2022 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Award winners: Max Nowry (athlete), Spenser Mango (coach)

Spenser Mango receives Coach of Year from Coach Justin Ruiz; Max Nowry receives Athlete of the Year from Coach Herb House. Photos by John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com


During the 2023 Pritchard Companies U.S. Open, presented by FloWrestling in Las Vegas, Nev., USA Wrestling presented many of its major awards, including its Athlete and Coach of the Year honors in each discipline. Today, we post the Greco-Roman winners.

2022 Freestyle Awards: Taylor (athlete), Cunningham (coach)

Max Nowry named 2022 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year


Max Nowry (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) has been named the 2022 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. This is the third time he has won this prestigious award, with selections in 2020, 2021 and 2022.


Nowry placed fifth at the 2022 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in September, the top performance of the U.S. Greco-Roman World Team. Nowry opened with a pair of victories, pinning Arjun Halakurki of India and veteran Fabian Schmitt of Germany. In the semifinals, he was defeated by multiple World champion Eldaniz Azizli of Azerbaijan. He fell in the bronze medal match to two-time Asian champion Yu Shiotani.


Nowry qualified for the U.S. Greco-Roman World Team by winning Final X – Stillwater in June, defeating Brady Koontz in two straight matches. He also claimed two other major titles during the 2022 season, claiming the U.S. Open title in Las Vegas in late April, as well as the Bill Farrell International in Iowa in early April.


Nowry has competed on three Senior World Championships teams. He placed fifth in the 2019 World Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, and was ninth at the 2021 World Championships in Oslo, Norway. He has been on the Greco-Roman national team seven times, including holding the No. 2 ranking in 2012 and 2018. Nowry placed second in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.


Nowry is a three-time Pan American Championships champion and a four-time finalist. He won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan, China, and also competed in the 2015 World Military Games. He boasts multiple Armed Forces Championships titles in both Greco-Roman and freestyle.


Nowry was a 2012 University World champion in Greco-Roman and competed on five U.S. age-group World Teams, three at the University level and two at the Junior level.


Nowry was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, and a member of the Army World Class Athlete Program in 2022. Prior to joining the U.S. Army, he attended Northern Michigan University, as part of its Greco-Roman program there. He originally hails from Wheeling, Illinois, and was successful in USA Wrestling’s age-group national programs.

PAST GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

2022 — Max Nowry, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2021 — Max Nowry, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2020 — No award (COVID-19)

2019 — Max Nowry, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

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

Spenser Mango named 2022 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year


Spenser Mango (Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Army WCAP) has been named the 2022 Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. This is the third time Mango has won this prestigious honor and the second time in a row, with selections in 2018, 2021 and 2022.


Mango is a coach for the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, based in Fort Carson, Colo. Army WCAP had half of the athletes who competed in Greco-Roman at the 2022 Senior World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia in September: Max Nowry (55 kg), Ildar Hafizov (60 kg), Alejandro Sancho (67 kg), Kamal Bey (77 kg) and Spencer Woods (82 kg). Nowry placed fifth in the World Championships, the top placement of the USA team. Army WCAP placed a total of 10 athletes on the U.S. Senior Greco-Roman National Team, by being in top three in their weight class.


The U.S. Army placed second in the Div. I team standings at the 2022 U.S. Open, with six individual champions and 12 total All-Americans.


Mango has been one of the more active coaches helping coach U.S. teams at the international level. He has helped coach numerous past U.S. Senior World Teams and was part of the coaching effort at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.


Mango was one of the top Greco-Roman athletes to compete for the U.S. Army WCAP program before retiring after the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials to become a coach. Mango competed in two Olympic Games — 2008 in Beijing, China, and 2012 in London, England. He also wrestled on six straight U.S. Senior World Teams (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015), giving him eight straight years as the No. 1 athlete in the USA at his weight class.


His top placement at a World Championships was fifth in 2013 and 2014. Domestically, Mango claimed seven U.S. Open titles. On the age-group levels, Mango won a 2007 University World championship and a 2006 Junior World Bronze medal.


Mango is a graduate of the University of Northern Michigan, where he competed on its U.S. Olympic Education Program Greco-Roman team. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Mango won two state titles for Christian Brothers College High School and was successful in Greco-Roman in USA Wrestling age-group program. SFC Spenser Mango continues to serve in the U.S. Army, having begun his service to the nation in August,of 2010.

PAST GRECO-ROMAN COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

2022 - Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2021 - Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2020 - No award (COVID-19)

2019 – Nate Engel, San Jose, Calif., California RTC/Stanford University

2018 – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

2017 – Herb House, Colorado Springs, Colo., New York AC/OTC

2016 - Brandon Paulson, Coon Rapids, Minn., Minnesota Storm

2015 – Jason Loukides, Camp LeJeune, N.C., U.S. Marine Corps

2014 – Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn., Minnesota Storm

2013 – Joe Russell, Fairfax, Va., Patriot Elite WC

2012 – Dan Chandler, Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesota Storm

2011 – Shon Lewis, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army

2010 – Dan Hicks, Camp LeJeune, N.C., U.S. Marine Corps

2009 – Ivan Ivanov, Boise, Idaho, Suples WC and USOEC

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