Andy Bisek named 2016 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year

Andy Bisek, with one of his Minnesota Storm coaches Brandon Paulson, after receiving the Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year award during the 2017 World Team Trials in Las Vegas. Photo by Larry Slater.


Andy Bisek (Marquette, Mich./Minnesota Storm) was named 2016 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the third straight year that Bisek has won this prestigious award.


Bisek competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at 75 kg/165 lbs. It was his first Olympic Games appearance. He opened the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Yurisandy Hernandez Rios of Cuba. In his next bout, he was edged by Bozo Starcevic of Croatia, 2-0. When Starcevic failed to reach the finals, Bisek was not eligible for repechage and was eliminated.


Bisek qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team in Greco-Roman by winning the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa in April. He won the best-of-three Championship Series with two straight wins over Geordan Speiller, winning bout one, 6-2 and taking bout two, 4-0.


He also competed in the Beat the Streets “United In The Square” dual meet in Times Square in New York City in May, where he dropped a 3-0 match against Olympic and World champion Kim Hyeon-Woo of Korea.


In 2016, Bisek was a U.S. Olympic Training Center resident athlete. This fall, after the Olympics, Bisek took a new job as the assistant wrestling coach for the Greco-Roman program at the U.S. Olympic Training Site at Northern Michigan University. He is in his first year coaching the USOTS-NMU athletes, working with head coach Rob Hermann.


Bisek won World bronze medals for Team USA in both 2014 and 2015, bringing home the only World medals for the United States during the four-year Olympic cycle.


He is a four-time U.S. World Team member, and a two-time U.S. Open champion. Bisek won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games, and added Pan American Championships titles in both 2012 and 2014.


Prior to being a USOTC resident athlete, he attended Northern Michigan University, where he was a member of its U.S. Olympic Education Center Greco-Roman program. He is a native of Chaska, Minn., where he placed third in the 2004 Minnesota State High School Championships.

PAST GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

2016 – Andy Bisek, Marquette, Mich., Minnesota Storm

2015 – Andy Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm

2014 – Andy Bisek, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm

2013 – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2012 – Chas Betts, Colorado Springs, Colo., Minnesota Storm

2011 – Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2010 – Justin Ruiz, Meridian, Idaho, New York AC

2009 - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2008 - Adam Wheeler, Colorado Springs, Colo., Gator WC

2007 - Brad Vering, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC

2006 - Joe Warren, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC

2005 - Justin Ruiz, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC

2004 - Rulon Gardner, Wellsville, Utah, Sunkist Kids

2003 - Jim Gruenwald, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids

2002 - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2001 - Rulon Gardner, Cascade, Colo., Sunkist Kids

2000 - Rulon Gardner, Afton, Wyo., Sunkist Kids

1999 - Dremiel Byers, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

1998 - Matt Lindland, Lincoln, Neb., Sunkist Kids

1997 - Rulon Gardner, Gilbert, Ariz., Sunkist Kids

1996 - Dennis Hall, Stevens, Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids

1995 - Dennis Hall, Stevens Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids

1994 - Dennis Hall, Stevens Point, Wis., Sunkist Kids

1993 - James Johnson, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids