Moenkedick takes over at Concordia
Phil Moenkedick has moved from assistant coach to head coach at Concordia College Moorhead. Matt Nagel, the previous head coach, has taken a position as an assistant coach at nearby North Dakota State University, and Moenkedick was elevated to fill the position. Moenkedick was a two time NCAA champion and three time All-American for the Cobbers and holds the school’s all time wins record. Read on for more.
Moenkedick Replaces Nagel As Coach
MOORHEAD, Minn. (8/12/16)—Concordia interim Athletic Director Rachel Bergeson announced that Phil Moenkedick has been named the new head wrestling coach. Moenkedick, who was the Cobber assistant coach, takes over for Matt Nagel who stepped down to take the position as assistant coach at North Dakota State.
Moenkedick becomes only the sixth head wrestling coach at Concordia since 1955.
“It was tough to see Matt go,” commented Bergeson. “He has done an incredible job with the program and continuing the success his father (former Cobber head coach Clay Nagel) started 10 years ago.”
Matt Nagel was with the Cobber program for eight seasons including the last three as the head coach. Nagel was named the NCAA West Region Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016 and helped 22 Concordia wrestlers earn a spot in the NCAA National Meet. Under Nagel the Cobbers were ranked in the Top 10 of the nation all three years and finished as high as 12th at the NCAA National Meet.
Moenkedick is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Concordia history and has been the assistant coach for the Cobbers for the past two seasons. Moenkedick is a two-time NCAA national champion, three-time All-American and is the all-time wins leader in program history.
“To have a coach like Phil on staff and be able to step into the position will be a huge asset for the program,” added Bergeson. “He has been an invaluable part of the success the past two seasons and his background with Concordia makes him a terrific next step in the progression of the program.”
Moenkedick has had success at all levels of wrestling. He was a runner-up at the Minnesota State High School Meet for Perham high school and then flourished in college under the tutelage of Clay and Matt Nagel. Moenkedick went 135-10 in his four seasons at Concordia and had over 30 wins in three of his four years in maroon and gold. He won the NCAA title in 2010 and 2011 and was a three-time NCAA West Region champion.
“I am honored to be able to carry on the tradition that Clay and Matt started,” said Moenkedick. “They taught me what it was like to compete at the highest national level and I look forward to carrying on the tradition of Cobber All-Americans and high caliber student/athletes.”
In addition to his dominance on the mat, Moenkedick was also successful in the classroom where he earned Capital One Academic All-District Team honors in his junior and senior seasons and was a three-time Scholar All-American. Moenkedick carried a 3.50 grade point average over his four years at Concordia while majoring in Health and Physical Education.
Before coming back to Concordia Phil served as an assistant coach for the Perham High School wrestling program and was a teacher at the school.