After a season as the interim head coach at Manchester, Steve Swinson has been named head coach at Defiance College, the Ohio school announced today. Swinson takes over for Chandler Minnard who was the head coach during the 2021-2022 season. Swinson will be the third head coach since the rebirth of the program in 2018. He has extensive high school coaching experience in Indiana to go along with his season at the helm of Manchester.
he Defiance Athletic Department has named Steve Swinson as the next head coach for the Defiance Wrestling program.
Swinson arrives at Defiance after serving as the interim wrestling head coach at Manchester University in 2021.
“Coach Swinson has great experience and we feel like he can bring some stability to our wrestling program.” said Defiance Athletic Director Derek Woodley. “He has also proven he can develop student-athletes on and off the mat.”
Six nominees have been named to the 2022 NWCA Division III Hall of Fame Class. Four wrestlers, one coach, and one contributor will be inducted at the NWCA Convention in July. Click the link below for the full release and inductee bios.
The U20 and U23 World Team Trials took place this past weekend at Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio. The U20 Trials required qualification to enter, while the U23 tournament was open. In the U20 Freestyle tournament Ben Kawczynski finished in 4th place at 125kg in the challenge tournament. In Greco-Roman, Tyler Hannah won a 4 man round robin at 87kg to earn a spot in the finals where he fell in two matches to Oregon State’s Kodiak Stephens. Fellow WIAC wrestler Jared Stricker had a similar result, dropping a pair of finals matches to finish second. Gary Powell won the challenge tournament at 130kg but also dropped both finals matches.
In the U23 age group in Greco-Roman, Powell again finished in 2nd place at heavyweight, while Sam Braswell finished in 2nd place at 55kg. Other DIII placewinners are listed below, including 2022 NCAA champion Cornell Beachem who placed 4th at 87kg.
There were 770 entries in U23 Freestyle, compared to just 158 in U23 Greco-Roman, and the competition was significantly stiffer. No DIII wrestlers placed in the top eight in freestyle (Unless I missed someone. Leave a comment).
U20 Freestyle 125kg – Ben Kawczynski, UW-La Crosse, 4th place
U20 Greco-Roman 77kg – Jared Stricker, UW-Eau Clare, 2nd 87kg – Tyler Hannah, UW-Platteville, 2nd 130kg – Gary Powell, Mount St. Joseph, 2nd
U23 Greco-Roman 55kg – Samuel Braswell, Averett, 2nd 55kg – Alexander Logsdon, Averett, 4th 55kg – Austin Long, Averett, 5th 55kg – Daniel Parkulo, Averett, 7th 60kg – Mason Barrett, Averett, 8th 77kg – Luke Silva, Aurora, 8th 82kg – Khalil Mitchell, Averett, 6th 87kg – Cornell Beachem, Mount St. Joseph, 4th 97kg – Jasiri Dingle, Averett, 6th 130kg – Gary Powell, Mount St. Joseph, 2nd
Heidelberg University, located in Tiffin, Ohio, is seeking Graduate Assistants. Reporting to the respective Head Coach, the Graduate Assistant is a ten-month position starting August 1, 2022 and is renewable for two consecutive years (two years total). The 2nd year appointment is contingent upon successful completion of GA duties and responsibilities. All GA’s must adhere to their graduate program requirements and must be enrolled in graduate coursework in each semester of the appointment.
Compensation package is as follows: – Full graduate tuition waiver – $5000 yearly stipend – Full housing and meal plan wavier
CJ Bostwick has been named head men’s wrestling coach at Elmira College. He takes over for Cody Griswold who coached the men and women at Elmira this past season and will stay on as the women’s head coach. Bostwick wrestled at Heidelberg and coached at the University of Mary prior to arriving at Elmira. Most recently, he was an assistant coach at St. Francis de Sales School in Toledo, Ohio.
ELMIRA, N.Y. – Charles “CJ” Bostwick III has been chosen from a pool of candidates to lead the Men’s Wrestling program at Elmira, Director of Athletics Rhonda Faunce announced last week. Bostwick takes over for Cody Griswold, who will continue to serve as the head coach of the women’s program at Elmira.
Bostwick comes to Elmira after spending the past 10 months at St. Francis de Sales School in Toledo, Ohio where he served as an educator in computer literacy and applications, along with his duties as the head assistant wrestling coach at the all-boys college preparatory institution. Along with his educational duties, Bostwick mentored a handful of athletes while working with the wrestling staff to assist in roster-building strategies, facilitating individual workouts, along with demonstrating techniques. During his short time at St. Francis de Sales, he successfully mentored one NHSCA All-American. Additionally, the coaching staff produced a Second Team All-Three Rivers Athletic Conference wrestler, one district qualifier, and one district alternate as well. Five wrestlers earned All-Academic Three Rivers Athletic Conference recognition.
Two DIII wrestlers placed in the top four at the World Team Trials challenge tournament this past weekend. Former Augsburg wrestler Ryan Epps was the only DIII wrestler to win more than once, and he finished in 4th place at 82kg in Greco-Roman. Current UW-Platteville wrestler Tyler Hannah also finished 4th in a six man bracket at 87kg in Greco-Roman. Mike Tortorice, Duncan Lee, and Tom Foote all each won once on the weekend. Lee’s win came against fellow DIII athlete Jason Carter.
Freestyle 57kg – Mike Tortorice, Wisconsin-Whitewater Greg Diakomihalis defeats Mike Tortorice 12-8 Mike Tortorice defeats Aden Reeves 19-8 Anthony Molton defeats Mike Tortorice 10-0
97kg – Duncan Lee, Central – Lee Timothy Dudley defeats Duncan Lee 10-0 Duncan Lee defeats Jason Carter 12-0 Ethan Laird defeats Duncan Lee 11-0
97kg – Jason Carter, Ursinus Kollin Moore defeats Jason Carter 10-0 Duncan Lee defeats Jason Carter 12-0
Greco-Roman 72kg – Eddie Smith, Loras Michael Hooker defeats Eddie Smith 6-1 Ryan Wheeler pins Eddie Smith 1:12
82kg – Ryan Epps, Augsburg – 4th place Ryan Epps defeats Tommy Bracket 5-1 Ben Provisor defeats Ryan Epps 3-1 Ryan Epps defeats Ben Lee 7-0 Tommy Brackett defeats Ryan Epps 2-1
87kg – Tyler Hannah, Wisconsin-Platteville – 4th place Christian Dulaney defeats Tyler Hannah 3-1 Tyler Hannah pins George Sikes 1:23 Christian Dulaney defeats Tyler Hannah 12-8
97kg – Guy Patron, Loras Haydn Maley pins Guy Patron 1:36 Timothy Eubanks pins Guy Patron 1:07
97kg – Brady Vogel, Loras Lucas Sheridan pins Brady Vogel 1:28 Chad Porter defeats Brady Vogel 7-0
130kg – Tom Foote, Williams Tanner Farmer pins Tom Foote 2:01 Tom Foote defeats Ronald Dombkowski 10-0 Tate Orndorff defeats Tom Foote 12-2
Dominick Nania has been named head coach of the restarted Saint Vincent College wrestling team. Nania comes to the Latrobe, Pennsylvania, school after three seasons as an assistant at Seton Hill University. Nania wrestled for Wheeling Jesuit University where he was a two-time NCAA Division II qualifier. Saint Vincent will return to varsity competition for the first time since 1974 in the fall of 2023.
LATROBE, Pa. (May 24) – Saint Vincent College has announced the hiring of Dominick Nania as head coach of its newly relaunched men’s wrestling team.
A native of Hempfield Township, Nania arrives at Saint Vincent with more than six years of wrestling coaching experience at both the collegiate and high school levels, having most recently served as assistant coach for three seasons at Seton Hill University.
“Accepting the head coaching position at Saint Vincent College has been a dream come true for my family and me,” said Nania. “Everyone I have met throughout the interview process has been so welcoming and a pleasure to be around.
“Being able to start a new program as a student-athlete in college,” he continued, “and now coach at an amazing institution bringing back wrestling after almost five decades is something that means so much to me. This opportunity is so unique, as the President’s Office, the Athletic Department and myself are all on the same page. I think that is extremely rare and something that will make this program very successful in the classroom, on the mat and in the community.”
Jeren Glosser has been elevated from assistant coach to head coach at Loras College, the Dubuque, Iowa, school announced today. Glosser had joined the staff in 2021 after one season coaching at William Penn University. The Iowa native graduated from the University of Iowa in 2020. Cody Goodwin, writing for the Des Moines Register, has more on this story.
The World Team Trials challenge tournament takes place this weekend in the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The arena was also the site of the 2021 NWCA DIII Championships. Here are the currently registered Division III competitors in each style. Wrestling begins at 10am Central on Saturday in all three styles and continues Sunday at 10am Central. The finals in weights with a wrestler sitting in Final X will begin at 2:30pm Central.
Freestyle 57kg – Mike Tortorice, Wisconsin-Whitewater – Tortorice finished 2nd (2019) and 3rd (2018) at the NCAA Championships and was the top seed at 125 for the canceled 2020 tournament. He earned his spot in the tournament with a 2nd place finish at the Bill Farrell Memorial, and he is the 10th seed.
97kg – Joe Rau, Elmhurst – Rau finishes 1st (2013), 3rd (2012), and 7th (2011) at the NCAA Championships. He has represented the U.S. multiple times in Greco-Roman competition and won the Olympic Trials in 2016. He was the runner-up at the 2022 US Open and the Bill Farrell Memorial. It is unclear if he will compete this weekend. He did not appear in the seeds, but he is currently listed as registered.
97kg – Duncan Lee, Central – Lee qualified as the #3 seed at the canceled 2020 NCAA Championships. He qualified for the trials with a 7th place finish at the 2022 US Open and is currently seeded 6th.
97kg – Jason Carter, Ursinus – Carter placed 4th (2020) and 5th (2022) at the Mideast Regional. He won his only match at the Last Chance Qualifier to earn his spot in the tournament, and he is seeded 7th.
Greco-Roman 72kg – Eddie Smith, Loras – Smith finished 4th in the 2019 NCAA Championships and was the 5th seed at 165 in the canceled 2020 NCAA Championships. He qualified for the trials with a 5th place finish at the US Open and is seeded 6th.
82kg – Ryan Epps, Augsburg – Epps won the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Championships and was the #2 seed at the canceled 2020 Championships. He also qualified in 2017. He earned his spot in the trials with a 2nd place finish in the 2021 World Team Trials. He also finished in 3rd place at the 2022 US Open. He is the 4th seed.
87kg – Tyler Hannah, Wisconsin-Platteville – Hannah was an NCAA qualifier at 197 this season. He earned his way into the trials with a 3rd place finish at the 2021 World Team Trials and also finished in 2nd place in the U20 division of the 2022 US Open. He is seeded 4th.
97kg – Guy Patron, Loras – Patron finished 6th (2019), 2nd (2018), and 3rd (2017) in the NCAA Championships and was the top seed at 197 in the canceled 2020 championships. He finished 6th in the US Open to earn his spot here and is seeded 6th.
97kg – Brady Vogel, Loras – Vogel finished 4th in this year’s Lower Midwest Regional. He also was 4th at the US Open to gain a spot in the trials. He is the 7th seed.
130kg – Kaleb Reeves, Coe – Reeves was 3rd at the 2022 NCAA Championships and the 2021 NWCA DIII Championships. He finished 5th at the US Open and is seeded 6th.
130kg – Tom Foote, Williams – Foote qualified for the 2011, 2012, and 2013 NCAA Championships. He won a seven-man bracket at the Last Chance Qualifier to earn his spot here, and he is seeded 8th.
Here are the 12 wrestlers who have been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District At-Large teams. These wrestlers, along with the rest of the At-Large selections, move on to be considered for Academic All-America recognition. The CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large teams will be named in June.
NCAA DIVISION III – DISTRICT 2 (CT, DC, DE, MD, NH, NJ, RI, VT, WV) Brett Kaliner, Stevens Institute of Technology, Gr. 3.92/3.95 Business & Technology (UG) / Financial Analytics (G) Kaliner was the 2022 NCAA Champion at 149 lbs.
NCAA DIVISION III – DISTRICT 4 (PA) Peyton Hearn, Thiel College, Jr. 3.92 Early Childhood Education & Special Education Hearn finished 21-10 this season at 157 lbs.
NCAA DIVISION III – DISTRICT 5 (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, MO, MS, NC, PR, SC, TN, VA) Riley Parker, Washington & Lee University, Jr. 3.80 Strategic Communications Parker finished 6th at 125 lbs. at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
NCAA DIVISION III – DISTRICT 6 (MI, MN, WI) Tyler Shilson, Augsburg University, Jr. 4.00 Finance Shilson finished 3rd at 157 lbs. at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
Jaritt Shinhoster, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Sr. 3.50 General Management Shinhoster was the 2022 NCAA Champion at 184 lbs.
NCAA DIVISION III – DISTRICT 7 (IL, IN, OH) Bradan Birt, Millikin University, Sr. 3.56 Sports Management Birt was the 2022 NCAA Champion at 165 lbs.
Jack Heldt, Wabash College, Jr. 4.00 Biology & Rhetoric Heldt finished 2nd at 197 lbs. at the 2022 NCAA Championships
Ben Sarasin, University of Chicago, Sr. 3.92 Economics & Public Policy Sarasin qualified for the 2022 NCAA Championships at 174 lbs.
NCAA DIVISION III – DISTRICT 8 (AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, IA, ID, KS, LA, MT, ND, NE) (NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY, Canada) Shane Liegel, Loras College, Jr. 3.92 Business Administration & Accounting Liegel finished in 4th place at 184 lbs. at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
Gage Linahon, Central College, So. 3.99 Accounting Linahon qualified for the 2022 NCAA Championships at 197 lbs.
Joe Pins, Wartburg College, So. 3.67 Engineering Pins finished 8th at 125 lbs. at the 2022 NCAA Championships
Zeke Smith, Loras College, Sr. 3.98 Engineering & Spanish Smith qualified for the 2022 NCAA Championships at 157 lbs.
Several DIII wrestlers placed at last weekend’s Last Chance Qualifier in Atlantic City. The winner at each weight class qualified for the World Team Trials Challenge Tournament taking place this weekend in Coralville, Iowa. Two DIII wrestlers won their respective weights and are registered for the World Team Trials. Jason Carter won one match and took a forfeit to win the three-man round robin at 97kg freestlye. Tom Foote followed a bye with two wins to win the seven-man 130kg Greco-Roman bracket. Both have other DIII wrestlers in their weight at the trials. 97kg in freestyle features Joe Rau (Elmhurst) and Duncan Lee (Central). 130kg in Greco-Roman has current Coe wrestler Kaleb Reeves.
Elroy Perkin and Samuel Braswell each finished in second place, just missing a spot in the trials. Braswell won two of three in a round robin at 55kg Greco, while Perkin defeated current Ursinus wrestler Shawn Marchesano and current Ferrum head coach Logan Meister before staging a 13-12 comeback win over Julian Ramirez of Cornell University. He fell in the finals to former NCAA DI finalist Joey Lavallee.
Fontbonne University has named Chad Cook as the second men’s and women’s wrestling coach in school history. Cook comes to the St. Louis, Missouri, school after two seasons as head coach at NAIA Lyon College in Arkansas. Cook has also coached at Kentucky Wesleyan, Wayland Baptist, and Manchester.
ST. LOUIS, Mo.—Vice President of Athletics Maria Buckel is pleased to announce the hiring of Chad Cook as the next head men’s and women’s wrestling coach.
“I’m excited to announce Coach Chad Cook will be leading our men’s and women’s wrestling teams,” said Buckel. “Coach Cook has a proven track record in recruiting and team building. When speaking with his references a common theme continued to arise in how great he is at building relationships. I’m confident he will continue to build on the strong foundation of returning wrestlers we have at Fontbonne.”
Cook comes to Fontbonne after spending two years at Lyon College as the head men’s wrestling coach where he qualified a wrestler for the National Tournament in each of his first two seasons and helped the women’s team have two National Champions.
The US Open took place last week, and a contingent of current and former DIII athletes took part in the event. The top DIII freestyle finisher was Joe Rau, formerly of Elmhurst College, who finished as the runner-up in 97kg freestyle. He is qualified for the World Team Trials to be held May 21-22 in Coralville, Iowa. Two freestyle matches pitted DIII wrestlers against each other. Elroy Perkin defeated Grant Zamin 15-2 in the second round at 70kg, and Brandon Murray defeated Tyler Shilson 13-4 in the first round at 74kg.
57 Nate Hansen (Luther) – 0-2 61 Joe Pins (Wartburg) – 0-2 70 Elroy Perkin (UWW) – 2-2 70 Grant Zamin (UWLax) – 2-2 70 Devinaire Hayes (Dubuque) – 1-2 74 Tyler Shilson (Augsburg) – 4-2 74 Brandon Murray (Loras) – 2-2 97 Donovan Corn (Luther) – 1-2 97 Duncan Lee (Central) – 2-2, 7th place 97 Joe Rau (Elmhurst) – 3-1, 2nd place
In Greco-Roman, Ryan Epps finished in 3rd place at 82kg to lead the DIII group. Three current/former Loras wrestlers also placed with Brady Vogel in 4th at 97, Eddie Smith 5th at 72, and Guy Patron 6th at 97. Coe’s Kaleb Reeves finished 5th at 130 and Tom Foote was 8th at the same weight. The top six finishers at each weight qualify for the World Team Trials.
72 Orlando Ponce (Augsburg) – 1-2 72 Eddie Smith (Loras) – 3-2, 5th place 77 Luke Silva (Aurora) – 0-2 82 Ryan Epps (Augsburg) – 4-1, 3rd place 97 Guy Patron (Loras) – 2-2, 6th place 97 Brady Vogel (Loras) – 5-2, 4th place 130 Tom Foote (Williams) – 2-3, 8th place 130 Kaleb Reeves (Coe) – 4-2, 5th place
Other DIII wrestler who have already qualified for the trials at other events include the following: Freestyle 57 Michael Tortorice (Whitewater) – 2nd at Bill Farrell Greco 60 Leslie Fuenffinger (Augsburg) – 3rd at Olympic Trials Greco 72 Orlando Ponce (Augsburg) – 2nd at Bill Farrell Greco 82 Richard Carlson (UW-La Crosse) – 3rd at 2021 World Team Trials Greco 87 Tyler Hannah (UW-Platteville) – 3rd at 2021 World Team Trials Greco 130 Donny Longendyke (Augsburg) – 4th at Olympic Trials
The final chance for athletes to qualify for the 2022 World Team Trials is the Last Chance Qualifier in Atlantic City on May 13th.
Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois, is adding men’s and women’s wrestling for the 2022-2023 season. Eric Biehl will helm the new programs, coming to the school after coaching at Lincoln College. Lincoln announced plans to close earlier this spring. Men’s and women’s wrestling will become the 13th and 14th sports offered at the school of around 500 students near Peoria in central Illinois. Eureka joins Fontbonne and Westminster as SLIAC schools with wrestling and is perhaps best known as the alma mater of Ronald Reagan.
EUREKA – For the first time, men’s and women’s wrestling are coming to the Eureka College Department of Athletics.
Former Lincoln College wrestling coach Eric Biehl is bringing his coaching talents and expertise to Eureka to launch the Red Devils’ 13th and 14th NCAA-sponsored sports for the 2022-23 school year, Eureka College announced on Tuesday.
NCAA Division III sponsors a men’s wrestling championship and women’s wrestling was selected for the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program on Aug. 1, 2020. Eureka College will become the third St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Confernece member to sponsor women’s and men’s wrestling.
“We are thrilled to announce the addition of two new athletic programs to the Eureka College campus community, as well as an accomplished, driven coach in Eric Biehl,” Eureka College President Dr. Jamel Wright said. “Wrestling has a rich tradition in the state of Illinois, and women’s wrestling in particular is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. We are proud and excited to welcome Lincoln College transfers to continue competing in the sport they love and open doors to new experiences for other current and prospective Eureka College students interested in joining these teams.”
Job Responsibilities and Duties: The wrestling assistant coach is responsible for assisting the head coach in leading a successful program at Manchester University. This will include assisting in managing all aspects of coaching, eligibility, recruitment, retention, budget and scheduling. The assistant coach is also responsible for assisting the head coach in fundraising for and Game Day management assignments.
Please contact Josh Hardman, Head Wrestling Coach, Manchester University, with questions at jahardman@manchester.edu
Manchester University has named Josh Hardman as their next head coach. Hardman spent the past five years as on staff at Wabash and was most recently associate head coach. He returns to his alma mater where he graduated in 2000 as a two-time All-American and three-time NCAA qualifier. His previous coaching stops include six seasons as head coach at Dakota Wesleyan and assistant positions at South Dakota State and Morningside.
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – Manchester University Athletics has named Josh Hardman as its next head wrestling coach.
A Manchester alum, Hardman returns to his alma mater after spending the past five seasons at perennial NCAA Division III power Wabash College located in Crawfordsville, Ind. Hardman spent two years as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in 2019.
During his time with the Little Giants’ program, Hardman helped develop one NCAA Division III National Champion, two National Runner-Ups, 15 All-Americans, 16 NWCA Scholar All-Americans, and the Elite 90 Champion in 2022. The Wabash program has garnered four Top 10 national placements in the past five seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2022. Additionally, Wabash earned three Top 15 NWCA Scholar Team rankings while Hardman was with the program.
Plymouth State University is accepting applications for a part-time assistant wrestling coach position for the 2022-2023 season. Responsibilities include assisting the head coach in directing and administering all aspects of the program. Candidates should have excellent interpersonal skills, work well in a team setting, and possess knowledge and experience with coaching wrestling. Duties include but are not limited to: • recruiting • developing practice plans • coordinating travel • scheduling
Some evenings and weekends required. Please send cover letter, resume and references to Eric Bergeron at embergeron1@plymouth.edu. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.
Plymouth State University is a coeducational, residential university located in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Plymouth State provides a rich, student-focused learning environment. With an enrollment of 4,100 undergraduate and 3,000 graduate students, our 170-acre campus offers a classic New England look combined with up-to-date facilities.
Plymouth State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the U.S., and a background check will be required prior to employment.
