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Brandon Paulson named 2008 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year

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by Gary Abbott

Brandon Paulson of Anoka, Minn. been named 2008 Greco-Roman Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the first time in his career that Paulson has won this prestigious honor.

Paulson was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic coaching staff, working with the athletes and other coaches at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

He served as the personal coach for 2008 Olympian Jake Deitchler, who competed at 66 kg/145.5 lbs. Deitchler made international news when he qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team at the age of 18, after his senior year in high school. Deitchler was the first high school wrestler to make an Olympic Team in 32 years.

"To coach Jake was an honor for me," said Paulson. "To have somebody listen to what you say, respect you and work hard was extremely good to work with. He is athletic, coachable, mentally tough and talented, everything you need in a champion."

Paulson helped coach the 2008 U.S. Junior World Greco-Roman Team, participating in their training camp prior to the Junior World Championships. In 2007, Paulson was on the coaching staff of the U.S. Junior World Greco-Roman Team which competed in Beijing, China. Paulson was personal coach for two athletes on the 2007 Junior World Team, Jake Deitchler and Brandon Sitch.

He has recently partnered with past NCAA champion and U.S. Olympic Team Trials runner-up Jared Lawrence to operate the PINnacle Wrestling School, where they coach youth, high school and international wrestlers. The club is based in the Minneapolis suburbs. For more information, visit www.PinnacleWrestlingSchool.com

He is a club coach with the Minnesota Storm, working with their Senior-level and age-group athletes. He coached the elite Minnesota Storm athletes at the U.S. Nationals and World Team Trials. For a number of years, he has been a member of the coaching staff for Minnesota/USA Wrestling at the Junior and Cadet Nationals in Fargo, N.D.

As an athlete, Paulson won a silver medal at 52 kg/114.5 lbs. in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. He was also a World silver medalist in 2001 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Paulson won three U.S. Nationals titles and competed on three U.S. World Teams.

Paulson was a star on USA Wrestling's age-group levels, winning national titles as a Cadet, Junior, Espoir and University levels. He won a silver medal at the 1993 Espoir World Championships. Paulson became the first high school wrestler to qualify for the Senior Greco-Roman Team USA when he made the 1991-92 Greco-Roman national team.

He competed for the Univ. of Minnesota, where he was seventh in the NCAA Championships in 1998. Paulson also won three Minnesota high school state titles.

PAST GRECO-ROMAN COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
2008 - Brandon Paulson, Anoka, Minn., Minnesota Storm
2007 - Jay Antonelli, Chesapeake, Va., U.S Marines
2006 - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2005 - Shawn Sheldon, West Palm Beach, Fla., New York AC
2004 - Andy Seras, Sandy Hook, Conn., Sunkist Kids
2003 - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2002 - Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army
2001 - Andy Seras, Sandy Hook, Conn., Sunkist Kids
2000 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm
1999 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm
1998 - Jay Antonelli, Quantico, Va., U.S. Marines
1997 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm
1996 - Rob Hermann, Pensacola, Fla., U.S. Navy
1995 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm
1994 - Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota USA Wrestling
1993 - Tony Thomas, Fort Benning, Ga., U.S. Army
1992 - Rob Hermann, Pensacola, Fla., U.S. Navy

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