Zwaschka to lead MSOE
From MSOE Sports Information
MILWAUKEE — Matthew Zwaschka has been named the new head coach of MSOE Wrestling, taking over for retiring MSOE Athletic Hall of Famer Kevin Morin, who is retiring from the role after 20 years. Zwaschka will also serve as MSOE’s Assistant Director of Recreational Services.
Zwaschka comes to MSOE after a year as the Junior Greco-Roman National Team coach for the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, an organization Zwaschka has had an affiliation with dating back to 1999. From 2005-11, Zwaschka was an assistant coach and an assistant strength and conditioning coordinator at UW-Whitewater. He has also served as an assistant football coach at Port Washington High School.
As a college wrestler, Zwaschka had tremendous success at UW-LaCrosse. As a team captain in 2003, he was a 2003 Wisconsin Intercollegaite Athletic Conference champion and NCAA tournament qualifier. In 2002, Zwaschka had the opportunity to compete in the European wrestling hotbeds of Bulgaria and Turkey as part of a NCAA Division III all-star team.
“I am very pleased to have Matt join our staff,” Director of Athletics Dan Harris said. “He has an impressive coaching background and a very solid base of recruiting contacts. Although he has big shoes to fill, I am confident he is up to the challenge.”
Harris’ allusion to Morin’s legacy may be an understatement. Named as just the second coach in the history of the MSOE wrestling program in 1993, Morin has trained two NCAA All-Americans, eight NCAA Championship Qualifiers, 28 National Wrestling Coaches Association Academic All-Americans. Ten of Morin’s teams were ranked in the top ten in the nation for academic excellence, including four team awards for having the highest GPA in the nation among NCAA Division III wrestling programs.
Morin also led the Raiders to 101 dual meet victories and six team conference titles. Forty-five of his wrestlers won individual conference championships. Morin received conference coach of the year honors seven times and was a four-time recipient of the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award. The National Wrestling Coaches Association honored Morin in 2004 with the Bob Bubb Coaching Excellence Award, presented annually to one coach across each division of collegiate wrestling.
The statistic Morin was most proud of, though, was his 100 percent graduation rate among active seniors. “Morin has been the heart and soul of MSOE wrestling,” Harris said. “He was a great example of integrity, caring for others, dedication and gentlemanly conduct to all his athletes. His teams excelled on the mat and in the classroom. I have met no better coach and teacher of sport fundamentals and lessons of life experience. I am certain that every athlete coached by him is a better man today.”