championships as Hunt won the 141-pound bracket while Luke Heimbach, Patrick Snoke and Martin collected silver at 125, 141, and 149 pounds, respectively. Ware, Liam Goodrich, Andy Muzika, Gabriel Kennedy-Citeroni and Brotzman all finished third in the tournament. Penn College also earned the AMCC Team Academic Peak Performance award given to the team with the highest collective GPA in each sport as 18 Wildcats were honored on the Academic All-District squad.

In rookie campaign, Chander guided the Wildcats to an 11-10 mark and coached the program's first NCAA qualifier. Three wrestler's finished on the podium at the Mideast Regionals, including Isaac Cory's runner-up finish. 

Chander comes to Williamsport after spending the previous two seasons as the assistant coach at Springfield College and had stints as an assistant coach at Bloomsburg University and Gettysburg College.

“Pankil is the perfect blend of a wrestling technician with a forward-thinking holistic mindset, which will help maximize our student-athlete’s experience, both in and out competition,” Penn College Interim Director of Athletics Matt Blymier said. “His passion and energy will serve our campus and our community well as we begin the next chapter of Penn College wrestling.”

“Pankil brings with him a wealth of experience as a coach and a wrestler at the Division III level, as well as a drive to unlock the full potential of his wrestlers,” Penn College Interim Director of Athletics Britni Mohney said. “We believe his impact will not only be felt in the wrestling room, but also in our department and institution.”

During his two seasons at Springfield, Chander helped coach eight regional place finishers, 12 NWCA scholar-athletes, and a NCAA Division III Championship qualifier. Chander also served as the Co-Interim Head Coach for four months and was responsible for all facets of the wrestling program.

Chander spent two seasons as the assistant coach at Gettysburg College from 2018-2020 and helped coach one Division III national qualifier and six regional place-finishers.

Chander was a four-year starter for nationally ranked Wilkes University from 2013-2017 and was named a NWCA Scholar All-American. After graduating, Chander spent a year as a volunteer assistant wrestling coach at Bloomsburg University.

Chander earned his Bachelor of Science in Sport and Business Management from Wilkes University and a Master of Science in Athletic Administration from Springfield College and defended his thesis on The Relationship Between Racial Diversity and Winning Percentage in Division I Men’s Wrestling Program.

Pankil Chander's Record Season-by-Season

 

Year	Wins	Loses	Notables
2023-24	9	12	3 regional finishers
2022-23	11	10	NCAA qualifier; 3 regional finishers
Total	20	22