Cornell Names Voigt as New Assistant
Shawn Voigt, Cornell’s last NCAA champion, has been named to the assistant coach position. He replaces Ty Eustice who has moved on to become the head coach at Iowa Lakes Community College. Voigt was a four time All-American and the 1990 NCAA Division III champion at 150 lbs. See the release below.
MOUNT VERNON — Shawn Voigt, a four-time all-American and 1990 NCAA Division III national champion at Cornell College, returns to his alma mater as a full-time assistant coach on Mike Duroe’s wrestling staff.
Voigt has 16 years of coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels, including a previous stint as a Rams assistant from 1997-99. The Mount Vernon native spent the past 10 years at West Branch High School, where he taught social studies and was head wrestling coach from 1999-2007.
“It’s exciting to come back to Cornell and tackle this challenge in my home town,” Voigt said. “I definitely missed coaching. This is a great opportunity to coach at the college level which is where I really wanted to be. I really believe in Coach Duroe and what he’s doing here. He really impressed me and he runs a first-class program. I know I can go out and sell it. I’m excited everything worked out.”
Voigt replaces Ty Eustice, who accepted a head coaching position at Iowa Lakes Community College.
“We are thrilled to have hired Shawn,” Duroe said. “This is a great opportunity for us to draw on his experience as a student-athlete at Cornell. He was an NCAA champion and a strong student and he’s a Mount Vernon guy. Shawn has a lot of history with the community and the college that definitely influenced my decision. His goals and aspirations are like mine and that’s important to share the same visions. He will put our program in a position to move up nationally. We had a lot of quality guys apply for this job. I think we made a great hire.”
Voigt is Cornell’s all-time wins leader with a glossy 148-19 career record and the only four-time all-American in the program’s storied history. He is the Rams’ last national champion in wrestling, claiming the 150-pound title in 1990. Voigt placed third as a junior and sophomore and sixth his freshman season.
A four-time Midwest Conference champion, Voigt helped lead the Rams to three conference team championships. He is a member of Cornell’s Wrestling Hall of Fame and the NCAA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame.
“We are extremely excited to add someone with Shawn’s knowledge, experience and passion for Cornell to an already outstanding wrestling staff,” Cornell Director of Athletics John Cochrane said. “The ability to attract a four-time all-American and national champion with the technical teaching and interpersonal skills that Shawn possesses, presents itself very rarely.”
The Rams are coming off their second consecutive top-10 national team finish, placing eighth in 2009 with three all-Americans. The Rams have fielded 10 all-Americans in Duroe’s four seasons at the helm.
Voigt graduated from Cornell in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in history and education. He earned a master’s degree in sport psychology from the University of Iowa in 1998.
Voigt held head high school coaching positions at Big Sandy (Colo.) School (1990-91), Louisa-Muscatine (1991-93), Des Moines Roosevelt (1993-94) and West Branch (1999-2007). He was a high school assistant at West Des Moines Dowling from 1994-97 prior to joining Steve Devries’ staff during Cornell’s first two seasons as a member of the Iowa Conference.
Voigt directed a turnaround at West Branch, leading the Bears to a 10th-place state finish in his final season. For his efforts, he was named the 2007 Southeast Iowa Class 1A Wrestling Coach of the Year. While at Dowling, Voigt was honored as the 1994 Scholastic Wrestling Iowa Assistant Coach of the Year.
Voigt, a three-time state placewinner at Mount Vernon High School, captured a state title at 138 pounds in 1985. He took second as a sophomore and third as a senior with the Mustangs.
Voigt and his wife, Karmin, have eight children: sons Alex, 14, Jackson, 13, Harry, 7, Graham, 7, and daughters Hannah, 13, Madison, 12, Emma, 11, and Mackenzie, 10.