Minnesota wrestling head coach Brandon Eggum has filled the vacancy on his coaching staff with the hiring of Michael Kemerer, it was announced Wednesday.
“Having Michael Kemerer join our coaching staff is a huge addition to our program,” Eggum said. “His technical expertise, leadership, emphasis on culture and personal connections with our athletes will make a significant impact. With his background as a high-level competitor, he’s uniquely equipped to help our wrestlers excel both on and off the mat.”
Kemerer comes to Minnesota after one season as an assistant coach at Brown University. Prior to that, he served as Resident Athlete at Spartan Combat RTC, a world-class training outfit in Ithaca, N.Y., where he also assisted with coaching. In addition, he was an assistant coach at Iowa Wrestling Camps in 2019.
“I am excited for the opportunity to make an immediate impact on the Minnesota wrestling program,” Kemerer said. “I am looking forward to working alongside the rest of the staff to help our guys achieve their goals.”
In a decorated collegiate career, Kemerer was the first five-time All-American in the history of Iowa wrestling and was an NCAA finalist in 2021. He posted a 100-12 career record, going 55-12 against ranked opponents.
He claimed third place at the NCAA championships and was a Big Ten finalist in 2017 at 157 pounds as a redshirt freshman, then finished fourth at the weight at NCAAs the following season.
After missing the 2019 season due to injury, Kemerer returned at 174 pounds in 2020 as he was once again a Big Ten finalist and achieved All-American honors, though the NCAA championships were canceled due to COVID-19.
As a redshirt junior in 2021, Kemerer broke through with a Big Ten title at 174 pounds and a national runner-up finish at NCAAs as Iowa claimed the team championship. He closed out his illustrious career in 2022 with a fourth-place finish at NCAAs.
A native of Murrysville, Pa., Kemerer also shined off the mat as a four-time NWCA Scholar Athlete and six-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He graduated from Iowa in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and got his Master of Science Finance with an investment concentration in Iowa City in 2021.
(info courtesy of Gopher Sports)