WHEELING — Wheeling University’s new wrestling coach, August Wesley, has an extensive background in the sport and the enthusiasm to back it up.

Named the third head coach in Cardinals history, Wesley, a native of Sacramento, Calif., succeeds Danny Irwin who guided to program to an NCAA Division II runnerup finish in 2018-19 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland. Irwin, now at nearby West Liberty University, had taken over for Sean Doyle who built the Cardinal Culture from scratch in 2012.

“I’m excited. We’re going to have a full team and we’re going have an exciting brand of wrestling,” Wesley stressed. “I feel good about our plan.”

The program didn’t compete last year after being shuttered for a season shortly after its second-place finish at the nationals where a pair of individuals won championships. A lot of the team members entered the NCAA Transfer Portal and left for other schools. That didn’t bother Wesley one bit.

“I wasn’t worried about rebuilding a program. After talking with (school president) Ginny (Favede) and (director of compliance) Carrie (Hanna) I understood the school’s position financially,” he said. “The (wrestling) program never was officially dropped. There was a lot of uncertainty, however.”

Wesley comes to the Ohio Valley after a successful four-year stint of running the Iowa State University club wrestling program. During his time in Ames, he coached 27 national qualifiers, four All-Americans, six academic All-Americans, and guided the Cyclones to a fifth-place finish in the 2018 NCWA National Championships.

“I would like to thank Wheeling University President Ginny Favede, Carrie Hanna and the hiring committee for the opportunity to take the helm of this decorated program,” Wesley said. “I feel confident that with the continued support from the administration and fans, we will foster a championship environment displaying continued growth on the mat and in the classroom.

“Together we will reignite the wrestling flame here in our community and showcase our fighting spirit.”

So how did a guy with ties to California and Iowa find a position of his liking in Wheeling?

“Two things. First, I have a background in the Jesuit community and when I saw that Wheeling Jesuit was looking for a wrestling coach last year, I didn’t know it was that Wheeling Jesuit,” he revealed. “I reached out to then-athletic director Rudy Yovich (who recently passed away) and told him of my Jesuit background and that I was interested. I went through the interview process and was selected.

“Secondly, location, location, location,” he added. “You can’t ask for a better area for wrestling. You’ve got Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia all right there. A lot of past NCAA (team) champions have come from this region.”

“There are high expectations on this campus stemming from a strong culture with a history of success,” Wesley continued. “People from the region have already started reaching out to me and they can’t wait to see our lineup plus watch us compete. They love wrestling here in the northern panhandle and are hungry for a national championship team and that inspires me to get the job done!”

Prior to his time at Iowa State, Wesley spent four years as the head coach at California State University-Sacramento from 2011-15. He helped tutor six national qualifiers, one academic All-American and was named the NCWA Conference Coach of the Year.

He has led 14 United States teams in international competitions during his coaching career. His coaching efforts have taken him to two dozen different countries on five continents. He has been honored twice with the Outstanding Coach’s award at competitions in Australia and Austria.

“I am excited to continue building relationships with our alumni, boosters and wrestling family within West Virginia. My plan is to recruit nationally to bring in the best student athletes that will fit into our program goals and team mindset, so they can have a superior collegiate experience here at Wheeling University. We will hit the ground running with a mix of young hungry Cardinals and seasoned grapplers. This 2020-21 brand of wrestling will be to stalk and attack our opponents, which will make for exciting matches. This is the most competitive region in the country so every dual or tournament is always meaningful.”