2024 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Awards: Payton Jacobson (Wrestler), Andy Bisek (Coach)

USA Wrestling announced its 2024 Athlete and Coach of the Year award winners during the U.S. Open in Las Vegas last week. We will post the winners of these awards this week, one day for each Olympic discipline. We start today with our Greco-Roman Award winners.

Payton Jacobson named 2024 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year

Payton Jacobson (Elkhorn, Wis./Sunkist Kids/NMU-NTS) has been named the 2024 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year by USA Wrestling. This is the first time that he has won this prestigious award.

Jacobson burst onto the national scene with an inspiring performance at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Penn State in April, making the U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman Team at 87 kg. Seeded No. 7 in the Challenge Tournament, Jacobson knocked off No. 2 seed Richard Carlson, No. 3 seed Zachary Braunagel and No. 4 seed and 2020 Olympian John Stefanowicz to reach the best-of-three Championship Series.

In an epic battle, Jacobson defeated past World Team member Spencer Woods, two matches to one, to earn his spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. Jacobson won the first match 8-2, then Woods won bout two, 5-2. In the deciding third match, Jacobson secured a 3-1 victory.

Jacobson represented Team USA in the Paris Olympics at 87 kg in July. He was defeated in his opening bout by 2024 European champion Alexander Komarov of Serbia, 10-0. Jacobson did not qualify for repechage when Komarov was defeated in the next round.

He followed that up with an impressive fifth place finish at the 2024 U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania in October. Jacobson opened his tournament with two wins, stopping Tomislav Brkan of Croatia, 3-1 and Yudari Kobori of Japan in an 8-0 technical fall. In the quarterfinals, he was edged by Independent Neutral Athlete Aues Gonibov, 3-1. When Gonibov reached the finals, Jacobson qualified for repechage. He won his first repechage bout over Independent Neutral Athlete Ilya Mialeschchyk, 7-0, then fell in the bronze-medal match to Asan Zhanyshov of Kyrgyzstan, 9-0.

Jacobson also added a bronze medal at the Valmaar Cup in Croatia in September. 

Jacobson is a student-athlete at Northern Michigan, where he is a member of the Northern Michigan University – National Training Site. Jacobson competed on two age-group World Teams, at the 2023 U23 World Championships and the 2022 U20 World Championships, where he placed eighth. He placed second at the 2021 U20 Pan American Championships. He competed for Elkhorn Area High School in Wisconsin prior to going to Northern Michigan.

PAST GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

2024 — Payton Jacobson, Elkhorn, Wis., Sunkist Kids, NMU-NTS

2023 — Cohlton Schultz, Parker, Colo., Sunkist Kids  

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

Andy Bisek named 2024 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the Year

Andy Bisek (Marquette, Mich./Northern Michigan University – National Training Site) has been named the 2024 Greco-Roman Coach of the Year. This is the first time that Bisek has received this prestigious award.

Bisek is the head coach of the Greco-Roman program at the Northern Michigan University – National Training Site (NMU-NTS). This unique program is the nation’s premier college program in Greco-Roman, providing talented wrestlers an opportunity to focus on this Olympic style while getting a quality college education. Bisek began his coaching career at Northern Michigan as an assistant coach in 2016, then named Associate Head Coach in 2018. Bisek assumed the head coach position in 2019, becoming the fifth head coach since the program was established in 1999.

Bisek was the personal coach of 2024 U.S. Olympian Payton Jacobson, who qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team with an exciting performance at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Penn State. After competing in Paris, Jacobson placed a strong fifth at the U23 World Championships in Tirana, Albania. Jacobson was named 2024 Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year.

His athletes at NMU-NTS have had great success on USA Wrestling’s Senior and age-group levels. In 2024, six NMU-NTS athletes qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, where Jacobson and Max Black (60 kg) qualified for the Senior National Team. NMU-NTS wrestler Jonathan Gurule won a 2024 U23 Nationals title at 63 kg, and Kaden Ercanbrack was third at the U20 World Team Trials.

He has served on USA Wrestling’s Junior Olympic Wrestling Committee.

Bisek is a graduate of the University of Northern Michigan, where he competed on its U.S. Olympic Education Program Greco-Roman team. He was also a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center resident athlete. He won two Senior World bronze medals for the United States in 2014 and 2015, then competed in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He also won gold at the 2015 Pan American Games and the 2012 and 2014 Pan American Championships. Bisek was a four-time World Team member and two-time U.S. Open champion. Bisek was named USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Wrestler of the Year three times (2014, 2015, 2016).

Originally from Chaska, Minn., he placed third in the 2004 Minnesota State High School Championships.

PAST GRECO-ROMAN COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

2024 – Andy Bisek, Marquette, Mich., Northern Michigan University – National Training Site

2023 – Spenser Mango, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. Army WCAP

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., w 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