ACTIVE Coaches NAIA – Top 40 with at least 24 wins
- Franky James (Georgetown Coll./Campbellsville) 251
- Nick Mitchell (Grand View College) 197
- Corey Ruff (Cumberlands/Lindsey-Wilson) 161
- Tyson Thivierge (Montana State Northern) 124
- Omi Acosta (Life University) — 120
- Jake Stevenson (Morningside College) — 111
- Jeff Bedard (Reinhardt Univ.) — 111
- K.C. Rock (Embry-Riddle College) – 108
- Thomas Pompei (Indiana Institute of Tech.) 104
- Rik Dahl (Northwestern College) — 97
- Joey Martinez (Menlo) — 88 — Menlo now D-II school
- James Hicks (Cumberland Univ./Darton — 83
- Beau Vest (Mo. Valley/Dana-Midland) 83 (M & W)
- Dana Vote (Doane, Midland, Concordia) — 80
- James Kisgen (McKendree College) — 74 (school moved to Div. II)
- Steven Bradley (Marian University) — 71
- Brandon Jorge (Southeastern University) 71
- Joe Privitere (Briar Cliff) 65
- Dustyn Azure (Eastern Oregon) 61
- Zach Mullins (Graceland Univ.) 56
- Chuck Kearney (St. Mary, University of) 55
- Steve Komac (Providence Great Falls) 55
- Lennie Zalesky (Calif. Baptist University) 55 – now a D-I school
- Graham Karwath (Cent. Mo.U./Avila) 50 (M & W)
- Joel Gibson (Southern Oregon State) 49
- Doc Kelly (Lourdes University) 48
- Wesley Maskill (Rochester Christian University) 39
- Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma City) 38
- Jameel Bryant (Lindsey-Wilson College) 37
- Robert Parland (St. Andrews University) 33
- Thomas Carr (Oklahoma Wesleyan Univ./Central Christian) 31
- Eric Van Kley (Great Falls Univ.) 29 – now at a D-III school
- Eric Pack (Allen University) 28
- Michael Butterfield (Arizona Christian) 28
- Josh Erickson (Hastings College) 24
- Caleb Flores (Vanguard University) 24
- Casey Mouw (Dakota Wesleyan) 24
- Calb McElfresh (Missouri Baptist University) 24
- Justin Schlecht (Dickinson State) 23 — inc.
- Stryder Davis (Wayland Baptist) 22
ACTIVE Coaches(D-III)– Top 50 with at least 80 wins
- Roger Crebs (Lycoming College) 465
- Lonnie Morris (Johnson & Wales) 464
- Ron Beaschler (Ohio Northern Univ.) 407
- Bruce Haberli (New York University) 359
- Dave Mitchell (Luther College) 340
- Tim Fader (Wis.-Eau Claire,Whitewater, LaCrosse) 336
- Martin Nichols (Ithaca College) 329
- Jon Laudenslager (Wilkes University) 303
- Jay Jones (Rhode Island College) 289
- John Oostendorp (Coe College) 288
- Bryan Brunk (Messiah College) 279
- Dave Malecek (Wisconsin-LaCrosse St.) 243
- Drew Black (Wesleyan Univ.) 236
- Sebastian Amato (Trinity College) 235
- Johnny Johnson (Wisc.-Stevens Point) 224
- Duane Ritter (SUNY Oneonta State) 223
- Jon Egan (Roger Williams) – 221
- Eric Keller (Wartburg College) – 197
- Mike Howard (SUNY-Oswego State) 192
- Jon McGovern (Dubuque University) – 186
- Jamie Gibbs (Baldwin-Wallace) – 182
- Craig Thurber (Thiel College) – 173
- Joe Galente (College of New Jersey) 172
- Kevin Bratland (U.S. Coast Guard/North Central) 169
- Eric Van Kley (Central College,) – 159
- Steve Marianetti (Elmhurst College) – 157
- James Holder (Springfield College) 157
- Brandon Bissette (Olivet College) 151
- Jason Garriques (Centenary College) 137
- Greg Ilaria (U.S. Merchant Marine) – 136
- Scott Legacy (Vermont St.-Castleton) 134
- Mark Harwald (John Carroll/Case West/Mt. Union) 131
- Al Russomano (Scranton Univ.) 128
- Joe Favia (Stevens Institute of Tech.) 123
- Eric Walker (Elizabethtown College) 119
- Nathan Shearer (Washington & Lee) 118
- Duane Bastress (York College, Pa.) 116
- Keith Norris (John Hopkins Univ.) 110
- Bill Schindel (Adrian/Mount Union) 109
- Scott Honacker (Williams College) 109
- Ryan Birt (Millikan College) 108
- Tim Fader (Wisc.-Eau Claire) 106
- Nate Yetzer (Roanoke/Ferrum Colleges) 105
- Mike DeRoehn (Lakeland /Wisc-Platteville, Oshkosh,) 98
- Jim Moulsoff (Augsburg College) 98 – III
- Tommy Prairie (SUNY-Courtland, Wash.&Jeff./Plymouth) 97 — III
- Blake Roulo (Averett Univ.) 96
- Matt Morin (Southern Maine) 95 — III
- Mike Sugarmeyer (Western New England) 87
- Pat Patrizi (Heidelberg College) 82 — III
- Jason McLean (Mulenberg College) 81
Top 30 Division II ACTIVE Coaches with at least 70 wins
- Steve Costanzo (St. Cloud Univ.&Dana College) 347
- Jim Makovsky (Minn. St.-Mankato/Valley City St.) 334
- Robert Fisher (Kutztown Univ.) 252
- Heath Grimm (Upper Iowa Univ.) 239
- Jason Reitmeier (Augustana College-S.D.) 235
- Mike Wehler (Mercyhurst, West Liberty State) 214 – ret. in 2025
- James Kisgen (McKendree College) – 160 – since joined D-II
- R.C. LaHaye (Lander U./Grand Canyon U.) 151
- Othello ‘O.T.’ Johnson (U. N.C.-Pembroke) 142
- Jason Warthan (Indianapolis Univ.) 139
- Jason Ramstetter (Adams State College) 134
- Dalton Jensen (Nebraska-Kearney) 122
- Todd Steidley (Central Oklahoma) 114
- Seth Bloomquist (Shippensburg State) 112
- Shawn Nelson (Findlay Univ.) 111 inc.
- Dax Charles (Colorado State-Pueblo) 103
- Josh Hutchens (Frostburg/Ashland/Col. School Mines) 100
- Brett Hunter (Chadron State) 93
- Josh Hutchens (Frostburg State) 90 — II
- Austin DeVoe (Colorado School of Mines) 89
- Joey Simcoe (Grand Valley St./Tiffin Univ.) 89
- Danny Irwin (West Liberty/Wheeling Jesuit) 87
- Dock Kelly (Anderson) 84 –now at NAIA school
- Adam Aho (University of Mary) 81
- Charles Piper (Western Colorado) 76
- Bryce Killian (Emmanuel College) 75 – II M & W
- Kris Nelson (Minnesota State-Moorhead) 73
- Anibal Nieves (East Stroudsburg & others) 71 inc. II – M & W
- Dan Willis (Mount Olive) 70 – II M & W
- Rocky Burkett (Northern State) 69 –
Top 55 Division I ACTIVE Coacheswith at least 50 Wins
- Rob Koll (North Carolina/Stanford/Cornell) 348
- Brian Smith (Missouri/Syracuse) 341
- Tom Ryan (Ohio State/Hofstra) 335
- Mark Manning (Nebraska/Northern Iowa) 328
- Tom Brands (Iowa & Virginia Tech) 308
- Jim Zalesky (Oregon State/Iowa) 278 now at D-II school
- Tim Flynn (West Virginia/Edinboro St.) 274
- Cael Sanderson (Penn State, Iowa State) – 262
- Joel Greenlee (Ohio Univ.) 260
- Roger Reina (Pennsylvania, Un. Of) 258 – retiring in 2025
- Pat Popolizio (North Carolina St., SUNY-Binghampton) – 258
- Kevin Dresser (Iowa State/Virginia Tech Univ.) 253
- Pat Santoro (Lehigh University, Maryland) 239
- Scott Goodale (Rutgers University) – 235
- Jim Andrassy (Kent State Univ.) 204 – retiring in 2025
- Steve Garland (Virginia University) 194
- John Stutzman (Buffalo SUNY, Bloomsburg) – 190
- Dan Wirnsberger (Bucknell, Bloomsburg) 183
- Chris Bono (Wisconsin/South Dakota/U.Tenn.Chatt.) 158
- John Mark Bentley (Appalachian State) – 152
- Jay Weiss (Harvard Univ.) – – 151
- Jason Borelli (American/Stanford Univ.) – 150
- Mark Branch (Wyoming Univ.) – 149
- Zeke Jones (Ariz. St., Univ. Of Penn.) – 127
- Doug Schwab (Northern Iowa) – 125
- Mark Cody (Presbyterian, Oklahoma U., American U.) – 124
- Roger Kish (Oklahoma/N. D. St.) – 122
- Ryan Ludwig (Northern Illinois) – 114
- Matt Azevedo (Drexel Un.) – 113
- Chris Ayres (Princeton) – 102
- Scott Moore (Lock Haven) – 95
- Tony Ersland (Purdue) – 90
- Brandom Eggum (Minnesota) – 84
- John Hangey (Rider Un.) – 83
- Tony Robie (Virginia Tech/SUNY-Bing.) – 80
- Kevin Ward (U.S. Army Acad.) – 78
- Daniel Elliott (Gardner-Webb) – 77
- Keith Ferraro (Clarion Un.) – 75
- Damion Hahn (South Dakota State) – 72
- Mike Rogers (Franklin & Marshall) – 71
- Dennis Papadates (Hofstra) – 69
- Cary Kolat (Navy Academy/Campbell) – 69
- Keith Gavin (Pittsburgh) – 68
- Troy Nickerson (Northern Colorado) – 65
- Frank Beasley (George Mason) – 65
- Roger Chandler (Michigan State) – 65
- Sean Bormet (Michigan) – 63
- Glen Lanham (Duke) – 63
- Samuel Barber (U.S. Air Force Acad,) – 63
- Scot Sentes (Campbell Un.) – 60
- Jeremy Spates (So. Illinois-Edwardsville) – 58
- Kyle Ruschell (Tenn.-Chattanoga) – 57
- Kyle Borschoff (SUNY-Binghampton) – 56
- Joe Patrovich (Long Island University) – 56
- Matt Storniolo (Northwestern Un.) – 52
TDR Top Coaches Lists Updated
The Lists of Top coaches by Dual Meet Wins are being updated on the TDR Blog Pages which are linked to the right. We welcome input, questions and corrections. The updates are starting on Aug. 21st and will continue during the next week.
OSU Cowgirl Wrestling Club Adds John Smith as Volunteer Assistant
Smith will continue to impact the future of the sport.
Smith will continue to impact the future of the sport. on August 17, 2025 By Marshall Scott
John Smith has found a new way to impact the future of wrestling.
The OSU Cowgirl Wrestling Club on Sunday announced that Smith, legendary wrestler-turned-legendary coach, has agreed to help out as a volunteer assistant coach. This comes a little more than a year removed from when Smith retired as the Oklahoma State Cowboys’ coach after a coaching career that saw him lead OSU to five NCAA team titles, 33 NCAA individual titles and 490 dual wins. Not a bad resume for a volunteer assistant.
Former OSU All-American Izzak Olejnik is the Cowgirls’ head coach. He was a two-time MAC champion and one-time NCAA All-American at Northern Illinois before transferring to OSU for his final season (and Smith’s final season as OSU’s coach). He wrestled to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA championships under Smith, beating future Cowboy national champ Dean Hamiti in the process.
Smith was a two-time national champ for OSU during the 1980s and finished his Cowboy career with a record of 154-7-2. As good as he was on a collegiate mat, Smith was even more heralded internationally. He won gold at the World Championships on four occasions between 1987 and 1991. Smith also won gold at the Olympics in 1988 and 1992.
To go with the coaching acumen listed above, Smith also produced 153 All-Americans, 23 team conference titles, 132 individual conference champions and two Hodge Trophy winners in his 33-year run coaching the Cowboys. … more at … https://pistolsfiringblog.com/osu-cowgirl-wrestling-club-adds-john-smith-as-volunteer-assistant/
Shaut Joins Appalachian State Staff as Assistant Coach
BOONE, N.C. —Hunter Shaut has joined the App State Wrestling staff as an assistant coach.
Shaut (pronounced like shout) concluded his collegiate career at Buffalo in 2025, and the childhood education major earned Academic All-MAC recognition in each of his final two seasons. He won 43 matches during his career, posting 22 dual victories over his final three seasons and going 12-6 in MAC duals.
As a senior, he went 22-15 overall, placed fourth at the MAC Championships at 165 pounds and earned the team’s Academic Excellence Award.
A native of Mohawk, N.Y., … more at … https://appstatesports.com/news/2025/8/15/shaut-joins-wrestling-staff-as-assistant-coach.aspx
Chadron State College Coach Brett Hunter Running 100 Miles this Weekend
By Con Marshall
Chadron State College Men’s Wrestling Coach Brett Hunter was a two-time state champion wrestler at Rushville High School and a two-time national champion at Chadron State, winning a total of 274 matches and at least 31 matches each of the eight seasons he competed in the sport. But this weekend he’ll be attempting a much different and strenuous challenge.
Hunter has entered the 100-mile race that is the headliner of the Lean Horse Ultra Marathon in the Black Hills of South Dakota. On Monday, he said he was both excited and nervous about what’s ahead, then added that it’s something he’s eager to attempt.
His previous longest race was a 50-miler over the same course a year ago, and he recalls that afterwards he felt terrible, hurting all over both physically and mentally. “I had to gut it out to finish. It was terrible.” he remembers.
Now he’s going to try to run twice as far. He knows it will be miserable, but he’s steadfast in giving it his best shot.
He admits that during his days as one of western Nebraska’s all-time outstanding wrestlers he never enjoyed running, but did it to get in shape and to make weight. “Back then I thought running two to four miles was a lot, and when I went out for track as a high school senior I never ran more than a half mile in a meet,” he noted.
Now entering his 14th season as the Eagles’ head wrestling coach, Hunter doesn’t relish running, but he wants to stay active and healthy, and obviously has become much more than a casual jogger.
His first distance race of special note was a half marathon (a bit more than 13 miles) at Jackson Hole, Wyo., in 2022. The next year he ran two 30-mile races in the Black Hills, and was encouraged when he won his age group and finished seventh overall in one of them.
Last year he took on the 50-mile race and completed it in 11 hours and 57 minutes, placing about 30th among the 125 entries. … more at … https://chadronradio.com/csc-coach-brett-hunter-running-100-miles-this-weekend/
Hundreds of supporters demand Davidson County Schools reinstate 3 wrestling coaches
DAVIDSON COUNTY — More than 200 people packed the Davidson County Board of Education meeting Monday night demanding that three wrestling coaches from Ledford and Central Davidson high schools be reinstated immediately.
Superintendent Gregg Slate suspended Ledford assistant coach Tim Ellenberger, Ledford head coach Andy Chappell and Central Davidson assistant coach Carter Ellenberger, Tim Ellenberger’s son. Slate confirmed before the meeting Monday night that their appeals will be heard by the school board within two weeks.
Slate said Chappell is suspended until June 30, 2026. He is a retired teacher. He said Tim Ellenberger is suspended until Oct. 29. He did not state how long Carter Ellenberger is suspended, or whether that includes a suspension from teaching as well. Carter Ellenberger is the only one of the three who also is a teacher. He teaches social studies at Central Middle.
The suspensions stem from a trip to Sliding Rock in Transylvania County by wrestling team members and coaches from Ledford High School and Central Middle and Central High schools in June. A social media post claimed that one of the students nearly drowned.
The Sliding Rock visit took place on the last day of a wrestling summer camp at Brevard College and is a longstanding tradition with the Ledford team.
Davidson County Schools issued a statement in June saying that the report and the actions of school employees were being investigated. Slate declined to explain Monday why the coaches were suspended, … more at … https://www.hpenews.com/thomasville_times/hundreds-of-supporters-demand-davidson-county-schools-reinstate-3-wrestling-coaches/article_2d163886-da49-50e4-8a29-2fdebc79c666.html
Toledo wrestling legend Greg Wojciechowski dead at 73
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – A national champion wrestler and fixture of the sport locally, Greg Wojciechowski, has died at the age of 73, according to the Toledo Blade.
Known as “The Great Wojo” as a professional wrestler, Wojciechowski won a national championship as a heavyweight at the University of Toledo in 1971, along with two state titles while wrestling for Whitmer High School.
After his pro wrestling career, he returned to town to be a teacher at Toledo Public Schools, and coach wrestling teams at Archbold, Libbey, and Bowsher high schools.
You can read more about Wojciechowski by checking David Brigg’s column from earlier this summer about his induction into the wrestling Hall of Fame. … more a … https://www.13abc.com/2025/08/14/toledo-wrestling-legend-greg-wojciechowski-dead-73/
And …
Distinguished Member Greg Wojciechowski Passes Away
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame was saddened to learn that Greg Wojciechowski, a Distinguished Member inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2025, passed away on Tuesday, at the age of 74. He is also a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum’s George Tragos and Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and he received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Ohio Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.
“Greg Wojciechowski was a driving force in establishing a world-class wrestling culture in the greater Toledo area during the 1960s and 1970s. His passion and dedication to the sport helped spark the creation of the Wrestling World Cup, which debuted in Toledo in 1973 and was hosted by the city an incredible 17 times over the next 19 years,” said Lee Roy Smith, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
“During his induction as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame this past June, “Wojo” delivered a heartfelt and moving speech. In a true reflection of his character, he took the time to personally recognize individuals in attendance who had made a meaningful impact on his life. It was a powerful reminder of the deep gratitude and humility that defined him—and a testament to the way he always gave back to the community that shaped him,” he added. “On behalf of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Board of Governors and our staff, we extend our deepest condolences to Greg’s family, friends, and the many lives he influenced. His legacy will forever live on in the sport he loved and the people he inspired.”
Wojciechowski was an NCAA Division I champion and three-time NCAA finalist, competing when freshmen were not eligible, at heavyweight for the University of Toledo.
By the age of 21 he had won an NCAA title, a freestyle national title and a Greco-Roman national title.
Standing 6-foot tall and weighing approximately 250 pounds, Wojciechowski regularly gave up height and weight to his opponents, including 1972 NCAA champion and Hall of Fame Distinguished Member Chris Taylor, who was 6-foot-5 and weighed over 400 pounds throughout much of his wrestling career.
Wojciechowski had a career college record of 55-2 with his only losses coming in the NCAA finals to Taylor and Oregon State’s Jess Lewis in 1970. … more at … https://nwhof.org/news/distinguished-member-greg-wojciechowski-passes-away

