ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Rochester Community and Technical College wrestling program has strengthened its coaching staff with the addition of two accomplished former collegiate wrestlers, Head Coach Andy Hackenmueller announced. Chase Straw, a former Big 12 champion for Iowa State, and Ein Carlos, a two-time NJCAA All-American, will join the Yellowjackets as assistant coaches.
Straw and Carlos join a decorated coaching staff that has guided RCTC to back-to-back NJCAA Non-scholarship National Championships.
“I am excited about both of these coaches,” Hackenmueller said. “They came from good programs and wrestled at the highest level. These two will wrestle every day and offer great looks and different perspectives to help the athletes grow. Super fortunate to add these two into the group to build up our middle and upper weights.”
Straw, a native of Winthrop, Iowa, was a two-time NCAA Division I qualifier and a Big 12 Conference champion for Iowa State University. He was also a state champion for Independence High School.
Carlos, from Salem, Oregon, comes to RCTC after becoming a two-time NJCAA All-American at North Iowa Area Community College. Before that, he spent a year at Oregon State University. He was a three-time state finalist for North Salem High School in Oregon.
The new hires will work alongside a veteran staff that includes Hackenmueller, a two-time NJCAA Coach of the Year who has led the team to three national titles. The staff also features Head Assistant Matthew Petersen, a former state champion and two-time Fargo All-American; Assistant Randy Rager, a multiple-time NJCAA Coach of the Year and NJCAA Man of the Year; Assistant Anthony Wesley, who competed at the 2023 Senior World Championships; and Assistant Noah Styskal, a two-time NAIA national qualifier and Nebraska state champion.
The RCTC program has a storied history, with seven NJCAA Non-scholarship National Championships over the past 20 years. The team’s recent success has been marked by individual achievements and a strong team culture.
“It’s been an exciting four years after inheriting the program,” said Hackenmueller, who took over from Travis Rutt and Randy Rager. “My first year here we won the national title by .5 point and Parker Dobrocky (Anoka) became the first Junior College three-time All-American.”
The program continues to produce high-level talent. Two years ago, Antony Tuttle (Stillwater) became a two-time All-American, and his brother, Cito, earned All-American honors as a freshman last season before making the U20 Greco-Roman World Team Trials finals. Recently, two-time All-American Leo Tukhlynovych (Shakopee) accepted a Division I offer to wrestle at Arizona State University.
Hackenmueller emphasized the diverse academic pursuits of his athletes, with many enrolling in RCTC’s trades, nursing, and law enforcement programs.
“We have a good mix of kids here,” he said. “An All-American in each of the past two seasons has came for the Nursing Program that leads them right into Mayo Clinic. Some come and just do generals as they want to build their resume and work to get to a higher level.”
Looking ahead, RCTC plans to continue its tradition of facing tough competition to prepare for the national tournament.
“For us to get better and prepare to win a title we need to compete against high level competition and get our butts kicked a little bit,” Hackenmueller said. “But, also it is nice to put guys out there that want to go to the next level and get themselves on the national radar.”
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