World Team coaches announced for 2017 Junior World Championships
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by Taylor Miller, USA Wrestling
The United States is sending eight talented and knowledgeable World Team coaches to lead the U.S. Junior World Team at the 2017 UWW Junior World Championships in Tampere, Finland, Aug. 1-6.
Men’s freestyle
The head of the men’s freestyle squad is one of the greatest American wrestlers in history and newly appointed National Freestyle Developmental Coach Kevin Jackson.
Jackson has garnered countless achievements as an athlete and coach. Most notably, during his athletic career, Jackson was the 1992 Olympic champion and a two-time World champion, winning gold in 1991 and 1995.
On a coaching level, Jackson has made the rounds. This is his second stint with the USA Wrestling National Coaching Staff. He previously served as USA Wrestling’s National Freestyle Coach from 2000-2008, and as the National Freestyle Resident Coach from 1998-2000.
During that time, Jackson coached Henry Cejudo and Cael Sanderson to Olympic titles as well as helping the U.S. to 11 World medals.
Jackson also spent eight years as Iowa State’s head coach, producing four NCAA champions and 14 All-Americans.
He is assisted by Chris Pendleton and Dustin Schlatter.
Pendleton currently serves as an assistant coach at Arizona State, a position he has held since 2014. Prior to that, he was the head assistant coach at Wyoming.
Pendleton works closely with Junior World Team member Zahid Valenica, who was a 2017 NCAA All-American for ASU.
As an athlete, Pendleton was a part of three U.S. National Teams, placing second in the 2013 World Team Trials, third in the 2012 Olympic Team Trials and third in the 2005 World Team Trials. He also collected eight international medals.
Before making a splash on the Senior-level, Pendleton wrestled for Oklahoma State, where he won an NCAA championship in 2005 and helped the team to three-consecutive NCAA team titles.
Schlatter recently wrapped up his first year as Minnesota’s assistant coach, after spending the last six years as a volunteer assistant and graduate assistant.
A 2009 U.S. World Team member, Schlatter has put together a solid freestyle resume, earning several international medals, which included gold at the 2015 Pan American Championships and the 2011 New York AC International Open.
During college, he wrestled for the Gophers and became a three-time All-American.
Women’s freestyle
Leading the women’s team is Erin Vandiver, who was recently named the new girls wrestling coach at Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Kingston, Pa., a high school powerhouse.
Vandiver heads to Wyoming Seminary after serving several years as the U.S. Women’s Assistant National coach in Colorado Springs, Colo. During that time, which included two Olympic Games, Vandiver has coached many women to World and Olympic medals, including Olympic champion and 2015 World champion Helen Maroulis, Olympic bronze medalist Clarissa Chun and three-time World champion Adeline Gray.
As a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete, Vandiver was a two-time World Team member, finishing seventh at the 2006 World Championships and 13th in 2001.
She also boasts gold medals from international tournaments like the Dave Schultz Memorial International and the New York AC International. Nationally, she won the 2008 U.S. Open and produced four runner-up finishes at the event.
At an age-group level, Vandiver earned Cadet World bronze medals at the 1998 and 1999 Cadet World Championships.
During her college days, Vandiver wrestled for Lockhaven as a part of the men’s varsity program.
In Finland, she will team up with Brent Barnes, who is a legendary high school coach out of Washington.
He heads a very successful program at Lake Stevens High School that has won more than 10 state titles, produced multiple state champs and several state place winners. Barnes has been a tremendous influence for many girls in the state of Washington during their developmental years, providing a great foundation for many young wrestlers. He cares about developing successful people of character as well as successful wrestlers.
Barnes has been heavily involved with USA Wrestling’s women’s program since 2003 and is a multiple-time Cadet and Junior World Team coach. Most recently, he coached the 2016 Junior World Team in Macon, France.
Brent Barnes wrestled for Oklahoma State as a college athlete.
Greco-Roman
Leading the charge for the Junior Greco-Roman World Team is USA Wrestling Manager of Greco-Roman Programs Gary Mayabb.
The position focuses on improving USA Wrestling’s performance in Greco-Roman wrestling at all levels while growing the sport in the United States.
Junior Worlds will mark his ninth time coaching a USA Wrestling age-group World Team. Last year, he coached the 2016 UWW Cadet World Team in Tbilisi, Ga. Among the nations he has led tours include Bulgaria, Finland, Turkey, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Guatemala and Greece. Mayabb was also head coach of 1989 UWW Cadet World Festival Championships team, leading the USA to a second place team finish.
Mayabb comes to USA Wrestling after spending 21 years as Missouri USA Wrestling’s Greco coach.
In 2003, he was named USA Wrestling Junior Greco-Roman Coach of the Year, and in 2014, he was the Cadet Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. Mayabb is a Gold Certified coach within USA Wrestling’s National Coaches Education Program, the highest level of achievement in the program.
As an athlete, he was a 1990 U.S. Open runner-up in Greco-Roman, and qualified to compete in four U.S. Olympic Team Trials series (1980, 1984, 1988 and 1992). In college, he was a two-time captain for the wrestling team at the University of Central Missouri, where he was an NCAA qualifier and the MIAA Conference Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1983.
By his side will be TC Dantzler and Ike Anderson.
Anderson was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, where he took sixth, wrestling 62 kg in Greco-Roman.
Just a few years later, he represented the United States at the 1991 Pan American Championships in Havana, Cuba, and the 1991 World Championships in Varna, Bulgaria. He was the silver medalist at the Pan Am Championships and went on to finish 15th at Worlds.
In college, Anderson competed for Appalachian State, where he was an NCAA qualifier.
As a coach, Anderson served as the USA Wrestling Greco Developmental Coach from 1999-2012 and has been working closely with the Junior and Cadet National Teams since 2000. He has helped produced a Junior World champion, University World champion and four other age-group bronze medalists during that time. In 2012, he led the University Greco World Team to a third-place finish.
Dantzler is a four-time World Team member (2003, 05, 06, 07) and a 2008 Olympian.
At the 2006 World Championships, Dantzler fell just shy of a bronze medal, finishing fifth. In 2007, he helped lead the U.S. Greco-Roman team to its first World Team title, beating out Russia by one point.
Representing the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Dantzler finished 16th.
Additionally, he claimed several international medals, including gold medals from the Dave Schultz Memorial International New York AC International as well as two Pan American Championships medals and a Pan American Games bronze medal.
As a coach, he has made a great impact on several wrestlers, including 2017 Junior and Senior World Team member G’Angelo Hancock.
Men’s freestyle
The head of the men’s freestyle squad is one of the greatest American wrestlers in history and newly appointed National Freestyle Developmental Coach Kevin Jackson.
Jackson has garnered countless achievements as an athlete and coach. Most notably, during his athletic career, Jackson was the 1992 Olympic champion and a two-time World champion, winning gold in 1991 and 1995.
On a coaching level, Jackson has made the rounds. This is his second stint with the USA Wrestling National Coaching Staff. He previously served as USA Wrestling’s National Freestyle Coach from 2000-2008, and as the National Freestyle Resident Coach from 1998-2000.
During that time, Jackson coached Henry Cejudo and Cael Sanderson to Olympic titles as well as helping the U.S. to 11 World medals.
Jackson also spent eight years as Iowa State’s head coach, producing four NCAA champions and 14 All-Americans.
He is assisted by Chris Pendleton and Dustin Schlatter.
Pendleton currently serves as an assistant coach at Arizona State, a position he has held since 2014. Prior to that, he was the head assistant coach at Wyoming.
Pendleton works closely with Junior World Team member Zahid Valenica, who was a 2017 NCAA All-American for ASU.
As an athlete, Pendleton was a part of three U.S. National Teams, placing second in the 2013 World Team Trials, third in the 2012 Olympic Team Trials and third in the 2005 World Team Trials. He also collected eight international medals.
Before making a splash on the Senior-level, Pendleton wrestled for Oklahoma State, where he won an NCAA championship in 2005 and helped the team to three-consecutive NCAA team titles.
Schlatter recently wrapped up his first year as Minnesota’s assistant coach, after spending the last six years as a volunteer assistant and graduate assistant.
A 2009 U.S. World Team member, Schlatter has put together a solid freestyle resume, earning several international medals, which included gold at the 2015 Pan American Championships and the 2011 New York AC International Open.
During college, he wrestled for the Gophers and became a three-time All-American.
Women’s freestyle
Leading the women’s team is Erin Vandiver, who was recently named the new girls wrestling coach at Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School in Kingston, Pa., a high school powerhouse.
Vandiver heads to Wyoming Seminary after serving several years as the U.S. Women’s Assistant National coach in Colorado Springs, Colo. During that time, which included two Olympic Games, Vandiver has coached many women to World and Olympic medals, including Olympic champion and 2015 World champion Helen Maroulis, Olympic bronze medalist Clarissa Chun and three-time World champion Adeline Gray.
As a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete, Vandiver was a two-time World Team member, finishing seventh at the 2006 World Championships and 13th in 2001.
She also boasts gold medals from international tournaments like the Dave Schultz Memorial International and the New York AC International. Nationally, she won the 2008 U.S. Open and produced four runner-up finishes at the event.
At an age-group level, Vandiver earned Cadet World bronze medals at the 1998 and 1999 Cadet World Championships.
During her college days, Vandiver wrestled for Lockhaven as a part of the men’s varsity program.
In Finland, she will team up with Brent Barnes, who is a legendary high school coach out of Washington.
He heads a very successful program at Lake Stevens High School that has won more than 10 state titles, produced multiple state champs and several state place winners. Barnes has been a tremendous influence for many girls in the state of Washington during their developmental years, providing a great foundation for many young wrestlers. He cares about developing successful people of character as well as successful wrestlers.
Barnes has been heavily involved with USA Wrestling’s women’s program since 2003 and is a multiple-time Cadet and Junior World Team coach. Most recently, he coached the 2016 Junior World Team in Macon, France.
Brent Barnes wrestled for Oklahoma State as a college athlete.
Greco-Roman
Leading the charge for the Junior Greco-Roman World Team is USA Wrestling Manager of Greco-Roman Programs Gary Mayabb.
The position focuses on improving USA Wrestling’s performance in Greco-Roman wrestling at all levels while growing the sport in the United States.
Junior Worlds will mark his ninth time coaching a USA Wrestling age-group World Team. Last year, he coached the 2016 UWW Cadet World Team in Tbilisi, Ga. Among the nations he has led tours include Bulgaria, Finland, Turkey, Mexico, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Guatemala and Greece. Mayabb was also head coach of 1989 UWW Cadet World Festival Championships team, leading the USA to a second place team finish.
Mayabb comes to USA Wrestling after spending 21 years as Missouri USA Wrestling’s Greco coach.
In 2003, he was named USA Wrestling Junior Greco-Roman Coach of the Year, and in 2014, he was the Cadet Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. Mayabb is a Gold Certified coach within USA Wrestling’s National Coaches Education Program, the highest level of achievement in the program.
As an athlete, he was a 1990 U.S. Open runner-up in Greco-Roman, and qualified to compete in four U.S. Olympic Team Trials series (1980, 1984, 1988 and 1992). In college, he was a two-time captain for the wrestling team at the University of Central Missouri, where he was an NCAA qualifier and the MIAA Conference Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1983.
By his side will be TC Dantzler and Ike Anderson.
Anderson was a member of the U.S. Olympic Team for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, where he took sixth, wrestling 62 kg in Greco-Roman.
Just a few years later, he represented the United States at the 1991 Pan American Championships in Havana, Cuba, and the 1991 World Championships in Varna, Bulgaria. He was the silver medalist at the Pan Am Championships and went on to finish 15th at Worlds.
In college, Anderson competed for Appalachian State, where he was an NCAA qualifier.
As a coach, Anderson served as the USA Wrestling Greco Developmental Coach from 1999-2012 and has been working closely with the Junior and Cadet National Teams since 2000. He has helped produced a Junior World champion, University World champion and four other age-group bronze medalists during that time. In 2012, he led the University Greco World Team to a third-place finish.
Dantzler is a four-time World Team member (2003, 05, 06, 07) and a 2008 Olympian.
At the 2006 World Championships, Dantzler fell just shy of a bronze medal, finishing fifth. In 2007, he helped lead the U.S. Greco-Roman team to its first World Team title, beating out Russia by one point.
Representing the U.S. at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Dantzler finished 16th.
Additionally, he claimed several international medals, including gold medals from the Dave Schultz Memorial International New York AC International as well as two Pan American Championships medals and a Pan American Games bronze medal.
As a coach, he has made a great impact on several wrestlers, including 2017 Junior and Senior World Team member G’Angelo Hancock.
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