Jake BrumbelowMidway, Ky. -- Midway University athletic director, Rusty Kennedy, has announced the hiring of Jake Brumbelow as the first-ever head coach for the inaugural Midway wrestling program, which is set to make its debut in fall 2018.
"I am excited to welcome Jake Brumbelow to Midway University as our first-ever head wrestling coach," said Kennedy. "Jake stood out among a very impressive pool of applicants we had for our position."
Kennedy added, "His history of success and experience of starting two prior wrestling programs at the college level really impressed us and will allow us to be better prepared with the challenges of starting our program."
Starting a program from scratch is a challenge, but it is one Brumbelow has faced twice before with success, at Emmanuel College and Brenton-Parker College.
Brumbelow comes to Midway after a three year stint as the head coach at Emmanuel College, an NCAA Division II program located in Franklin Springs, Georgia. He became the head coach in 2014 and started the program from its initial stages in 2015.
During his time with the Lions, they won consecutive National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) National Titles during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. During those two years, Brumbelow led the Lions to a 24-13 dual meet record.
Brumbelow also experienced individual success during his time at Emmanuel. In 2016, he was named the NCWA Coach of the Year and then in 2017 Brumbelow was named the NCAA DII Eastern Collegiate Athletics Conference Coach of the Year.
Prior to starting the program at Emmanuel, Brumbelow also did the same at Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia. He started the program in 2012 and posted back-to-back winning seasons, while also making national tournament appearances at the NAIA level.
Brumbelow started his coaching career West Virginia Tech when he became the head coach in 2009. He served as the Golden Bears head coach for two seasons.
"I would like to thank Rusty Kennedy and the hiring committee for the opportunity to develop the wrestling program at Midway University," said Brumbelow. "It is an exciting time to join the rapidly growing athletic department."
Prior to getting into coaching, Brumbelow enjoyed a successful wrestling career at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee where he was nationally ranked at 133 lbs., while also compiling over 140 career wins.
"I can't tell you how excited I am to watch the growth of Midway wrestling," added Kennedy.
While also wrestling at Carson Newman, Brumbelow obtained his Bachelor of Science in Humans with Exceptionalities as well his Masters of Science degree in Counseling.
Any prospective students interested in learning more about the wrestling program are asked to reach out to Coach Brumbelow at jbrumbelow@midway.edu or 678.357.2165. Interested student-athletes can also fill out the recruiting questionnaire which can be found here.
Midway announced its plans for establishing an intercollegiate wrestling program in October 2017.
Midway University is located in Midway, Ky., an historic, picturesque small town located (appropriately enough) halfway between Lexington and Louisville, the two largest cities in the state. The private, liberal arts college was founded in 1847 as a women's college, but began admitting men in fall 2016. Current enrollment is approximately 1,200 students. Midway's sports teams -- including wrestling -- are the Eagles.
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