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    Mark Palmer •

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    Ryan named 2015 InterMat Coach of the Year

    Tom Ryan, who took his Ohio State wrestlers to their first Big Ten conference crown in more than six decades, and their first-ever NCAA team title with two individual champs, has been named 2015 InterMat Coach of the Year, the amateur wrestling website announced on Monday morning.

    Tom Ryan led Ohio State to the program's first national championship in wrestling (Photo/Rob Preston)
    Presented each year since 2006 to the best college coach in all divisions, the award is based solely on the balloting of writers and executives at InterMat. Each staff member is asked to select five coaches and rank them from first to fifth. Point values are assigned to each placement, ranging from one point for a coach listed fifth on a voter's ballot, up to nine points for a first-place choice.

    Ryan received seven of the ten first-place ballots, for a total of 76 votes. Coming in second place was Tim Flynn, head coach at Pennsylvania's Edinboro University, who received 57 votes; one InterMat staff member had Flynn on their first-place ballot. Jim Moulsoff, who guided Augsburg to the 2015 NCAA Division III team title in his first year at the helm as interim head coach, placed third in the overall balloting with 42 points, with two first-place votes.

    This is the third time Ryan has been named InterMat Coach of the Year, becoming the first coach to be so honored with three such awards. He previously earned the honor in 2008 and 2009.

    2015 InterMat Coach of the Year
    1st-5th-Place Votes: 9-7-5-3-1
    Total Votes/(First-Place Votes)

    1. Tom Ryan, Ohio State 76 (7)
    2. Tim Flynn, Edinboro 57 (1)
    3. Jim Moulsoff, Augsburg 42 (2)
    4. Brian Smith, Missouri 30
    5. Steve Costanzo, SCSU 18
    6. Rob Koll, Cornell 8
    7. Kevin Dresser, Va. Tech 5
    7. John Smith, Oklahoma St. 5
    9. Sammie Henson, WVU 4
    10. Tom Brands, Iowa 3
    11. Barry Davis, Wisconsin 1
    11. Tim Fader (formerly Whitewater) 1
    Ryan, an NCAA All-American wrestler for the University of Iowa, came to Columbus nine seasons ago from Hofstra University, with the expectation of improving the fortunes of the Ohio State wrestling program. This past season, all the elements aligned: a 9-3 dual-meet season, the program's first conference title since 1951 (tied with Iowa), and its first national title in the 94-year history of wrestling at Ohio State. Three Buckeyes made it into the finals at the 2015 NCAAs, with two -- Nathan Tomasello and Logan Stieber -- leaving St. Louis with individual titles, and Stieber making history as only the fourth four-time NCAA Division I champ in 85 years of the event.

    "If there is one word that characterizes Tom Ryan in regards to the Ohio State wrestling teams' run at the NCAA title, it would have to be 'belief,'" said InterMat staff writer Tom Franck. "The mastermind of the Buckeye program had been publicly vocal for the past two years that he believed with every fiber of his being that his team could win the national championship in 2015. Making that a reality was in no small part due to Coach Ryan's ability to sell that belief to all around him.

    InterMat Coach of the Year Winners
    2014: Tim Flynn, Edinboro/J Robinson, Minnesota
    2013: John Smith, Oklahoma St.
    2012: Cael Sanderson, Penn St.
    2011: Mike Denney, UNO
    2010: Rob Koll, Cornell
    2009: Tom Ryan, Ohio St.
    2008: Tom Ryan, Ohio St.
    2007: Cael Sanderson, Iowa St.
    2006: John Smith, Oklahoma St.
    "One distinction of Tom Ryan as a coach is the frequency with which he compliments the specific talents of wrestlers on other teams," added Franck. "While this may seem to be counter-intuitive on a motivational level, it suggests the extreme level of strategical preparation he is able to provide to his athletes for crucial matchups against top competition. Throughout the year he possessed a seemingly uncanny ability as a coach to maximize adversity."

    Last week, InterMat announced that Logan Stieber of Ohio State had been named 2015 InterMat Wrestler of the Year, while Isaiah Martinez of Illinois picked up 2015 InterMat Freshman of the Year honors.
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