MANHEIM, Pa. — University of Michigan assistant wrestling coach Kirk Trost was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year on Monday (Sept. 26) after helping guide last season’s Wolverines to their most successful season in more than 30 years. In his 19th season on the Michigan staff, Trost handles the responsibilities for the U-M upper weights under head coach Joe McFarland.
The 2004-05 Michigan squad posted a 15-3-1 record en route to its second straight Big Ten Conference dual-meet title and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships. Five individual Wolverines earned All-America distinction, including senior/junior Greg Wagner (Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider HS), who claimed his second citation at heavyweight.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized as assistant coach of the year, “said Trost. “It just reflects on our team and on our staff and the work that we put into last season’s second-place finish at the NCAA meet. The team has been steadily moving in that direction, and the success we experienced at the end of the season shows that we were doing the right things.”
Under Trost’s instruction, Michigan has boasted several successful heavyweight wrestlers over the last two decades as four different U-M student-athletes have combined for seven NCAA All-America citations since 1993.
“We’ve had some wrestlers at the heavyweight position who are exciting to watch wrestle, “said Trost. “They’ve been able to wrestle more like lighter-weight competitors. We want them to do leg attacks. We want them to be able to get turns and to just be out there moving. That has bred success for us. I actually get a chance to work out with these guys and show them that they are capable of scoring in a lot of different ways. Hopefully, they will continue to pick up on that.”
Trost joined the Wolverine coaching staff under then head coach Dale Bahr in 1987, one year after wrapping up one of the greatest careers in U-M history. A four-year Michigan letterwinner (1983-86), Trost compiled a 139-48 career mark and is sixth all-time in wins at Michigan. He capped an outstanding collegiate career by winning the 1986 NCAA heavyweight title, earning the 17th national crown in U-M program history. A two-time NCAA All-American, Trost was the heavyweight runner-up in 1985. He is one of 13 Wolverine wrestlers to qualify all four years to the NCAA Championships, where he compiled a 9-3 record at the 190-pound and heavyweight weight classes.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to serve and provide leadership for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on scholastic and collegiate programs. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling.
Trost is the second Michigan coach to earn the NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year honor. McFarland garnered the distinction in 1994 after the Wolverines boasted three NCAA All-Americans en route to a fifth-place national finish.
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