Eric GrajalesEDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- SIUE wrestling head coach Jeremy Spates announced the appointment of Eric Grajales as an assistant coach for the Cougars.
"We are excited to add Eric to an already-great staff," said Spates. "It is the first time since I have been here that we have three All-Americans in the room. The amount of accomplishments and experience Eric has in the sport is hard to come by."
Grajales was an All-American wrestler with a third-place finish for the University of Michigan during the 2013-14 season. He has since been pursuing a career in mixed martial arts, winning both of his matches.
"I'm very humbled to be given a chance to join such a talented coaching staff," said Grajales. "I see a very bright future ahead of us as a team and can't wait to see us progress over the season.
He advanced to the national championships in each of his four seasons at Michigan, advancing to the Round of 12 for four consecutive seasons. Grajales completed his collegiate career with an 89-42 record with 17 falls, seven technical falls and 17 major decisions.
His record in the NCAA Tournament was 12-7 after finishing 6-1 during his final season at Michigan. He defeated Edinboro's David Habat in the medal match.
A native of Brandon, Florida, Grajales was a highly-touted prep wrestler at Brandon High School. He was named the South Region and Florida recipient of the 2009 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award and was named Mr. Florida as the state's top wrestler.
A four-time Florida state champion, he was named the Male Athlete of the Year by the Tampa Tribune after completing his prep career with a 217-0 record.
He was a two-time FILA Junior World team member (2006 and 2007) and claimed fifth place at the 2008 Greco-Roman Senior Nationals. The 2006 Junior Greco Wrestler of the Year, Grajales won the Fargo Greco-Roman national championship four times.
Grajales earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan in 2014.
"Eric and Rossi Bruno this year are big additions," noted Spates. "Their personalities and coaching style are similar to myself and Logun Taylor. We are working hard to help this team reach its goals."
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