AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head wrestling coach Kevin Dresser solidified his coaching staff with the announcement today that Mike Zadick, Derek St. John and Brent Metcalf will join the ISU wrestling program.
Hires are pending administrative approval.
Zadick and St. John were both on Dresser’s staff at Virginia Tech and Metcalf was most recently the National Freestyle Developmental Coach for USA Wrestling.
Dresser, Zadick and St. John helped the Hokies record a 34-3 dual mark over the past two seasons while leading VT in its march to national prominence. In the two seasons Zadick and St. John were on staff, 11 Hokies earned All-America status and eight wrestlers won ACC individual titles.
In 2016, the Hokies finished fourth at the NCAA Championships, their first trophy-finish in program history and the best by an ACC squad ever. In 2017, Virginia Tech won its third ACC tournament title and posted its fifth-straight top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships.
Metcalf joined USA Wrestling in November of 2016 where he worked under National Freestyle Coach Bill Zadick, the older brother of Mike Zadick. Metcalf’s duties included coaching the age-group men’s freestyle World Teams, directing the freestyle resident athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and serving as an assistant coach on the Senior national team.
Zadick, St. John and Metcalf all had stellar collegiate careers on the mat for the University of Iowa.
Zadick, who will be an Associate Head Coach for the Cyclones, was a three-time All-American (2000-02), winning the 149-pound Big Ten title in 2002. With Zadick in the lineup, Iowa set school records for longest dual unbeaten (84) and winning streaks (69).
A native of Great Falls, Mont., Zadick continued to excel as a wrestler internationally. Zadick was 2006 World silver medalist. He also was the 2009 U.S. Senior Nationals freestyle champion at 60kg, won the 2008 U.S. Freestyle Olympic Team Trials at 132 pounds (60 kg) and earned a spot in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
St. John, who won the 2013 NCAA title at 157 pounds, became the 18th four-time All-American in Iowa history in 2014. He placed fourth at the NCAA Championships as a freshman, second as a sophomore, first as a junior and fifth as a senior, claiming his spot as one of the most successful Hawkeye wrestlers of all time.
The Parnell, Iowa, native concluded his collegiate career with a record of 106-17. St. John was the 2012 Big Ten champion and a two-time Big Ten runner-up at 157 pounds. He posted a record of 31-2 in his national championship campaign of 2012-13, earning Iowa’s Mike Howard Most Valuable Wrestler Award.
Metcalf is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Iowa history. He won two NCAA titles (2008, 2010) and was three-time NCAA finalist (2008-10) in his three seasons wrestling for the Hawkeyes.
A native of Davison, Mich., Metcalf won the 2008 Dan Hodge trophy, given annually to the nation’s best collegiate wrestler, and helped the Hawkeyes to three NCAA team titles (2008, 2009, 2010).
Metcalf was a member of four U.S. Freestyle World Teams (2010, 2013, 2014, 2015). He won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Canada, and claimed World Cup gold medals in 2014 and 2015 in Los Angeles. Other major international events he won included the 2014 UWW Golden Grand Prix Finals in Azerbaijan and a silver medal at the 2013 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia.
Metcalf qualified for the U.S. Freestyle National Team for six straight years from 2010-16, winning U.S. Open titles in 2014 and 2015.
