Duke University Men's Wrestling

Lanhams mentoring, became Dukes first three-time All-American. Also the first Duke wrestler to be a four-time NCAA qualifier, Hartmann finished seventh at the NCAA Championships at 197 pounds. Four Blue Devils overall qualified for the NCAA Championships, marking the second consecutive season and the first time in program history the Blue Devils have landed at least four wrestlers in the field. Duke previously had never sent more than two wrestlers to the NCAA postseason event in consecutive years. In addition, was one shy of landing on the podium for the Blue Devils the farthest two Duke wrestlers have advanced at NCAAs in program history. On the team side of the results, Duke grabbed a pair of top 25 wins with victories over rival No. 13 North Carolina and No. 23 Purdue. The triumph over the Tar Heels was the highest ranked win in program history and was the first victory over UNC since 2004. Duke upset the Boilermakers 28-18 to earn its third Big Ten win in program history and the second ranked win of the year. Lanhams third season was arguably his best as the Blue Devils landed a program-best five wrestlers in the NCAA Championships and posted its highest finish at 28th.  , , Hartmann, and all earned bids to the NCAA field, while Hartmann led the charge with his second All-American performance and sixth-place finish. Overall, three Blue Devils advanced to the second day of competition for the first time in program history. In conference action, Lanham led the Blue Devils to a fourth-place showing at the ACC Championships, the highest finish since taking third in 2004. Duke defeated a pair of Big Ten opponents for the first time in program history en route to an 11-5 overall record. In addition to his All-America performance, Hartmann took home the ACC title at 197 pounds, while Kasper and Finesilver both garnered All-ACC honors. Off the mat, Duke ranked sixth nationally in team GPA and had four wrestlers earn NWCA All-Academic honors. The Blue Devils were tops in the ACC in GPA for a second straight year. In just his second season, Lanham landed a Duke wrestler on the podium at NCAA Championships for the third time in the programs history. Hartmann, in his second consecutive appearance at NCAAs, turned in a pair of upsets en route to becoming Dukes second All-American wrestler with a fifth-place showing at 197 points.  In addition, for the first time in program history, Duke had two wrestlers - Kerr-Brown joined Hartmann who advanced to the second day of wrestling at the NCAA Championships. Kerr-Browns improvement under Lanham shined through in 2014-15. The Rome, Ga., native posted a career-high 26 wins, five shy of his previous two seasons combined, and took third at ACC Championships. As a team, Duke had its highest finish at NCAA Championships in program history with a 29th-place showing. Overall, Duke finished the year 6-15 after wrestling its toughest schedule in school history. The Duke wrestling program made strides in Lanhams first season at the helm. The Blue Devils finished the year 9-10-0 and 1-4 in the ACC. The nine wins were the most since the 2008-09 campaign as Duke sent two wrestlers and Hartmann to the NCAA Championships. It marked the first time since 2009 as well that multiple Blue Devils competed in the NCAA postseason event. On the mat, Gambucci earned All-ACC honors at 133 pounds to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. Hartmann finished third at 197 pounds, despite missing the previous month to an injury, and garnered an at-large invitation to the postseason. Overall, Duke placed four wrestlers among the top four in the ACC Championships and had seven different wrestlers place in the various tournaments over the course of the year. Duke was equally as successful in the classroom in Lanhams first season. The Blue Devils landed six wrestlers on the All-ACC Academic Team, while Gambucci and Hartmann earned NWCA All-Academic recognition and the Duke team ranked fifth overall with a team GPA of 3.15. The Blue Devils also were active in the community, helping handicapped kids learn baseball, visiting local hospitals, and cooking breakfast at the Durham Urban Ministries.    Prior to taking over the head coaching position, Lanham served as an assistant coach with the Blue Devils for two seasons. Lanham helped mentor Diego Bencomo and to NCAA Championship berths in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Under Lanhams tutelage in the wrestling room, Bencomo earned 2011 All-ACC recognition after taking runner-up honors at the ACC Championships at 184 pounds. The Phoenix, Ariz., native went on to register a pair of wins in the NCAA Tournament, becoming just the second wrestler in Duke history to make it to the quarterfinal round. With the help of Lanham in 2012, Hough became the second Duke true freshman to earn a bid to the NCAA Championships after taking fourth at the ACC Championships at 141 pounds. Hough finished his rookie campaign with a 23-13 overall record. Lanham joined the Duke coaching staff as an assistant in June of 2010 after stints as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, North Carolina and Purdue. Prior to arriving in Durham, he spent three seasons at Purdue where he spearheaded the Boilermakers recruiting efforts. At Purdue, Lanham had an immediate impact on the program, helping several Boilermakers to breakout seasons. He mentored a selection of student-athletes to the NCAA Championships during his three seasons and under his watch Luke Manuel earned three bids to the NCAA postseason and climbed to as high as fifth nationally at 174 pounds.   The Boilermakers two recruiting classes under Lanham garnered a wealth of national honors, including the nations No. 12 class from InterMat.com in 2008. It marked the second straight top-20 national recruiting class for the Boilermakers as they reeled in three of the nations top-100 recruits, including a pair of 2009 USA Wrestling Junior national champions.   Prior to his three years at Purdue, the former Oklahoma State competitor coached at the University of North Carolina for four years. With the Tar Heels, Lanham also worked closely with the middle to upper weight classes and headed their recruiting efforts.   In his time in Chapel Hill, Lanham tutored four ACC Champions and nine NCAA Championships qualifiers. He also went to great lengths to improve the Tar Heels program, bringing in an InterMat Wrestling Top-25 recruiting class in 2006-07. Lanham worked as a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Oklahoma from 1991-2003. He was at Midwest City High School for seven years, where he mentored several state champions and sent them on to prestigious college programs. While at Midwest City, he also volunteered his time at Oklahoma University, coaching several All-Americans.   Lanham served as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma State University from 1988-1991, helping the Cowboys to a pair of NCAA Championships. As a college competitor, he garnered All-American honors at both OSU and the University of Tennessee, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in human service with an emphasis in juvenile counseling in August of 1988. He competed internationally as a member of the Sunkist Kids team and was freestyle wrestling All-American. Lanham resides in Pittsboro, N.C., with his wife Melanie.

Rowe assists in all aspects of the program and works closely with the light and middle weights. An energetic coach, Rowe has been a major factor in the development of many of Dukes light and middle weights. In 2014-15, Duke landed three Blue Devils from the light to middle weight divisions in the NCAA Championships. Under Rowe, Dukes 157-pounder Immanuel Kerr-Brown blossomed in his final three seasons, earning consecutive spots in the NCAA Championships field. Rowe, arguably had the biggest impact on 149-pounder Marcus Cain in his senior season. The Winston-Salem, N.C. native, with Rowe teaching him, advanced to the NCAA Championships field for the first time in his career with an outstanding performance at the ACC Championships. In addition to his coaching in the wrestling room, Rowe has truly solidified Dukes wrestling brand through social media and design and is primarily responsible for the popular Technique Tuesday videos shared all over the world. In Rowes first season with the program, Kerr-Brown was voted the teams Most Improved Wrestler after posting a 12-10 overall record and a 3-2 mark against ACC foes. With Rowe encouraging and teaching him, Kerr-Brown had a breakout season in 2013-14. The Rome, Ga., native amassed a career-best 26 wins en route to earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. At the tournament for the first time in his career, Kerr-Brown captured a win to advance to day two of competition. In addition to the growth of Kerr-Brown, Rowe was instrumental in helping 133-pounder Brandon Gambucci to runner-up honors at the ACC Championships and a bid to the NCAA Championships in 2012-13. Gambucci led all Blue Devils in pins and was tied for the team lead with 23 victories that year. Previously, Rowe was a part of the North Carolina Regional Training Center where he was training in hopes of qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics at 66kg. He comes to Duke with an excellent resume that includes qualifying for the NCAA Championships in three consecutive seasons. A native of Arlington, Texas, Rowe competed at both 149 and 157 pounds during his time at Oklahoma. He completed his career as a Sooner with a 63-23 overall record and twice placed third at the Big 12 Championships. Rowe earned a host of noteworthy wins during his time as a Sooner. He captured victories over two-time national champions Jeff Jaggers and Teyon Ware, the 2011 NCAA Champion and Junior World Champion Bubba Jenkins as well as 2009 NCAA champion and NC State standout Darrion Caldwell during his career. After redshirting in 2004-05, he came out and posted an 18-7 overall record and finished among the top three in three tournaments, including in the Big 12 Championships. In 2006-07, the Texas state champion went 19-7 overall and took home the Oklahoma Open title. Rowe, in his final season, served as a team captain and compiled a career-best record of 26-9 to rank second on the team in total wins. He opened the year on a nine-match win streak and put together a 14-4 dual meet mark. He upset the 14th-ranked wrestler en route to taking third at the Big 12 Championships and coming up one win shy of earning All-America honors. Following graduation, Rowe became a graduate assistant for the Sooners, helping in on-campus recruiting, training the middle weights and day-to-day operation. During his time as a graduate assistant, Rowe helped Oklahoma to two top-15 finishes, including going from 34th to fifth at the NCAA Championships in a single season. He mentored one NCAA finalist, seven NCAA All-Americans and seven Scholar All-Americans. In addition to his coaching duties, Rowe continued competing on the mat. He placed among the top eight in the prestigious Asics U.S. Open Championships in 2010 at 66 kilograms. Rowe resides in Durham with his wife Stevie and their son Cohen.

Wissel, a standout at Purdue University, works with the upper weights. During his four seasons with the Blue Devils, Wissel has done an outstanding job mentoring the student-athletes and works closely with the heavier weights. An outstanding technician and leader in the wrestling room, Wissel played a major role in helping Conner Hartmann become Dukes first three-time All-American in program history. As a senior, with Wissel as a workout parter in the wrestling room, Hartmann captured his second consecutive ACC title at 197 pounds and finished seventh at the NCAA Championships - his third time on the podium. In 2014-15, Wissel was a leading force behind the success of Hartmann and Jacob Kaspers success on and off the mat. Hartmann captured his first ACC title, while Kasper earned All-ACC honors and advanced to the NCAA Championships at 184 pounds. In 2013-14, Wissel saw his work with Hartmann take effect as the 197-pounder grabbed a spot on the podium at NCAA Championships. Hartmann, upset a pair of seeded wrestlers and went on to become Dukes second All-American wrestler in program history. Hartmann finished with 27-11 record, surpassing his 20-wins mark for the second straight season. In his inaugural season, Wissel helped mentor Hartmann as a redshirt freshman, to the NCAA Championships. Under Wissels watch, Hartmann amassed 20 wins and took third at the ACC Championships despite missing nearly two months to an injury. In addition, Wissel worked closely with junior Brian Self as the Oklahoma City native wrestled up from 197 to heavyweight. With Wissels help, Self took fourth at the ACC Championships and finished with a 5-9 dual record despite being outweiged in every match. A four-time NCAA qualifier and two-time All-American for Purdue University, Wissel brought with him a wide array of coaching experiences. He previously served as the Boiler Elite Wrestling Club Head Coach and as a volunteer assistant for the Boilermakers. During his time with Boiler Elite, Wissel worked with wrestlers ranging from elementary school to college. He was instrumental in teaching proper technique, setting up practices and running fundraising projects for the program over the course of the five years. As a volunteer assistant for Purdue, Wissel helped the staff with practice structure and worked closely in the sports performance of specific weight classes, and assisted in the monitoring of academic progress of the student-athletes. A native of Richmond, Ind., Wissel was a standout wrestler at 184 pounds for the Boilermakers. He qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of his four seasons and captured All-America accolades his final two years. In 2005, Wissel posted a fifth-place finish in the Big Ten Championships and an eighth-place showing at the NCAA Championships. Wissel, finished the 2005-06 season with a Purdue single-season record 188 takedowns and a career-best 38-6 record. He moved up on the podium in both events in his final season at Purdue. He took third at the Big Ten Championships and seventh at the NCAA Championships to earn his second All-America award. Wissel concluded his career with an outstanding 115-49 overall record. In addition to his All-America honors, Wissel was a two-time Scholar All-America selection by the NWCA and earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. He captured Purdues Most Dedicated Wrestler award four times, was a two-time recipient of the Purdue Wrestling Captains Award, and was voted Purdues Most Valuable Wrestler twice. He was selected as one of six Purdue student-athletes for the Durham Brothers Leadership Award, presented to student-athletes who have demonstrated leadership to their teammates both on and off the playing field through their positive attitude, strong work ethic and overall commitment to excellence. Wissel also was chosen as the recipient of the Varsity Walk Award given annually to the outstanding senior who has participated as a varsity athlete and brought national recognition to Purdue. Wissel earned his bachelors degree in health and fitness from Purdues Department of Kinesiology in 2006. Wissel and his wife Elizabeth, also a native of Richmond Ind., and Purdue graduate, have two daughters, Molly and Cora, and a son, Nolan.

Bell, who majored in communication studies at North Carolina, was a Carolina ACT mentor, a member of the Black Student Movement and Ebony Readers. He also performed with the band Sankofa while at North Carolina. Bell is a successful entrepreneur and businessman in the Durham-Chapel Hill area.  He and his wife Beth reside in Durham.