Adam Coon named 2018 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
USA Wrestling President Bruce Baumgartner presents Adam Coon with the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year award during the Kickoff Party in Pittsburgh, Pa. Photo by Justin Hoch.
Adam Coon (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC/Cliff Keen WC) was named 2018 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the first time that Coon has won this prestigious award.
Coon received the award at the Kickoff Party, organized by Jordan and Lauren Burroughs, in Pittsburgh, Pa. on March 20.
Coon won a silver medal at 130 kg in Greco-Roman at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary. It was his first appearance on a U.S. Senior World Team. It was the top U.S. performance in Greco-Roman at the World Championships.
Coon pinned his way into the gold-medal finals, putting away his first four opponents by fall. He opened with a pin over Rafal Krajewski of Poland in 1:54, then stopped Lingzhe Meng of China in 4:13. His quarterfinals victim was veteran Eduard Popp of Germany, who he pinned in 2:32. In the semifinals, Coon scored a fall in 3:42 over Min-Seok Kim of Korea.
In the gold-medal finals, Coon was defeated by 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Sergey Semenov of Russia in a 9-0 technical fall. It was the first U.S. medal at a World Championships since Andy Bisek’s World bronze in Las Vegas in 2015.
Coon won the 2018 Greco-Roman World Team Trials in June in Tulsa, Okla., defeating 2016 U.S. Olympian and four-time World Team member Robby Smith in the best-of-three Championship Series in two straight matches. Coon won three matches in the Challenge Tournament to earn the right to wrestle Smith in the finals.
He was also the 2018 U.S. Open runner-up in Greco-Roman in April in Las Vegas, Nev., winning three straight matches by pin before losing to Smith in the gold-medal finals, 5-0.
Remarkably, Coon also made the U.S. Freestyle World National Team in 2018. After winning the Greco-Roman World Team Trials in Tulsa, he got on a plane that night to fly to Bethlehem, Pa., where he competed in Final X at Lehigh the next day. Coon was defeated in the finals by World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski in Final X, to earn the No. 2 spot on Freestyle Team USA at 125 kg.
Coon claimed the gold medal in freestyle at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas in April, defeating 2012 Olympic champion Jake Varner of the Nittany Lion WC in the finals, 3-2.
In 2018, Coon was awarded the Jacob Curby Memorial Award for the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The award is named in honor of the late Jacob Curby and is given annually to one Greco-Roman athlete from USOTC and one from the Northern Michigan University – Olympic Training Site.
Also in 2018, Coon completed his successful college career at the University of Michigan, placing second at the 2018 NCAA Championships in Cleveland, falling to three-time NCAA champion Kyle Snyder of Ohio State in the finals. Coon defeated Snyder in a dual meet earlier in the season, and lost to him in the Big Ten finals.
Coon finished his college career as a three-time All-American and two-time finalist, placing second in 2015 and 2018 and third in 2016.
In 2014, Coon won a Junior World bronze medal in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, a tremendous achievement at such a high level.
Coon had a remarkable age-group career for USA Wrestling, becoming the first to win two Junior Triple Crowns, given to an athlete that wins USA Wrestling national titles in folkstyle, Greco-Roman and freestyle the same year.
Coon was a Cadet World champion in freestyle and also a Cadet World Team member in Greco-Roman earlier in his prep career. He was a four-time Michigan State champion for Fowlerville High School.
Coon is a member of the New York Athletic Club, and trains at his alma mater as part of its Regional Training Center, the Cliff Keen WC.
PAST GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
2018 - Adam Coon, Ann Arbor, Mich., New York AC/Cliff Keen WC
2017 – Kamal Bey, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids
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
Adam Coon (Ann Arbor, Mich./New York AC/Cliff Keen WC) was named 2018 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. It is the first time that Coon has won this prestigious award.
Coon received the award at the Kickoff Party, organized by Jordan and Lauren Burroughs, in Pittsburgh, Pa. on March 20.
Coon won a silver medal at 130 kg in Greco-Roman at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary. It was his first appearance on a U.S. Senior World Team. It was the top U.S. performance in Greco-Roman at the World Championships.
Coon pinned his way into the gold-medal finals, putting away his first four opponents by fall. He opened with a pin over Rafal Krajewski of Poland in 1:54, then stopped Lingzhe Meng of China in 4:13. His quarterfinals victim was veteran Eduard Popp of Germany, who he pinned in 2:32. In the semifinals, Coon scored a fall in 3:42 over Min-Seok Kim of Korea.
In the gold-medal finals, Coon was defeated by 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Sergey Semenov of Russia in a 9-0 technical fall. It was the first U.S. medal at a World Championships since Andy Bisek’s World bronze in Las Vegas in 2015.
Coon won the 2018 Greco-Roman World Team Trials in June in Tulsa, Okla., defeating 2016 U.S. Olympian and four-time World Team member Robby Smith in the best-of-three Championship Series in two straight matches. Coon won three matches in the Challenge Tournament to earn the right to wrestle Smith in the finals.
He was also the 2018 U.S. Open runner-up in Greco-Roman in April in Las Vegas, Nev., winning three straight matches by pin before losing to Smith in the gold-medal finals, 5-0.
Remarkably, Coon also made the U.S. Freestyle World National Team in 2018. After winning the Greco-Roman World Team Trials in Tulsa, he got on a plane that night to fly to Bethlehem, Pa., where he competed in Final X at Lehigh the next day. Coon was defeated in the finals by World bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski in Final X, to earn the No. 2 spot on Freestyle Team USA at 125 kg.
Coon claimed the gold medal in freestyle at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas in April, defeating 2012 Olympic champion Jake Varner of the Nittany Lion WC in the finals, 3-2.
In 2018, Coon was awarded the Jacob Curby Memorial Award for the U.S. Olympic Training Center. The award is named in honor of the late Jacob Curby and is given annually to one Greco-Roman athlete from USOTC and one from the Northern Michigan University – Olympic Training Site.
Also in 2018, Coon completed his successful college career at the University of Michigan, placing second at the 2018 NCAA Championships in Cleveland, falling to three-time NCAA champion Kyle Snyder of Ohio State in the finals. Coon defeated Snyder in a dual meet earlier in the season, and lost to him in the Big Ten finals.
Coon finished his college career as a three-time All-American and two-time finalist, placing second in 2015 and 2018 and third in 2016.
In 2014, Coon won a Junior World bronze medal in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, a tremendous achievement at such a high level.
Coon had a remarkable age-group career for USA Wrestling, becoming the first to win two Junior Triple Crowns, given to an athlete that wins USA Wrestling national titles in folkstyle, Greco-Roman and freestyle the same year.
Coon was a Cadet World champion in freestyle and also a Cadet World Team member in Greco-Roman earlier in his prep career. He was a four-time Michigan State champion for Fowlerville High School.
Coon is a member of the New York Athletic Club, and trains at his alma mater as part of its Regional Training Center, the Cliff Keen WC.
PAST GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
2018 - Adam Coon, Ann Arbor, Mich., New York AC/Cliff Keen WC
2017 – Kamal Bey, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids
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
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