NWCA ANNOUNCES NCAA DIVISION II NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR WINNER

Manheim, PA – On Wednesday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year Award winner.  This award was scheduled to be presented at the NWCA 2020 Jim Koch Division II Hall of Fame Banquet on the eve of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships at the Denny Sanford Premier Center. Unfortunately, the event was canceled along with the Division II Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Presented annually, this honor goes to a coach who has demonstrated outstanding effort in developing and elevating their program on campus and in the community. The coach of the year awards program is presented by Defense Soap, the official Hygiene partner of the NWCA.

“In continuing our mission, Defense Soap is proud to partner with the NWCA, to keep wrestlers on the mat with our products and education in hygiene.”

Guy Sako, Founder, and CEO of Defense Soap

The recipient of this year’s NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year is Steve Costanzo of St. Cloud State University.  Coach Costanzo is in his fourteenth year as head coach and his 2020 squad captured its fourth consecutive NWCA Division II National Duals championship and his teams have won four of the past five NCAA Division II National Titles.

“Coach Costanzo has had a long track record of success having coached multiple National Championship teams at the NCAA and NAIA levels. We are proud to honor him as the 2020 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year.”

Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director.

2020 NCAA DIVISION II COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALISTS

• SUPER REGION 1 Pat Pecora – University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (Bio)
• SUPER REGION 2 Derrick Nelson – Coker University (Bio)
• SUPER REGION 3 Joey Simcoe – Tiffin University (Bio)
• SUPER REGION 4 Todd Steidley – University of Central Oklahoma (Bio)
• SUPER REGION 5 Steve Costanzo – St. Cloud State. University (Bio)
• SUPER REGION 6 Austin Devoe – Colorado School of Mines (Bio)

The NWCA will recognize the 2020 national winners during the NWCA National Convention awards luncheon. This year’s convention, presented by Cliff Keen, Defense Soap, and Resilite will be hosted on July 31 – August 2 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino located in Hollywood, FL.

2020 NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR WINNERS

• NCAA Division I: [TBA] 
• NCAA Division II: Steve Costanzo, St. Cloud State University 
• NCAA Division III: TJ Miller, Loras College (Release) 
• NCAA Women: Sam Schmitz, McKendree University (Release)
• NAIA Men: Jeff Bedard, Reinhard University (Release) 
• NAIA Women: [TBA] 
• NJCAA Scholarship: Josh Watts, Iowa Western Community College (Release) 
• NJCAA Non-Scholarship: Randy Rager, Rochester Community & Technical College (Release) 

ABOUT THE NWCA
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.