Isaiah Martinez battling Jordan Burroughs at Final X (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Oregon State wrestling coach Chris Pendleton has announced the additions of Isaiah Martinez and Nate Engel to the Beaver coaching staff.
"I'm excited to officially announce the hiring of two outstanding men," Pendleton said. "From the start, I knew that I was looking for like-minded people that would help me with the holistic development of young athletes, and build a culture that places an emphasis on doing things the right way."
ISAIAH MARTINEZ
The most decorated wrestler in Illini history, Martinez joins the Beavers after spending his last two seasons as an assistant coach in Champaign. He concluded his Illini wrestling career with the highest winning percentage in school history, winning 97.5 percent of his matches. The 116 victories by Martinez is also tied for 10th all-time in Illinois history.
Martinez, a two-time NCAA Champion and four-time Big Ten Champion, was named a 2018 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient. Additionally, Martinez is a two-time Illinois Dike Eddleman Male Athlete of the Year winner and a two-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Championships.
"I'm so excited to be working with Coach Pendleton and the OSU team," Martinez said. "I believe Oregon State has all the makings to be a special place for wrestling. I can't wait to get to work and help guys achieve their goals!"
"Isaiah is a unique hire because we both come from a blue collar town in the Central Valley of California," Pendleton said. "I previously had the distinction of being the best wrestler from Lemoore until he showed up. As a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All American, Isaiah has been a force on the world level and will be a great guide for our athletes to follow. Personally, I've loved seeing his development as a scrappy young kid in the youth program to the man he is today"
Career Highlights
Four-time NCAA Finalist (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
Two-time NCAA Champion (2015, 2016)
Four-time Big Ten Champion (2015, 2016,2017,2018)
Two-time Midlands Champion (2014, 2016)
US Open Champion (2018,2019)
U23 National Champion
Three-time CIF State Champion (2011, 2012, 2013)
USAW Junior National Champion (2012)
USAW Cadet National Champion (2010)
NATE ENGEL
Engel joins the Beavers after two seasons with the Stanford Cardinal and serving as an assistant at Navy from 2014-18. Recognized as an excellent recruiter, Engel landed consecutive top-20 recruiting classes and two recruits ranked first in the nation with the Midshipmen.
"I want to thank Chris Pendleton as well as Oregon State University's athletic director, Scott Barnes, for this opportunity," Engel said. "Chris has a proven record of success in developing athletes and I am looking forward to working alongside of him. Oregon State University has a rich tradition in their wrestling and we have big plans to keep building a powerhouse program in the Pacific Northwest.
Engel has extensive ties with USA Wrestling and currently serves as the Director of the California Regional Training Center (RTC) program. He coached the U.S. Junior Greco World Team at the Junior World Championships in Slovakia in September 2018.
During his first season at Stanford, he helped lead the Cardinal to its first Pac-12 team title. Stanford had two individual champions and sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh.
Engel was an All-American at Missouri Valley College and a four-time NAIA qualifier. An elite senior level competitor, he pursued a Greco career full-time, training at Northern Michigan under Ivan Ivanov.
A two-time member of the U.S. National Team, Engel was the runner-up at the 2013 World Team Trials. He won the 2012 Haparanda Cup and took silver at the 2013 Haavisto Tournament. He was also the Maccabiah Games champion in both Freesyle and Greco-Roman at 55 kg in 2013, while taking home two bronze medals in 2017.
"Speaking with other head coaches across the country, a name kept coming up as someone I should look at immediately and that was Nate Engel," Pendleton said. "I had the pleasure of getting to know Nate and his wife McKayla last fall in Estonia at the world championships, and knew that he was someone I would love to work with one day. His strengths as a recruiter, technician, and mentor is exactly what our program needs."
Career Highlights
USA Wrestling Greco Roman Coach of the Year (2019)
Maccabi Games Bronze Medals Freestyle and Greco-Roman 57kg (2017)
World Team Trials Qualifier (2014)
Silver Medal 55kg - St. Petersburg, Russia (2013)
Bronze Medal 60kg - St. Petersburg, Russia (2013)
Silver Medal 55kg - Havvisto Tournament (2013)
Maccabi Games Champion Freestyle and Greco-Roman 55kg (2013)
Two-time U.S. National Team Member (2010, 2013)
Seven-time U.S. Open All-American
Sunkist Kids International Champion and Outstanding Wrestler (2009)
University Greco-Roman National Champion 55kg (2007)
Third place NAIA Nationals (2005)
Four-time NAIA National Qualifier
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