Cliff Moore and Mitchell Port coaching at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The West Virginia University wrestling program added two All-Americans to its coaching staff on Tuesday, as head coach Tim Flynn announced the hiring of assistant head coach Cliff Moore and assistant coach Mitchell Port.
Moore, an NCAA champion at 141 pounds for Iowa, joins the Mountaineer staff after spending 12 seasons with Flynn at Edinboro. Port, a three-time All-American at Edinboro, comes to Morgantown following a three-year stint with the Fighting Scots.
"I'm thrilled that both Cliff and Mitchell decided to join me here in Morgantown," Flynn said. "It's nice when you start a big project that you have people that you can trust as well as people that you believe in. That means a lot to me, and I think it is going to help our program tremendously."
Moore's specialty is with the lighter weight classes and has been a great asset to the Edinboro wrestling program since the summer of 2006. Moore helped Flynn build the Fighting Scots into a wrestling powerhouse over the years, serving as an integral part of the recruiting process. He assisted in getting the nation's top recruiting class multiple times, producing two NCAA champions, seven NCAA finalists and 21 All-Americans.
His responsibilities also included managing the day-to-day operations of the wrestling program, assisting with the organization of the team's travel and coordinating community outreach work and fundraising opportunities.
Prior to Edinboro, Moore spent two years with the Iowa wrestling program. After serving as the strength and conditioning coach during the 2004-05 season, he became an administrative assistant in his second year at his alma mater.
As a Hawkeye, Moore earned All-America status three times in addition to claiming two Big Ten titles. After competing at 133 pounds for three straight seasons, Moore moved up to 141 his senior year. He posted a 33-2 record, ending his final season with 20 straight wins and a national title. The Dubuque, Iowa, native notched a 109-24 career record and was named the 2004 Mike Howard Award winner as Iowa's most valuable wrestler.
Moore, a member of the 2006 USA Freestyle National Team, graduated from Iowa with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2004. He later received his master's in educational leadership from Edinboro in 2011.
"I'm excited to join coach Flynn at West Virginia," Moore said. "The transition has been smooth so far. It is a great atmosphere with a great support system. We're excited to move this team forward and in the right direction."
Moore also was an integral part of Port's collegiate career at Edinboro, serving as the coach who recruited the future All-American out of high school. Port concluded his wrestling career with a 132-17 record, finishing as an NCAA finalist as a sophomore and senior and taking home third place as a junior.
Port's runner-up finish in 2015 helped Flynn's Fighting Scots to their highest-ever finish at nationals, placing third, with a record-tying four wrestlers earning All-America honors. Port's senior leadership also garnered him WrestlingReport.com's Pennsylvania Collegiate Wrestler of the Year accolades. The Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, native graduated from Edinboro in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in individualized studies and immediately joined Flynn's staff as an assistant in July.
While on staff, Port helped produce 12 Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) Champions, 14 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champions, 19 NCAA qualifiers and one NCAA All-American. Port also assisted the team to back-to-back PSAC Championships (2016-17) as well as a first-place finish at the 2017 EWL Championships.
"I hope we can take this program to the next level," Port said. "I love working with these guys, and I'm really glad that they gave me the opportunity to come with them. I wrestled for them both, and I know that they are in it to win. I'm very thankful for this opportunity."
Flynn, who spent the past 21 years at Edinboro, was announced as WVU's ninth wrestling coach on April 10.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUWrestling on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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