Jason Christenson named USA Wrestling Developmental Coach of the Year
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by Gary Abbott
Jason Christenson of Altoona, Iowa has been named Developmental Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling in the United States. The award honors the top coach in the nation working with age-group wrestlers and programs.
Christenson has been a coach and leader of Iowa's Junior-level national teams for over a decade, helping Iowa to success at the National Dual Meet Championships or the Junior/Cadet National Championships.
Christenson has been Iowa's Junior Director since 2002, and has served as Iowa's Team Leader for the Junior Nationals since 2003. He was also either the head coach or Team Leader for Iowa's Junior Duals National Team 10 of the last 13 years.
Iowa was the team champion in Greco-Roman at the 2006 ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals. In his role as coach and Team Leader, Iowa won the 2005 Junior National Duals in freestyle. In 2002, he was head coach of the Iowa Junior National Greco-Roman team which won the unofficial team title.
Among his other state-level assignments has been head coach of the Iowa Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman team in 1997 and 1998.
He is the director and coach for the Ram Wrestling Club at Southeast Polk High School, as well as the Gutwrench Wrestling Club in Oskaloosa. He served as the head coach of an Iowa international exchange team to New Zealand. Christenson has also hosted a number of grass roots wrestling clinics in conjunction with local USA Wrestling tournaments.
Christenson has been a high school wrestling coach for 16 years, serving the head coach for the last six years at Southeast Polk High School. He also was head coach at Oskaloosa High School for four years. He has mentored 11 USA Wrestling national All-Americans from his high school wrestling teams.
His many awards include Iowa High School Coach of the Year, Iowa Wrestling Federation Coach of the Year, District Coach of the Year and Conference Coach of the Year. Christenson is a past president of the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association.
He received his National Coaches Education Program (NCEP) Silver certificate in 2007 and his Bronze certificate in 1995. Christenson attended USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman Summer Study Programs.
Developmental Coach of the Year
1989 - Al Kastl, Michigan
1990 - Kevin McCleary, Pennsylvania
1991 - J. D. Robbins, California
1992 - Tony Jones, Oregon
1993 - Morrie Geselter, Illinois
1994 - Jerry Kuntz, Oklahoma
1995 - Mike Hagerty, Missouri
1996 - Bob Kopnisky, Indiana
1997 - John Leone, New York
1998 - Mike Rial, Iowa
1999 - Greg Strobel, Pennsylvania
2000 - John Hohman, Pennsylvania
2001 - Randy Baker, Minnesota
2002 - Archie Randall, Oklahoma
2003 - John Matthews, Arizona
2004 - Sean Bormet, Illinois
2005 - Joe DeMeo, New York
2006 - Russ Cozart, Florida
2007 - Jason Christenson, Iowa
Christenson has been a coach and leader of Iowa's Junior-level national teams for over a decade, helping Iowa to success at the National Dual Meet Championships or the Junior/Cadet National Championships.
Christenson has been Iowa's Junior Director since 2002, and has served as Iowa's Team Leader for the Junior Nationals since 2003. He was also either the head coach or Team Leader for Iowa's Junior Duals National Team 10 of the last 13 years.
Iowa was the team champion in Greco-Roman at the 2006 ASICS/Vaughan Junior Nationals. In his role as coach and Team Leader, Iowa won the 2005 Junior National Duals in freestyle. In 2002, he was head coach of the Iowa Junior National Greco-Roman team which won the unofficial team title.
Among his other state-level assignments has been head coach of the Iowa Cadet Nationals Greco-Roman team in 1997 and 1998.
He is the director and coach for the Ram Wrestling Club at Southeast Polk High School, as well as the Gutwrench Wrestling Club in Oskaloosa. He served as the head coach of an Iowa international exchange team to New Zealand. Christenson has also hosted a number of grass roots wrestling clinics in conjunction with local USA Wrestling tournaments.
Christenson has been a high school wrestling coach for 16 years, serving the head coach for the last six years at Southeast Polk High School. He also was head coach at Oskaloosa High School for four years. He has mentored 11 USA Wrestling national All-Americans from his high school wrestling teams.
His many awards include Iowa High School Coach of the Year, Iowa Wrestling Federation Coach of the Year, District Coach of the Year and Conference Coach of the Year. Christenson is a past president of the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association.
He received his National Coaches Education Program (NCEP) Silver certificate in 2007 and his Bronze certificate in 1995. Christenson attended USA Wrestling's Greco-Roman Summer Study Programs.
Developmental Coach of the Year
1989 - Al Kastl, Michigan
1990 - Kevin McCleary, Pennsylvania
1991 - J. D. Robbins, California
1992 - Tony Jones, Oregon
1993 - Morrie Geselter, Illinois
1994 - Jerry Kuntz, Oklahoma
1995 - Mike Hagerty, Missouri
1996 - Bob Kopnisky, Indiana
1997 - John Leone, New York
1998 - Mike Rial, Iowa
1999 - Greg Strobel, Pennsylvania
2000 - John Hohman, Pennsylvania
2001 - Randy Baker, Minnesota
2002 - Archie Randall, Oklahoma
2003 - John Matthews, Arizona
2004 - Sean Bormet, Illinois
2005 - Joe DeMeo, New York
2006 - Russ Cozart, Florida
2007 - Jason Christenson, Iowa
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