Allison announced in January the addition of wrestling as the College's 22nd NCAA Division III sponsored athletic program. The Maroons will begin competition in the Fall of 2021.
"We're fortunate to have Nate Yetzer lead our wrestling program," said Allison. "His ability to build a program is proven. The energy he brings to the table is off the charts. We know he'll fit in well with his colleagues on our hallway!"
Yetzer joined the Ferrum coaching staff in July 2012 as Head Wrestling Coach. In the last eight years at the helm of the new Panther mat program, Yetzer has sent 13 individuals to the NCAA Div. III Wrestling National Championships. Four wrestlers have earned All-America honors under Yetzer, Logan Meister in 2016 and Zach Beckner in 2017, with Beckner being the College's first-ever NCAA finalist in any sport. Levi Englman and Mario Vasquez became the third and fourth All-Americans in 2019. Yetzer's 2017 team won the NCAA East Regional and he was named NCAA East Region Coach of the Year.
Yetzer came to Ferrum from Blacksburg, Virginia, where he served six years as an assistant coach for the Virginia Tech wrestling program. Yetzer worked under Head Coach Kevin Dresser, helping to coordinate daily training sessions and assisting with office administration. He helped the Hokies to a #11 finish at the 2012 NCAA Division I Tournament. The Hokies had two All-Americans, six NCAA qualifiers and three ACC champions in 2012. Yetzer also assisted with recruitment and visitations of potential Virginia Tech student-athletes, fundraising activities, travel coordination and monitoring academic progress of student-athletes.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity to start another program here at Roanoke College," said Yetzer. "It is easy to see why RC is consistently among the top teams in the ODAC across all sports. It is great to see Roanoke is going to be invested in this program with expectations to be successful in the classroom and on the mat. I want to thank Mr. Scott Allison, Mr. Aaron Fetrow and President Maxey for their confidence in me to fulfill those expectations."
Prior to joining the Hokies' staff, Yetzer served as assistant coach one year at Binghamton University in Vestal, New York. In that role, he helped with all facets of the Bearcats' NCAA Division I wrestling program. Yetzer served four years (2000-04) as a clinician at the Bruce Baumgartner World-Class Wrestling Camps in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. He also served as an assistant wrestling coach four years (2002-04, 2006) for the Ohio Junior National Team.
Yetzer wrestled for NCAA Division I Edinboro University from 2001-05. He won Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles in 2004 and 2005, and earned the Eastern Wrestling League title in 2004. Yetzer was a four-time NCAA Division I Tournament qualifier, and capped his 2004 season with an All-American finish when he placed 8th in the 174-pound weight class.
A Madison High School graduate, Yetzer was an Ohio High School Athletic Association state finalist in 1999 and 2000, winning a state title in 2000. He went on to a National High School Coaches Association (NHCAA) national runner-up finish in 2000, and earned five Freestyle and Greco-Roman All-America finishes.
Yetzer earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Edinboro in 2005. He earned his Master of Arts degree in Health Promotions from Virginia Tech in 2012. Yetzer and his wife, the former Leah Scott, have four boys. 10 year old twins Jack and Nick, six year old Ethan and four year old Harrison.
While wrestling is not currently a sponsored sport by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Roanoke joins Emory & Henry (2020), Ferrum, Shenandoah (2020) and Washington and Lee as ODAC schools that sponsor the sport.
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