McKendree University Men's Wrestling

Kisgen is entering his 13th season as the head coach of the McKendree University wrestling program.     Kisgen has single-handedly built the McKendree wrestling program from the ground up. He was named head coach of the Bearcat program in December 2002 after university officials announced that wrestling would be added as a varsity sport. Starting in 2003-04, the Bearcats sent eight wrestlers to the NAIA National Championships, followed by nine in 2004-05 and 2005-06, 11 in 2006-07 and 12 for the program's last three seasons as members of the NAIA. Kisgen's program had 21 individuals qualify for the national tournament in two seasons as members of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, and has sent 11 individuals to the NCAA Division II Championship over the past two seasons. In the programs short history, McKendree has had nine national champions, five runners-up, seven third- and eight fourth-place finishers, six fifth-place finishes, six sixth-place finishers, 10 seventh-place finishers and five eighth-place finishers under Kisgens guidance. The Bearcats were also national runner-up as a team in 2007-08 when Kisgen was named both NAIA National Coach of the Year and NAIA East Region Coach of the Year. Kisgen collected his second NAIA National Coach of the Year honor in the 2010-11 season. Kisgen came to McKendree from Lindenwood University, where he served as dean of students and was an assistant wrestling coach for four years.      While completing requirements for his bachelors degree from the University of North Dakota in 1997, Kisgen began his coaching career as an assistant coach for the Fighting Sioux. He then took a position as assistant coach at Anderson (S.C.) College in 1998-99.     A native of Devils Lake, North Dakota, Kisgen was a four-time All-America wrestler during his collegiate career. He began his career at Bismarck State Junior College in North Dakota. There, he earned National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-America honors at 150 pounds as a freshman and 158 pounds as a sophomore.     Kisgen then moved on to the University of North Dakota, where he was a two-time NCAA Division II All-American at 158 pounds. In the spring of 2011, Kisgen was inducted into the North Dakota High School Wrestling Hall of Fame. Kisgen resides in Freeburg, along with his wife Donna, daughter Kylie and their son Cooper.