The three-time All-American and 2006 national champ joins the Gopher Wrestling staff as a volunteer assistant coach
Dustin Schlatter, a three-time All-American and 2006 national champion during his collegiate wrestling career at Minnesota, has officially joined the Gopher Wrestling staff as a volunteer assistant coach. Jayson Ness, who held the position for the past three seasons, is taking a season away from coaching to focus on his efforts to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
“This announcement is exciting for two reasons,” said Minnesota Head Coach J Robinson. “First, we are excited for Jayson Ness to get a chance to train for the Olympics. Second, it’s a great opportunity for Dustin to get valuable coaching experience and share his knowledge with our team.”
Schlatter brings impressive on-the-mat credentials to his new role. He made an immediate impact at Minnesota after coming to Minneapolis as a prized recruit out of Ohio. He became the first Gopher rookie to win a national title, winning the 149-pound crown as a freshman in 2006. Though injuries hampered him in subsequent seasons, Schlatter earned All-America status in both 2007 and 2008. His third-place finish as a sophomore at the 2007 NCAA Championships played a major part in the third national championship for the Minnesota program. In addition to his national accomplishments, Schlatter was a two-time individual and two-time team Big Ten champ. His career record of 114-10 (.919) is one of the most impressive in program history, building a winning percentage that ranks fourth on Minnesota’s all-time list.
On the international scene, Schlatter is a former USA World team member with multiple freestyle competitions titles. He most recently dominated his way to a gold medal at the 2015 Pan-American Championships in Chile, where he won all four of his matches by technical fall and outscored his opponents 41-0 en route to the top of the podium at 70 kilograms.
“With the volunteer position opening up, it’s a new opportunity for me to work more closely with the student-athletes and have a more hands-on approach to teaching,” said Schlatter. “After graduating so many seniors last year and having a young team this season, I think it’ll be a fun, new challenge.”
Schlatter graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and added a master’s degree in Sport Management last spring. In recent seasons, he helped the program as a graduate assistant.
To follow along as Schlatter and the rest of the Gopher coaches guide the program through the 2015-16 season, stay tuned to GopherSports.com, and follow Gopher Wrestling on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.