Matt Everson and Graydon Anderson bring passion for wrestling and developing young men to the Academy
MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. – Saint Thomas Academy has named Matt Everson and Graydon Anderson co-head varsity wrestling coaches. Both Everson and Anderson were most recently with the East Ridge High School wrestling program, as head coach and assistant head coach, respectively. Anderson also served as head coach for freestyle + Greco wrestling. Both bring passion for the sport of wrestling and years of coaching experience at the high school level to the Academy.
“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome Coach Everson and Coach Anderson to the Cadet athletic family,” said Interim Athletic Director Dan O’Brien. “They bring years of successful experience developing young men through the sport of wrestling. I’m confident they will be a great addition to Saint Thomas Academy.”
While at East Ridge, the duo developed a struggling program into section champions that ultimately placed 6th in the state team tournament in 2019. They had 9 individual section champions, 7 of whom went on to place in the 2019 state tournament.
As head wrestling coach at East Ridge for 5 years, Everson managed all aspects of the program and coached 18 state qualifiers, 9 section champions and 7 state placewinners. He was named 2019 Coach of the Year for Section 3AAA. Prior to East Ridge, he was assistant wrestling coach at a local private high school for 5 years. As a co-founder of Everson Brothers Wrestling Camps, he worked with his two brothers to coordinate and host summer wrestling camps in Mitchell, S.D. He previously served as a camp counselor for J. Robinson Intensive Camps, which hosts an annual youth wrestling tournament at Saint Thomas Academy each spring. Everson wrestled in the NCAA Division 1 for the University of Minnesota, earning four letters and placing as high as 7th in the Big Ten Conference during his collegiate career. He was a member of the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championship Team. Everson took a hiatus during college to serve in the U.S. Army National Guard.
“I want to help each individual grow in the sport of wrestling and life by instilling integrity within his actions and never giving up at the sign of tough times,” Everson said. “Helping them trust themselves and be resilient in finding solutions will bring mental toughness for wrestling as well as life.”
Anderson served as assistant wrestling coach and head coach freestyle + Greco at East Ridge High School through 2019. He personally is a 5-time member of the Wisconsin National Wrestling Team – Freestyle + Greco and a 5-time Freestyle + Greco Wisconsin State Champion. He also wrestled for the University of Minnesota and Western State College.
“I have a deep love for the sport of wrestling and believe it had a significant role in molding me into the man I am today,” Anderson said. “I’m passionate about using the sport as a vehicle to see other young men rise up to meet their greatest potential.”
About Saint Thomas Academy
Founded in 1885, Saint Thomas Academy is an all-male, college preparatory, Catholic, military/leadership school committed to preparing young men to succeed in college and in life. The Academy challenges its students in grades 6-12 to excel academically, spiritually, morally and physically in and out of the classroom. It is fully accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS); a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Minnesota Association of Independent Schools (MAIS), and the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States (AMCSUS). For more information, please visit www.cadets.com.
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