Location Ypsilanti, MI Colors Green and White Conference Mid-American Conference | Nickname Eagles League Division I (NCAA) | |
Head Coach David Bolyard (2nd year) Arena Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center | ||
Eastern Michigan Eagles wrestling team is a men's athletic program at Eastern Michigan University. Based in Ypsilanti in the U.S. state of Michigan, the Eastern Michigan Eagles compete in NCAA Division I and are a member of Mid-American Conference .
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History
Eastern Michigan adopted the sport of wrestling in 1956. The wrestling program was part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Conference, otherwise known as the NAIA, from 1957 through 1962. In 1963-1966, EMU wrestling switched conferences to the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). Since the exit of the PAC conference, EMU has been a part of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), starting in 1973. In 1996, Eastern won its first Mid-American conference Championship under MAC Coach of the Year Willie Gadson. Eastern put six wrestlers in the finals and placed 8 of 10.
Home meets
Home meets are held in 8,824 seat EMU Convocation Center located on Eastern Michigan's campus in Ypsilanti, Michigan. There are several home dual meets a year and an annual host of the EMU Open/EMU Duals. The EMU open is an annual event started in 1991 with over 500 wrestlers and NCAA schools across all divisions.
Duals are sometimes held in Bowen Field House
Head coach
The current head coach of the EMU wrestling team is David Bolyard. David Bolyard is in his second year as head coach after taking over for former head coach Derek DelPorto in 2014. David Bolyard attended Central Michigan University in 2000 and graduated from CMU. David Bolyard was an All-American his junior year, a four-time national qualifier, receive All-American honors, and broke a school record by winning 21 straight matches. David Bolyard was awarded the Chick Sherwood Award, which was presented to CMU's most valuable wrestler. David Bolyard ranked seventh all-time with 109 career wins and is tied for 10th with 22 falls in CMU history. David Bolyard was a 3x runner-up and a 2005 MAC champion at 165 lbs. Davis Bolyard came to EMU in 2007 as an assistant coach, hired by former head coach, Derek DelPorto.
Assistant coaches
There are currently two assistant coaches on the wrestling team at EMU. One of two, Luke Smith, joined EMU in 2011. Smith graduated from Central Michigan University in 2008. Luke is a 2x Mid American Conference Champion, 4x NCAA Division 1 National Qualifier, placed 4th at the 2004 Greco-Roman Olympic Trials, and 4th at the 2006 Sr Freestyle World Team Trials. The other is graduate assistant, Scott Mattingly. Scott Mattingly graduated from Central Michigan University in 2014. Mattingly was a national qualifier in 2013.