Old Dominion University Men's Wrestling

Dixon has helped put Old Dominion on the map nationally over the last 11 seasons. In 2015-16, Dixon helped navigate Chris Mecate to a fifth-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Championships to become ODU's first-ever back-to-back DI All-American. Under his guidance, Jack Dechow reached his third-straight NCAA Championship and turned in a 3-2 mark at the tournament. As a team, the Monarchs reeled in their third-straight top-25 finish at NCAAs and captured their 500th program win with a thrilling 19-18 criteria victory over Northern Illinois on Feb. 19. Off the mats, four grapplers were named to the All-MAC Academic Team while Jack Dechow was announced as a MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete and Austin Coburn earned a MAC Presidential Award.  The 2015 SAAC Staffer of the Year, Dixon helped lead ODU to a second place finish at the Mid-American Conference Championship and also tied the program record with seven NCAA qualifiers during the 2014-15 season. Chris Mecate and Alexander Richardson each earned All-American honors, marking the first time since 1991 that two ODU wrestlers have achieved that feat in the same season. Tristan Warner was the recipient of the NCAAs Elite 89 award for the second consecutive season, becoming just the second division I wrestler to earn the award in back-to-back seasons. ODU finished in 22nd place at the national tournament and closed out the season ranked No. 22 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. The 2013-14 season gave the Monarchs six NCAA Qualifiers after all finished 4th or better at the MAC Championships in the team's inaugural season in the Mid-American Conference. ODU's freshmen Brandon Jeske and Jack Dechow reached the NCAA's for the first time in their career, while Chris Mecate, Alexander Richardson and Billy Curling qualified for their second straight season. ODU's Tristan Warner qualified for the second time in three years and also won the Elite 89 Award, given to a participant who has the highest GPA in the NCAA Championship. Dixon helped propel the Monarchs to a regular season conference championship in 2012-13, as the squad went 6-0 in CAA dual meet action. In November, Dixon and the Monarchs defeated the No. 25 ranked team in the country, Wisconsin, 19-12. The following week, the Monarchs toppled the eight-time team national champions in Iowa State (22-13) in Ames, Iowa in front of over 2,000 fans.  Individually, ODU sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Redshirt 197-pounder Kevin Beazley defeated three nationally-ranked opponents en-route to a sixth place finish at the prestigious Midlands Tournament and claimed a FILA Junior National title in Greco-Roman at 96 kilos in April. In 2011-12, Dixon helped lead ODU earn a top-25 team ranking while capturing a school record seven qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. Scott Festejo and Te Edwards each won CAA titles for ODU while the Monarchs stunned ranked foes Iowa State, Rutgers and Central Michigan during the season. Dixon and the Monarchs had three national qualifiers in 2010-11 with James Nicholson earning All-American honors. Dixon led a young upper-weight group that improved throughout the year, as Tristan Warner (174) earned freshman All-CAA honors. The Indiana native helped three Monarchs qualify for the NCAA Championships in 2009-10, helping Chris Brown to an eighth place finish that earned him all-American honors. Dixon guided one of the best teams in Monarch history in 2008-09. The squad was ranked 16th in the country in the final dual meet rankings and posted a victory over nationally-ranked Hofstra to claim the regular season CAA title. The team also had a Top 20 finish in the NCAA Tournament with a national finalist. In 2007-08, the team was ranked in the Top 20 for the first time in school history and finished with a record of 17-3 in duals. He helped qualify six wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament, the most ever for Old Dominion. Old Dominion took second at the CAA Tournament for the third straight year. Dixon came to Old Dominion after serving as an assistant coach at James Madison University. While at JMU he coached two conference place winners and brought in the most credentialed recruiting class since the university dropped scholarships in 2000. Among his recruits included three state titles and three runner-up finishes. Prior to his stint at JMU, Dixon coached four Academic All-Americans, five national qualifiers, and the most wrestlers in the school's history to finish in the top twelve in the country with three, at the University of Indianapolis. Dixon also spent some time as an assistant coach with Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, coaching four individual conference champions, two sectional finalists, and a city champion, the school's first ever freshman to win a city championship. A 2001 graduate of Indiana University with a degree in management, Dixon was a four-year varsity letter winner for the Hoosiers. An NCAA qualifier, he was a 2001 University National Freestyle Champion and placed fourth at the Pan American Games. In 2012, Dixon earned his master's degree in education from Old Dominion. Dixon assists in recruiting, putting together work out regimens, and coaching and scheduling practices. 

Martin has ever known is winning. Martin will begin his 13th season at the helm of the Old Dominion wrestling program this coming fall. Martin led Chris Mecate to a fifth-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Championships to become ODU's first-ever back-to-back DI All-American and the first back-to-back All-American since Mike McCarthy in 1975-76. Brandon Jeske turned in a 3-2 performance at NCAAs in his third-straight appearance and knocked off No. 2 seed Joey Dance of Virginia Tech along the way. Jack Dechow reached his third-straight championship as well, registering a 3-2 record. Martin's Monarchs reeled in their third-straight top-25 team finish at NCAAs in 2016 and also captured their 500th program dual meet win with a thrilling 19-18 criteria victory over Northern Illinois on Feb. 19. With that victory, Martin became the second all-time winningest coach in Old Dominion history. In the classroom, Martin led four wrestlers to the MAC All-Academic Team and saw Jack Dechow earn MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete credentials. Austin Coburn also received a MAC Presidential Award.  In his 11th season as head coach in 2014-15, he led ODU to a second place finish at the Mid-American Conference Championship and also tied the program record with seven NCAA qualifiers. Chris Mecate and Alexander Richardson each earned All-American honors, marking the first time since 1991 that two ODU wrestlers have achieved that feat in the same season. Tristan Warner was the recipient of the NCAAs Elite 89 award for the second consecutive season, becoming just the second division I wrestler to earn the award in back-to-back seasons. Throughout the season, the Monarchs defeated five top-25 teams and were consistently ranked in all seven team polls. ODU finished in 22nd place at the national tournament and closed out the season ranked No. 22 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. ODU has now sent 51 overall wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in the past 11 seasons under Coach Martin. He has led Old Dominion to double-digit dual victories in nine of his 11 seasons with the program. Under Coach Martin there have been several multi-year NCAA qualifiers. James Nicholson (2007-2011) is the only wrestler to go to the NCAA Championships four times during Martins tenure as head coach. There are seven who have reached the Championships under Martin three times. Those grapplers include Ryan Wilson (05-09), Jesse Strawn (06-10), Chris Brown (06-10), Kyle Hutter (06-11), Tristan Warner (10-15), Alexander Richardson (13-present), and Chris Mecate (13-present). The 2013-14 season gave the Monarchs six NCAA Qualifiers after all finished 4th or better at the MAC Championships in the team's inaugural season in the Mid-American Conference. ODU's freshmen Brandon Jeske and Jack Dechow reached the NCAA's for the first time in their career, Dechow won the MAC Championship and became an All-American after finishing in 4th place at the NCAA's. Chris Mecate, Alexander Richardson and Billy Curling all qualified at the NCAA's for their second straight season. ODU's Tristan Warner qualified for the second time in three years at the NCAA's and also won the Elite 89 Award, given to a participant who has the highest GPA in the NCAA Championship. Kevin Beazley also qualified for the second-straight year for the Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Coratia after winning the Greco-Roman International Wrestling Federation (FILA) Junior World Team Trials at his weight class of 96 kg (211 pounds). In 2012-13, the Monarchs hovered within the Top 25 as a team for much of the season for the second-straight year. Four wrestlers, Chris Mecate, Billy Curling, Alexander Richardson and Rob Deutsch, qualified for the NCAA Championships individually. Freshman Chris Mecate captured the CAA crown at 141 and was later named the CAA Rookie of the Year. Additionally, Billy Curling overcame a mid-season knee injury to capture a CAA title at 174, while Kevin Beazley won the 2013 Greco-Roman FILA Trials at his weight class of 96kg (211 lbs) and competed in the Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. In dual action, Martins squad swept through the CAA by defeating all six conference foes, in what was the Monarchs last season in the CAA. In the seasons home opener, Coach Martin picked up win No. 100 at Old Dominion when his Monarchs defeated the No. 25 ranked team in the country, Wisconsin, 19-12. The following week, the Monarchs defeated the eight-time team national champions in Iowa State (22-13) in Ames, Iowa in front of over 2,000 fans. Martin led ODU back into the Top 25 in 2011-12 en route to capturing a school record seven qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. Scott Festejo and Te Edwards each won CAA titles for ODU while the Monarchs stunned ranked foes Iowa State, Rutgers and Central Michigan during the season. The 2010-11 campaign saw Martin and the Monarchs produce their fourth-straight All-American, as James Nicholson earned All-American honors for the second time in his career, becoming the first Monarch since Buddy Lee to be a two-time All-American. The Monarchs sent three student-athletes to the national tournament, including Nicholson, Kyle Hutter and Joey Metzler. In 2009-10, Martin led three Monarchs to CAA Championships to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and produced an All-American for the third-straight season, with Chris Brown finishing eighth at 165-pounds. With three NCAA qualifiers, it totaled 25 participants at the NCAA Championships in the last six years for ODU. The 2008-09 season was perhaps one of the greatest in ODU wrestling history. The team was ranked 16th in the country in the final dual meet rankings and went a perfect 5-0 in league duals to claim the regular season CAA title. The Blue and Silver posted victories over nationally-ranked Hofstra and Virginia Tech and had a Top 20 finish in the NCAA Tournament with the school's second ever national finalist. For the sixth-straight season ODU won double-digit dual matches and Martin was named the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) Coach of the Year for the 2008-09 season. Martin and ODU recorded five-straight second place finishes at the CAA Tournament from 2005-09 and produced the most wins in a three-year span in school history (45) from 2006-2009. In 2007-08, Martin led the team to its second-best record in school history, finishing 17-3 in dual action. Also for the first time in school history the Monarchs earned a top 20 ranking as a team. He was named the CAA Coach of the Year as well as the VaSID Coach of the Year. Martin led six Monarchs to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, including ODU's first All-American since 1995, James Nicholson. In 2006-07, ODU had three NCAA Qualifiers, including coaching a wrestler mere seconds away from All-American status. The team also boasted its first ever Academic All-American in Ryan Williams, and an alternate on the Junior World team. Coach Martin also led Old Dominion in two wins in the first two matches ever held at The Ted Constant Convocation Center. ODU will continue to host wrestling matches at The Ted under the direction of Martin. The foundation for Martin's winning resume was also built on his pedigree. His father, the legendary Billy Martin, is the father of Virginia wrestling and won 22 state wrestling team titles in 23 years and coached dozens of state champions that went on to win and place at the NCAA championships. Martin's brother David was a four-time Virginia high school state champion at Granby high school under his father and went on to wrestle at Indiana State. Billy Martin, Jr. was a three-time NCAA all-American at Oklahoma State, finishing second in 1974. Wayne Martin preceded Steve at Great Bridge after wrestling at Old Dominion, and has now taken over again at Great Bridge now that Steve is the coach at ODU. The groundwork for a successful wrestling coach was set in motion even before Steve Martin stepped on the mat as a competitor. As a coach, he saw success only matched by his father, leading Great Bridge to 13 state championships in 14 years. Each of those 13 years, Martin's Wildcats were nationally ranked. Moving up to the college ranks, Martin still keeps the winning attitude that's built around hard work in the wrestling room, hard work on your own, and hard work in the classroom. "We had this emphasis in college, where you broke somebody," Steve Martin told the Virginian-Pilot in 2001. "You won by 15 points, or you pinned them, and at the end of the match, they crawled off the mat mentally and physically destroyed and they never wanted to step on the mat again with you." Martin coached 40 high school state champions, 98 state place-winners, 35 All-Americans (freestyle and folkstyle) and six high school national champions. He also coached NCAA Division I National Champion Carl Perry to three high school state championships at Great Bridge. Perry is currently an assistant at Illinois. He was awarded the National Wrestling Coaches Association state and regional coach of the year in 1995 and 2000. The Norfolk Sports Club named him the Bob Bates Award winner as the Outstanding Metropolitan Coach of the Year. On the high school level, Martin has been active in Virginia USA Wrestling, coaching at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. and has coached with the Wrestling USA Magazine Dream Team Classic and the Dapper Dan Classic in Pennsylvania. At Old Dominion, Martin will have more of a challenge and he readily accepts it. Making the Monarchs program one of the top programs on the East Coast and in the nation is paramount. "Virginia high school wrestling is making a name for itself on the national level. While we will be recruiting nationally, it will be goal of our staff to keep these Virginia kids at home in front of their family and friends," Martin said. His goal to become a coach was the first step, and with the administration supporting the program, becoming a winning program will be only a matter of time, Martin says. "The school has made a nice commitment to the wrestling program," said Martin in an interview with Ron Good of Amateur Wrestling News in September of 2004. Martin graduated from the University of Iowa in 1991 and got his master's degree from George Washington University in 1996. Steve and his wife Lori live in Chesapeake, Va. They have four children in Madison, Macy, McKenna and Max. Martin enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family. When he is not on the mat, you can find him at the beach or at the Martin's farm on Knott's Island, N.C. Winning is all that Old Dominion wrestling coach Steve Martin has ever known. From his days as a high school wrestler at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, as a three-time Virginia high school state champion, to his days at the University of Iowa where he was an All-American and Midlands Champion, and as the head coach at Great Bridge High School, all Steve Martin has ever known is winning. Martin will begin his 13th season at the helm of the Old Dominion wrestling program this coming fall. Martin led Chris Mecate to a fifth-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Championships to become ODU's first-ever back-to-back DI All-American and the first back-to-back All-American since Mike McCarthy in 1975-76. Brandon Jeske turned in a 3-2 performance at NCAAs in his third-straight appearance and knocked off No. 2 seed Joey Dance of Virginia Tech along the way. Jack Dechow reached his third-straight championship as well, registering a 3-2 record. Martin's Monarchs reeled in their third-straight top-25 team finish at NCAAs in 2016 and also captured their 500th program dual meet win with a thrilling 19-18 criteria victory over Northern Illinois on Feb. 19. With that victory, Martin became the second all-time winningest coach in Old Dominion history. In the classroom, Martin led four wrestlers to the MAC All-Academic Team and saw Jack Dechow earn MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete credentials. Austin Coburn also received a MAC Presidential Award.  In his 11th season as head coach in 2014-15, he led ODU to a second place finish at the Mid-American Conference Championship and also tied the program record with seven NCAA qualifiers. Chris Mecate and Alexander Richardson each earned All-American honors, marking the first time since 1991 that two ODU wrestlers have achieved that feat in the same season. Tristan Warner was the recipient of the NCAAs Elite 89 award for the second consecutive season, becoming just the second division I wrestler to earn the award in back-to-back seasons. Throughout the season, the Monarchs defeated five top-25 teams and were consistently ranked in all seven team polls. ODU finished in 22nd place at the national tournament and closed out the season ranked No. 22 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. ODU has now sent 51 overall wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in the past 11 seasons under Coach Martin. He has led Old Dominion to double-digit dual victories in nine of his 11 seasons with the program. Under Coach Martin there have been several multi-year NCAA qualifiers. James Nicholson (2007-2011) is the only wrestler to go to the NCAA Championships four times during Martins tenure as head coach. There are seven who have reached the Championships under Martin three times. Those grapplers include Ryan Wilson (05-09), Jesse Strawn (06-10), Chris Brown (06-10), Kyle Hutter (06-11), Tristan Warner (10-15), Alexander Richardson (13-present), and Chris Mecate (13-present). The 2013-14 season gave the Monarchs six NCAA Qualifiers after all finished 4th or better at the MAC Championships in the team's inaugural season in the Mid-American Conference. ODU's freshmen Brandon Jeske and Jack Dechow reached the NCAA's for the first time in their career, Dechow won the MAC Championship and became an All-American after finishing in 4th place at the NCAA's. Chris Mecate, Alexander Richardson and Billy Curling all qualified at the NCAA's for their second straight season. ODU's Tristan Warner qualified for the second time in three years at the NCAA's and also won the Elite 89 Award, given to a participant who has the highest GPA in the NCAA Championship. Kevin Beazley also qualified for the second-straight year for the Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Coratia after winning the Greco-Roman International Wrestling Federation (FILA) Junior World Team Trials at his weight class of 96 kg (211 pounds). In 2012-13, the Monarchs hovered within the Top 25 as a team for much of the season for the second-straight year. Four wrestlers, Chris Mecate, Billy Curling, Alexander Richardson and Rob Deutsch, qualified for the NCAA Championships individually. Freshman Chris Mecate captured the CAA crown at 141 and was later named the CAA Rookie of the Year. Additionally, Billy Curling overcame a mid-season knee injury to capture a CAA title at 174, while Kevin Beazley won the 2013 Greco-Roman FILA Trials at his weight class of 96kg (211 lbs) and competed in the Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. In dual action, Martins squad swept through the CAA by defeating all six conference foes, in what was the Monarchs last season in the CAA. In the seasons home opener, Coach Martin picked up win No. 100 at Old Dominion when his Monarchs defeated the No. 25 ranked team in the country, Wisconsin, 19-12. The following week, the Monarchs defeated the eight-time team national champions in Iowa State (22-13) in Ames, Iowa in front of over 2,000 fans. Martin led ODU back into the Top 25 in 2011-12 en route to capturing a school record seven qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. Scott Festejo and Te Edwards each won CAA titles for ODU while the Monarchs stunned ranked foes Iowa State, Rutgers and Central Michigan during the season. The 2010-11 campaign saw Martin and the Monarchs produce their fourth-straight All-American, as James Nicholson earned All-American honors for the second time in his career, becoming the first Monarch since Buddy Lee to be a two-time All-American. The Monarchs sent three student-athletes to the national tournament, including Nicholson, Kyle Hutter and Joey Metzler. In 2009-10, Martin led three Monarchs to CAA Championships to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and produced an All-American for the third-straight season, with Chris Brown finishing eighth at 165-pounds. With three NCAA qualifiers, it totaled 25 participants at the NCAA Championships in the last six years for ODU. The 2008-09 season was perhaps one of the greatest in ODU wrestling history. The team was ranked 16th in the country in the final dual meet rankings and went a perfect 5-0 in league duals to claim the regular season CAA title. The Blue and Silver posted victories over nationally-ranked Hofstra and Virginia Tech and had a Top 20 finish in the NCAA Tournament with the school's second ever national finalist. For the sixth-straight season ODU won double-digit dual matches and Martin was named the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) Coach of the Year for the 2008-09 season. Martin and ODU recorded five-straight second place finishes at the CAA Tournament from 2005-09 and produced the most wins in a three-year span in school history (45) from 2006-2009. In 2007-08, Martin led the team to its second-best record in school history, finishing 17-3 in dual action. Also for the first time in school history the Monarchs earned a top 20 ranking as a team. He was named the CAA Coach of the Year as well as the VaSID Coach of the Year. Martin led six Monarchs to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, including ODU's first All-American since 1995, James Nicholson. In 2006-07, ODU had three NCAA Qualifiers, including coaching a wrestler mere seconds away from All-American status. The team also boasted its first ever Academic All-American in Ryan Williams, and an alternate on the Junior World team. Coach Martin also led Old Dominion in two wins in the first two matches ever held at The Ted Constant Convocation Center. ODU will continue to host wrestling matches at The Ted under the direction of Martin. The foundation for Martin's winning resume was also built on his pedigree. His father, the legendary Billy Martin, is the father of Virginia wrestling and won 22 state wrestling team titles in 23 years and coached dozens of state champions that went on to win and place at the NCAA championships. Martin's brother David was a four-time Virginia high school state champion at Granby high school under his father and went on to wrestle at Indiana State. Billy Martin, Jr. was a three-time NCAA all-American at Oklahoma State, finishing second in 1974. Wayne Martin preceded Steve at Great Bridge after wrestling at Old Dominion, and has now taken over again at Great Bridge now that Steve is the coach at ODU. The groundwork for a successful wrestling coach was set in motion even before Steve Martin stepped on the mat as a competitor. As a coach, he saw success only matched by his father, leading Great Bridge to 13 state championships in 14 years. Each of those 13 years, Martin's Wildcats were nationally ranked. Moving up to the college ranks, Martin still keeps the winning attitude that's built around hard work in the wrestling room, hard work on your own, and hard work in the classroom. "We had this emphasis in college, where you broke somebody," Steve Martin told the Virginian-Pilot in 2001. "You won by 15 points, or you pinned them, and at the end of the match, they crawled off the mat mentally and physically destroyed and they never wanted to step on the mat again with you." Martin coached 40 high school state champions, 98 state place-winners, 35 All-Americans (freestyle and folkstyle) and six high school national champions. He also coached NCAA Division I National Champion Carl Perry to three high school state championships at Great Bridge. Perry is currently an assistant at Illinois. He was awarded the National Wrestling Coaches Association state and regional coach of the year in 1995 and 2000. The Norfolk Sports Club named him the Bob Bates Award winner as the Outstanding Metropolitan Coach of the Year. On the high school level, Martin has been active in Virginia USA Wrestling, coaching at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. and has coached with the Wrestling USA Magazine Dream Team Classic and the Dapper Dan Classic in Pennsylvania. At Old Dominion, Martin will have more of a challenge and he readily accepts it. Making the Monarchs program one of the top programs on the East Coast and in the nation is paramount. "Virginia high school wrestling is making a name for itself on the national level. While we will be recruiting nationally, it will be goal of our staff to keep these Virginia kids at home in front of their family and friends," Martin said. His goal to become a coach was the first step, and with the administration supporting the program, becoming a winning program will be only a matter of time, Martin says. "The school has made a nice commitment to the wrestling program," said Martin in an interview with Ron Good of Amateur Wrestling News in September of 2004. Martin graduated from the University of Iowa in 1991 and got his master's degree from George Washington University in 1996. Steve and his wife Lori live in Chesapeake, Va. They have four children in Madison, Macy, McKenna and Max. Martin enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family. When he is not on the mat, you can find him at the beach or at the Martin's farm on Knott's Island, N.C. Winning is all that Old Dominion wrestling coach Steve Martin has ever known. From his days as a high school wrestler at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, as a three-time Virginia high school state champion, to his days at the University of Iowa where he was an All-American and Midlands Champion, and as the head coach at Great Bridge High School, all Steve Martin has ever known is winning. Martin will begin his 13th season at the helm of the Old Dominion wrestling program this coming fall. Martin led Chris Mecate to a fifth-place finish at the 2016 NCAA Championships to become ODU's first-ever back-to-back DI All-American and the first back-to-back All-American since Mike McCarthy in 1975-76. Brandon Jeske turned in a 3-2 performance at NCAAs in his third-straight appearance and knocked off No. 2 seed Joey Dance of Virginia Tech along the way. Jack Dechow reached his third-straight championship as well, registering a 3-2 record. Martin's Monarchs reeled in their third-straight top-25 team finish at NCAAs in 2016 and also captured their 500th program dual meet win with a thrilling 19-18 criteria victory over Northern Illinois on Feb. 19. With that victory, Martin became the second all-time winningest coach in Old Dominion history. In the classroom, Martin led four wrestlers to the MAC All-Academic Team and saw Jack Dechow earn MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete credentials. Austin Coburn also received a MAC Presidential Award.  In his 11th season as head coach in 2014-15, he led ODU to a second place finish at the Mid-American Conference Championship and also tied the program record with seven NCAA qualifiers. Chris Mecate and Alexander Richardson each earned All-American honors, marking the first time since 1991 that two ODU wrestlers have achieved that feat in the same season. Tristan Warner was the recipient of the NCAAs Elite 89 award for the second consecutive season, becoming just the second division I wrestler to earn the award in back-to-back seasons. Throughout the season, the Monarchs defeated five top-25 teams and were consistently ranked in all seven team polls. ODU finished in 22nd place at the national tournament and closed out the season ranked No. 22 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. ODU has now sent 51 overall wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in the past 11 seasons under Coach Martin. He has led Old Dominion to double-digit dual victories in nine of his 11 seasons with the program. Under Coach Martin there have been several multi-year NCAA qualifiers. James Nicholson (2007-2011) is the only wrestler to go to the NCAA Championships four times during Martins tenure as head coach. There are seven who have reached the Championships under Martin three times. Those grapplers include Ryan Wilson (05-09), Jesse Strawn (06-10), Chris Brown (06-10), Kyle Hutter (06-11), Tristan Warner (10-15), Alexander Richardson (13-present), and Chris Mecate (13-present). The 2013-14 season gave the Monarchs six NCAA Qualifiers after all finished 4th or better at the MAC Championships in the team's inaugural season in the Mid-American Conference. ODU's freshmen Brandon Jeske and Jack Dechow reached the NCAA's for the first time in their career, Dechow won the MAC Championship and became an All-American after finishing in 4th place at the NCAA's. Chris Mecate, Alexander Richardson and Billy Curling all qualified at the NCAA's for their second straight season. ODU's Tristan Warner qualified for the second time in three years at the NCAA's and also won the Elite 89 Award, given to a participant who has the highest GPA in the NCAA Championship. Kevin Beazley also qualified for the second-straight year for the Junior World Championships in Zagreb, Coratia after winning the Greco-Roman International Wrestling Federation (FILA) Junior World Team Trials at his weight class of 96 kg (211 pounds). In 2012-13, the Monarchs hovered within the Top 25 as a team for much of the season for the second-straight year. Four wrestlers, Chris Mecate, Billy Curling, Alexander Richardson and Rob Deutsch, qualified for the NCAA Championships individually. Freshman Chris Mecate captured the CAA crown at 141 and was later named the CAA Rookie of the Year. Additionally, Billy Curling overcame a mid-season knee injury to capture a CAA title at 174, while Kevin Beazley won the 2013 Greco-Roman FILA Trials at his weight class of 96kg (211 lbs) and competed in the Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. In dual action, Martins squad swept through the CAA by defeating all six conference foes, in what was the Monarchs last season in the CAA. In the seasons home opener, Coach Martin picked up win No. 100 at Old Dominion when his Monarchs defeated the No. 25 ranked team in the country, Wisconsin, 19-12. The following week, the Monarchs defeated the eight-time team national champions in Iowa State (22-13) in Ames, Iowa in front of over 2,000 fans. Martin led ODU back into the Top 25 in 2011-12 en route to capturing a school record seven qualifiers for the NCAA Championships. Scott Festejo and Te Edwards each won CAA titles for ODU while the Monarchs stunned ranked foes Iowa State, Rutgers and Central Michigan during the season. The 2010-11 campaign saw Martin and the Monarchs produce their fourth-straight All-American, as James Nicholson earned All-American honors for the second time in his career, becoming the first Monarch since Buddy Lee to be a two-time All-American. The Monarchs sent three student-athletes to the national tournament, including Nicholson, Kyle Hutter and Joey Metzler. In 2009-10, Martin led three Monarchs to CAA Championships to qualify for the NCAA Tournament and produced an All-American for the third-straight season, with Chris Brown finishing eighth at 165-pounds. With three NCAA qualifiers, it totaled 25 participants at the NCAA Championships in the last six years for ODU. The 2008-09 season was perhaps one of the greatest in ODU wrestling history. The team was ranked 16th in the country in the final dual meet rankings and went a perfect 5-0 in league duals to claim the regular season CAA title. The Blue and Silver posted victories over nationally-ranked Hofstra and Virginia Tech and had a Top 20 finish in the NCAA Tournament with the school's second ever national finalist. For the sixth-straight season ODU won double-digit dual matches and Martin was named the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) Coach of the Year for the 2008-09 season. Martin and ODU recorded five-straight second place finishes at the CAA Tournament from 2005-09 and produced the most wins in a three-year span in school history (45) from 2006-2009. In 2007-08, Martin led the team to its second-best record in school history, finishing 17-3 in dual action. Also for the first time in school history the Monarchs earned a top 20 ranking as a team. He was named the CAA Coach of the Year as well as the VaSID Coach of the Year. Martin led six Monarchs to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history, including ODU's first All-American since 1995, James Nicholson. In 2006-07, ODU had three NCAA Qualifiers, including coaching a wrestler mere seconds away from All-American status. The team also boasted its first ever Academic All-American in Ryan Williams, and an alternate on the Junior World team. Coach Martin also led Old Dominion in two wins in the first two matches ever held at The Ted Constant Convocation Center. ODU will continue to host wrestling matches at The Ted under the direction of Martin. The foundation for Martin's winning resume was also built on his pedigree. His father, the legendary Billy Martin, is the father of Virginia wrestling and won 22 state wrestling team titles in 23 years and coached dozens of state champions that went on to win and place at the NCAA championships. Martin's brother David was a four-time Virginia high school state champion at Granby high school under his father and went on to wrestle at Indiana State. Billy Martin, Jr. was a three-time NCAA all-American at Oklahoma State, finishing second in 1974. Wayne Martin preceded Steve at Great Bridge after wrestling at Old Dominion, and has now taken over again at Great Bridge now that Steve is the coach at ODU. The groundwork for a successful wrestling coach was set in motion even before Steve Martin stepped on the mat as a competitor. As a coach, he saw success only matched by his father, leading Great Bridge to 13 state championships in 14 years. Each of those 13 years, Martin's Wildcats were nationally ranked. Moving up to the college ranks, Martin still keeps the winning attitude that's built around hard work in the wrestling room, hard work on your own, and hard work in the classroom. "We had this emphasis in college, where you broke somebody," Steve Martin told the Virginian-Pilot in 2001. "You won by 15 points, or you pinned them, and at the end of the match, they crawled off the mat mentally and physically destroyed and they never wanted to step on the mat again with you." Martin coached 40 high school state champions, 98 state place-winners, 35 All-Americans (freestyle and folkstyle) and six high school national champions. He also coached NCAA Division I National Champion Carl Perry to three high school state championships at Great Bridge. Perry is currently an assistant at Illinois. He was awarded the National Wrestling Coaches Association state and regional coach of the year in 1995 and 2000. The Norfolk Sports Club named him the Bob Bates Award winner as the Outstanding Metropolitan Coach of the Year. On the high school level, Martin has been active in Virginia USA Wrestling, coaching at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. and has coached with the Wrestling USA Magazine Dream Team Classic and the Dapper Dan Classic in Pennsylvania. At Old Dominion, Martin will have more of a challenge and he readily accepts it. Making the Monarchs program one of the top programs on the East Coast and in the nation is paramount. "Virginia high school wrestling is making a name for itself on the national level. While we will be recruiting nationally, it will be goal of our staff to keep these Virginia kids at home in front of their family and friends," Martin said. His goal to become a coach was the first step, and with the administration supporting the program, becoming a winning program will be only a matter of time, Martin says. "The school has made a nice commitment to the wrestling program," said Martin in an interview with Ron Good of Amateur Wrestling News in September of 2004. Martin graduated from the University of Iowa in 1991 and got his master's degree from George Washington University in 1996. Steve and his wife Lori live in Chesapeake, Va. They have four children in Madison, Macy, McKenna and Max. Martin enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family. When he is not on the mat, you can find him at the beach or at the Martin's farm on Knott's Island, N.C.

Dolly helped lead Jack Dechow to his third-straight NCAA Championship appearance for the Monarchs at 184 lbs. Entering the tournament unseeded, Dechow battled eventual champion Gabe Dean to a 3-1 nailbiter and went on to secure three wins while avenging his MAC finals loss to Jordan Ellingwood from Central Michigan. Dolly was also instrumental in leading true freshman Seldon Wright to a 19-win rookie campaign with three wins over NCAA qualifiers. Off the mats, Dolly helped Dechow earn MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors and Austin Coburn captured a MAC Presidential Award, as both upperweights were All-MAC Academic Team selections. In the 2014-15 season, Dolly helped lead ODU to a second place finish at the Mid-American Conference Championship and also tied the program record with seven NCAA qualifiers. Chris Mecate and Alexander Richardson each earned All-American honors, marking the first time since 1991 that two ODU wrestlers have achieved that feat in the same season. Tristan Warner was the recipient of the NCAAs Elite 89 award for the second consecutive season, becoming just the second division I wrestler to earn the award in back-to-back seasons. ODU finished in 22nd place at the national tournament and closed out the season ranked No. 22 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. In his second season as an assistant coach Alex Dolly helped the 2013-14 Monarchs send six NCAA Qualifiers after all finished 4th or better at the MAC Championships in the team's inaugural season in the Mid-American Conference. ODU's freshmen Brandon Jeske and Jack Dechow reached the NCAA's for the first time in their career, while Chris Mecate, Alexander Richardson and Billy Curling qualified for their second straight season. ODU's Tristan Warner qualified for the second time in three years and also won the Elite 89 Award, given to a participant who has the highest GPA in the NCAA Championship. In his first season as an assistant coach for ODU, Dolly helped the squad capture a regular season conference championship by defeating all six CAA foes in dual meets. In November of 2012, Dolly helped lead Old Dominion to victory against the No. 25 ranked team in the country, Wisconsin, 19-12. The following week, the Monarchs defeated the eight-time team national champions in Iowa State (22-13) in Ames, Iowa in front of over 2,000 fans.  Dolly also helped four Monarch grapplers qualify for the NCAA Championships, including 174-pounder Billy Curling who won a CAA title. In the spring, Dolly helped propel Monarch wrestler Kevin Beazley to a FILA Junior National title in Greco-Roman at 96 kilos. In June, Dolly won the 2013 British Senior Championships in Welshpool, England. Not only did Dolly go a perfect 4-0 in the 84-kilo freestyle tournament, but he also never allowed a single point throughout the championship. Dolly became the first wrestler from Ireland to win this tournament since the 1960s. Dolly spent the 2009-2012 seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Michigan State where the Spartans sent 17 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships during his time in East Lansing, Mich. along with an All-American wrestler. While at Northern Iowa, Dolly wrestled at 184 pounds and earned four trips to the NCAA Championships and reached the round of 12 on three occasions. A native of Mishawaka, Ind., Dolly holds the state's all-time career takedown record with 548 and was a two-time USA Wrestling National All-American. In September 2011, Dolly represented Ireland at the 2011 FILA World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Dolly wrestled in the 84-kilogram senior freestyle division and reached the quarterfinal round. He defeated Alvarez Martinez of Honduras in his opening match of the competition by a combination of 9-1, and followed that up with a combined 9-0 victory over Dejan Bogdanov of Macedonia. Dolly fell to Japan's Shinya Matsumoto in the quarterfinals by a narrow 6-4 combined score, finishing in ninth place at the 2011 World's. Dolly completed his master's degree in sports administration from Michigan State in July 2012.  Alex Dolly is entering his fourth season as an assistant coach of the ODU Wrestling program after joining the staff in May 2012. During the 2015-16 season, Dolly helped lead Jack Dechow to his third-straight NCAA Championship appearance for the Monarchs at 184 lbs. Entering the tournament unseeded, Dechow battled eventual champion Gabe Dean to a 3-1 nailbiter and went on to secure three wins while avenging his MAC finals loss to Jordan Ellingwood from Central Michigan. Dolly was also instrumental in leading true freshman Seldon Wright to a 19-win rookie campaign with three wins over NCAA qualifiers. Off the mats, Dolly helped Dechow earn MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors and Austin Coburn captured a MAC Presidential Award, as both upperweights were All-MAC Academic Team selections. In the 2014-15 season, Dolly helped lead ODU to a second place finish at the Mid-American Conference Championship and also tied the program record with seven NCAA qualifiers. Chris Mecate and Alexander Richardson each earned All-American honors, marking the first time since 1991 that two ODU wrestlers have achieved that feat in the same season. Tristan Warner was the recipient of the NCAAs Elite 89 award for the second consecutive season, becoming just the second division I wrestler to earn the award in back-to-back seasons. ODU finished in 22nd place at the national tournament and closed out the season ranked No. 22 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. In his second season as an assistant coach Alex Dolly helped the 2013-14 Monarchs send six NCAA Qualifiers after all finished 4th or better at the MAC Championships in the team's inaugural season in the Mid-American Conference. ODU's freshmen Brandon Jeske and Jack Dechow reached the NCAA's for the first time in their career, while Chris Mecate, Alexander Richardson and Billy Curling qualified for their second straight season. ODU's Tristan Warner qualified for the second time in three years and also won the Elite 89 Award, given to a participant who has the highest GPA in the NCAA Championship. In his first season as an assistant coach for ODU, Dolly helped the squad capture a regular season conference championship by defeating all six CAA foes in dual meets. In November of 2012, Dolly helped lead Old Dominion to victory against the No. 25 ranked team in the country, Wisconsin, 19-12. The following week, the Monarchs defeated the eight-time team national champions in Iowa State (22-13) in Ames, Iowa in front of over 2,000 fans.  Dolly also helped four Monarch grapplers qualify for the NCAA Championships, including 174-pounder Billy Curling who won a CAA title. In the spring, Dolly helped propel Monarch wrestler Kevin Beazley to a FILA Junior National title in Greco-Roman at 96 kilos. In June, Dolly won the 2013 British Senior Championships in Welshpool, England. Not only did Dolly go a perfect 4-0 in the 84-kilo freestyle tournament, but he also never allowed a single point throughout the championship. Dolly became the first wrestler from Ireland to win this tournament since the 1960s. Dolly spent the 2009-2012 seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Michigan State where the Spartans sent 17 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships during his time in East Lansing, Mich. along with an All-American wrestler. While at Northern Iowa, Dolly wrestled at 184 pounds and earned four trips to the NCAA Championships and reached the round of 12 on three occasions. A native of Mishawaka, Ind., Dolly holds the state's all-time career takedown record with 548 and was a two-time USA Wrestling National All-American. In September 2011, Dolly represented Ireland at the 2011 FILA World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Dolly wrestled in the 84-kilogram senior freestyle division and reached the quarterfinal round. He defeated Alvarez Martinez of Honduras in his opening match of the competition by a combination of 9-1, and followed that up with a combined 9-0 victory over Dejan Bogdanov of Macedonia. Dolly fell to Japan's Shinya Matsumoto in the quarterfinals by a narrow 6-4 combined score, finishing in ninth place at the 2011 World's. Dolly completed his master's degree in sports administration from Michigan State in July 2012. 

Hutter helped redshirt senior Chris Mecate become ODU's first-ever back-to-back NCAA Division I All-American. The 2016 MAC Champion upset the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds as well as a returning national finalist en route to capturing fifth-place at the national championship. Hutter also helped guide 133-pound freshman Emilio Saavedra to an incredible Midlands title run as a No. 12 seed. Fellow lightweight Brandon Jeske, under Hutter's mentorship, qualified for his third-straight NCAA Championship where he turned in a 3-2 mark and defeated No. 2 seed Joey Dance of Virginia Tech. In the 2014-15 season, Hutter helped lead ODU to a second place finish at the Mid-American Conference Championship and also tied the program record with seven NCAA qualifiers. Chris Mecate and Alexander Richardson each earned All-American honors, marking the first time since 1991 that two ODU wrestlers have achieved that feat in the same season. Tristan Warner was the recipient of the NCAAs Elite 89 award for the second consecutive season, becoming just the second division I wrestler to earn the award in back-to-back seasons. ODU finished in 22nd place at the national tournament and closed out the season ranked No. 22 in the NWCA Coaches Poll. In his third season as an assistant coach, Hutter helped the 2013-14 Monarchs send six NCAA Qualifiers after all finished 4th or better at the MAC Championships in the team's inaugural season in the Mid-American Conference. ODU's freshmen Brandon Jeske and Jack Dechow reached the NCAA's for the first time in their career, while Chris Mecate, Alexander Richardson and Billy Curling qualified for their second straight season. ODU's Tristan Warner qualified for the second time in three years and also won the Elite 89 Award, given to a participant who has the highest GPA in the NCAA Championship. In 2012-13, Hutter assisted in sending four Monarchs to the NCAA Championships, including 141-pounder Chris Mecate who earned a CAA title and entered the NCAA Tournament as the twelfth seed. Hutter also helped guide the Monarchs to a perfect 6-0 CAA dual meet record.  In May of 2013, Hutter won the Northern Plains Senior Regional tournament at 55 kilos in freestyle, earning himself a spot at the 2013 World Team Trials in Stillwater, Okla. At the 2013 World Team Trials, Hutter finished fourth on the ladder for the United States national team at 55 kg (121 pounds), as he put himself in a position to contend for the U.S. World Team in 2014 after really surprising a lot of guys at the tournament. Seeded 10th at the event, he pulled multiple upsets over the weekend including that of former Penn State All-American Mark McKnight, seventh-seeded and former Kent State All-American Dan Mitcheff and second-seeded and former three-time All-American Brandon Precin from Northwestern. Hutter finished ahead of a loaded field that also included former All-Americans in Minnesota's Zach Sanders, Cornell's Frank Perrelli and Utah Valley's Ben Kjar. Kyle Hutter joined the Monarch wrestling staff as a volunteer assistant coach in August 2011. He helped ODU to a Top 25 team ranking and to qualify a school record seven wrestlers to the 2012 NCAA Wrestling Championships in his first season. Hutter wrestled for the Monarchs from 2006-11. A three-time Academic All-American and three-time NCAA Tournament qualifier, Hutter finished his career at ODU in ninth place on the all-time wins list with a record of 113-53. He was just the 12th wrestler in school history to earn over 100 career victories. The 133-pounder finished with 16 wins over NCAA qualifiers in his career. A native of Mokena, Ill., Hutter earned his degree from ODU in 2011 where he double majored in accounting and finance.  SIGN UP FOR E-MAIL UPDATES ©  2016, Old Dominion University Athletics. All rights reserved.