Ashland University Men's Wrestling

YEAR: Sixth in 2025-26 PREVIOUS COLLEGE: Ohio State '12, Edinboro '16 AT ASHLAND UNIVERSITY Sponseller is 4-for-5 in leading Ashland University's wrestling team to Great Midwest Athletic Conference titles (2021-22, 2024-25). He has been named Great Midwest Coach of the Year on three occasions (2025, 2024, and 2021). In 2022-23, Ashland finished in a tie for 20th nationally with a pair of NCAA Division II All-Americans. In 2020-21, he led the Eagles to a seventh-place nationals finish with five All-Americans. BEFORE ASHLAND UNIVERSITY Sponseller spent the previous five years as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Ohio University prior to coming to Ashland. He was an assistant with the Bobcats, with whom he coached 19 NCAA qualifiers, one Mid-American Conference champion, one NCAA All-American and three Top 30 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic Teams. He began his coaching career at NCAA Division II Edinboro from 2012-15. There, he was part of a program which finished third and fifth nationally, and he coached 18 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champions, 10 Eastern Wrestling League champs, 12 NCAA qualifiers and nine NCAA All-Americans. As an Ohio State grappler, Sponseller was both an NCAA Division I All-American (fourth-place nationals finish at 165 pounds in 2011) and Academic All-American (2010-11). He earned an overall record of 105-24 (.814) at OSU, and after his collegiate career, was fifth at the 2015 world team trials. PERSONAL Sponseller is a 2012 graduate of OSU from the Fisher College of Business with a degree in Business Administration and a specialization in Marketing. He earned his Master of Arts in Communication Studies with a specialization of Managerial Leadership from Edinboro in 2016.

YEAR: Sixth in 2025-26 (fifth as assistant coach) PREVIOUS COLLEGE: Ashland '20 AT ASHLAND UNIVERSITY Is in his fifth season as assistant wrestling coach after one season as a graduate assistant. He fashioned one of the best careers in Eagle wrestling annals, winning an NCAA Division II national championship at 165 pounds in 2018. Romanzak was a two-time D-II All-American. His 119 career victories are No. 3 on the program's all-time list, and his 39 wins in 2017-18 are second only to Labry's 42 in 2014-15. In addition to his on-mat exploits, Romanzak also was a College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America, and earned a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner's Award.

Guerra is in his second season as an assistant coach for the Ashland University wrestling team. Guerra comes to AU from Toledo Central Catholic High School, where he was head wrestling coach for six seasons. He coached 28 state qualifiers, 17 state placers and five state champions, as well as a state runner-up team in 2015. Guerra earned two Three Rivers Athletic Conference and two Greater Toledo Wrestling Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors. His coaching career began at his alma mater, the University of Findlay, where he was a graduate assistant. Guerras collegiate wrestling career with the Oilers was a highly successful one. He was a four-time NCAA Division II All-American, three-time national finalist and a two-time national champion. In addition, Guerra was a Division II Academic All-American, as well as a two-time UF Male Athlete of the Year. Guerra is a 2008 graduate of Findlay.

Hutchens is in his fourth season as AU's head wrestling coach. In 2015-16, the Eagles finished 14th in Division III and saw senior Joe Brandt earn a third-place finish at nationals at 197 pounds. In 2014-15, Hutchens led the Eagles with a 16th-place national finish. Six AU wrestlers qualified for nationals, and two - Michael Labry for a third time and Brent Fickel for the first time - earned All-America honors. The Eagles were third at the NCAA Regional Championships, and placed 12th in the country in team grade-point average (3.2). Hutchens enjoyed a number of highlights on and off the mat in 2013-14. The Eagles were fourth at the NCAA Regional Championships and sent six grapplers to nationals. Three of those wrestlers - Labry, Bryson Hall and Joe Brandt - earned All-America honors. The Eagles placed 14th at the NCAA Championships. As a team, the Eagles also placed in the nation's Academic Top 20. AU ranked 14th in the country in team GPA (3.093). Hutchens came to AU from Colorado School of Mines. He took over as the head coach of that program in 2009. This is the third head coaching post Hutchens has held. He was the head coach at James Madison from 2004-07. At that time, Hutchens was the youngest NCAA Division I head coach in the country. Hutchens is the ninth head coach in program history. Before arriving at AU, he coached five NCAA national qualifiers and one All-American. He coached 17 National Wrestling Coaches of America Scholar-Athletes, and his teams placed in the top 15 of the NWCA All-Academic Team standings four times. One of his wrestlers received the NCAA Elite 88 Award, which is presented to the participating student-athlete at nationals with the highest grade point average. In addition to his head coaching stints, Hutchens has served as an assistant coach at Colorado School of Mines (2007-09/2002-03) and James Madison (2003-04). Hutchens also spent one year (2001-02) as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater. As a wrestler, Hutchens was an NCAA Division I national qualifier at Purdue. He finished third at the Big Ten championships. In high school, Hutchens was a two-time Indiana state wrestling champion. He was a 2009 inductee into the Indiana State High School Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Hutchens and his wife, Marianne, reside in Ashland with their children, Alyah and Beau. Hutchens At Ashland

YEAR: First in 2025-26 PREVIOUS COLLEGE: Michigan State '20 AT ASHLAND UNIVERSITY Griffin is in his first season as assistant wrestling coach at Ashland in 2025-26. BEFORE ASHLAND UNIVERSITY Prior to coming to AU, Griffin served as the top assistant coach at NCAA Division III Heidelberg from 2023-25. His other coaching stops include NAIA Rochester University (2022-23) and Airport High School in Michigan (2021-22). Griffin wrestled at NCAA Division I Michigan State, and was a 2020 national qualifer and Big Ten placer. PERSONAL Griffin graduated from Michigan State in 2020 with a degree in Advertising Management.

YEAR: Second in 2025-26

Kirst is in his second season as an assistant coach of the Ashland University wrestling team. Kirst is a familiar face around Eagle Nation, as he was a four-time NCAA Division II national qualifier with the AU wrestling program. One of the winningest grapplers in program history (116), Kirst also earned D-II All-American honors at 197 pounds. Kirst comes back to Ashland after serving as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Oberlin College since 2013. His coaching background includes stints as an assistant at Heidelberg (2013), Lake Erie College (2011), the club program at Cleveland State (2010-12), Bay High School (2010-11), Lakewood St. Edward High School (2007-10) and Ashland Crestview High School (2006-07). He is a 2007 graduate of AU.