Willie Miklus rides Iowa's Jacob Warner (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State wrestling head coach Roger Chandler announced the addition of Willie Miklus (Mick-luss) to the Spartans' coaching staff as an assistant coach.
"Willie no doubt raises the level of this program in so many ways," Chandler said. "He brings a long line of competitive success from being a four-time NCAA All-American, along with being of a program that earned a trophy at the NCAA Championships, combined with his leadership of being a captain of not just two different programs, but two very successful, nationally competitive programs. We have very high goals as a program, and I know Willie's experiences will translate well here at Michigan State and take Spartan wrestling to the next level."
Miklus comes to MSU from Iowa State, where he spent one season as a graduate assistant coach under head coach Kevin Dresser.
"I am incredibly excited to be joining the Michigan State staff," Miklus said. "Being a coach has been my dream since I was 15. I think MSU has a great culture and an amazing amount of unity. I couldn't have picked a better place to begin my coaching career! I can't wait to meet the guys and get to work! Go Spartans!"
Miklus was a four-time All-American, including three at Missouri (2014-18), before transferring to Iowa State (2018-19) for his senior season. He won the 2018 Mid-American Conference Championship at 197 pounds, finishing eighth at the NCAA Championships. Miklus was sixth at 184 pounds at the 2016 NCAA Championships, before missing a majority of 2016-17 season with an injury. He was also the 2015 MAC Freshman of the Year, before going on to finish seventh at 184 pounds at the NCAAs.
While at Iowa State, Miklus won his 100th career match, coming at the Big 12 Championships, while also capturing his 50th career dual match during the season. Miklus finished his career with a 105-28 overall record and 55-9 ledger in dual matches. He was the 2019 Big 12 Runner-Up at 197 pounds, finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships.
In the classroom, Miklus was a four-time NWCA All-Academic Team honoree, along with a three-time Academic All-MAC selection and also on the SEC First-Year Honor Roll in 2014. Miklus earned his bachelor's degree from Mizzou in 2017, before his first master's degree in educational and counseling psychology in 2018. Miklus is currently finishing up a second master's degree in family financial planning from Iowa State.
A native of Altoona, Iowa, Miklus was a four-time all-state honoree (119 pounds, 145, 171 and 220) at Southeast Polk High School, winning state titles his junior and senior seasons at 171 pounds and 220 pounds, respectively. Miklus posted a perfect senior season, going 47-0 with a total of 368 takedowns on the season. He was also the 2011 Folkstyle Nationals runner-up at 171 pounds, and also took eighth place at 189 pounds at the Junior Freestyle Nationals. Miklus also had a one-year training period at the Olympic Training Center for the year immediately following high school (2011-2012) before joining the Missouri squad.
Miklus replaces Wynn Michalak, who left to become an associate head coach at Campbell University.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now