On Saturday, April 25th, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Minnesota Chapter, held its annual Honors Banquet at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Austin, Minn. The banquet room was packed, and many former Hall of Fame inductees attended.
Jenny Wong was the 2026 Outstanding American Inductee. Matt Clark, Bill Benson, Steve Costanzo, Mike Langlais, Russ Holland, Bruce Moe, Annette and Corey Olson, and Paul Vaith were inducted for the Lifetime Service Award.
Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award State Winner, Caley Graber, and Dave Schultz High School Excellence State Award Winner, Titan Friederichs, were also recognized at the banquet, although neither was able to attend.
State chapter inductees are permanently honored at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Museum in Stillwater, Oklahoma. View all National Wrestling Hall of Fame – Minnesota Chapter inductees online at nwhof.org/state-chapters/minnesota.
Read the program biographies of the latest inductees below.
Photos by Jeff Beshey
The Guillotine Photos on Flickr
Inductee biographies by Bill Schmidt
Jenny Wong – Woodbury
Jenny Wong, daughter of Andrew and Florence Wong, was born and raised in Woodbury, Minnesota, along with her older brother Wesley, who was a soccer player. Andrew and Florence both worked at 3M – Andrew in Optical Systems and Florence in Pharmaceuticals.
Jenny had overheard a couple of her math classmates talking about going out for wrestling and thought she would like to give it a try. She was aware of one other girl who had gone out for the team the previous year – she was a couple of weight classes heavier than Jenny – but having another female on the team made her more comfortable to go out. Jenny was just starting to learn some of the basic wrestling moves from her coach, Gary Diamond, when the Woodbury 119-pounder suddenly decided to quit. Jenny was the only other wrestler at that weight, so Coach Diamond asked her if she wanted to wrestle at the varsity position, and Jenny accepted.
Jenny took some lumps that first year, but hung in there. She came back out the following year as a sophomore and showed improvement, but still did not win a single match. Jenny finally notched her first varsity win as a junior and had a .500
record as a senior.
During this time, Jenny wrestled Freestyle in the spring and did quite well competing against other girls. Wong was a four-time State Freestyle Champion and also made the Junior World Team in 1999. Looking back, Jenny realized how “soft” she was when she came into that Woodbury wrestling room as a freshman, but the mental and physical toughness and resilience that she developed in that high school practice room was the key to her success in the spring.
After graduating from Woodbury, Jenny enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and began working on her Pre-Med degree. She wanted to continue her wrestling career and had hoped to train with the Badger wrestling team. Coach Barry Davis and the athletic administration were not very enthusiastic about having a woman on their men’s wrestling team, but she did meet assistant coaches Terry Steiner and Cary Kolat, who both later became instrumental in helping Jenny develop her wrestling skills. Jenny transferred to Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania the following year and enjoyed her time there wrestling as a part of the team under head coach Carl Poff and assistant coaches Doug Buckwalter, Rocky Bonomo, and Cary Kolat. Her main workout partner was Sara McMann, who would later become our country’s first Olympic Silver Medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Jenny was able to further her Pre-Med education and grow as an athlete and a person at Lock Haven.
In 2002, after two productive years at Lock Haven, women’s wrestling was added to the Olympics and a resident athlete program was established at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, so Wong transferred to the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs and completed her education on an Elite Athlete scholarship and was able to train under excellent coaches and with other outstanding athletes at the Olympic Training Center.
Jenny made the 2003 Senior Freestyle World Team at 51 kg and placed 3rd, earning a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships in New York. In 2005, Jenny had decided to try the 48 kg weight class, as this was the Olympic weight class in Olympic years. Jenny won the World Team Trials, but holding her weight down over the next couple of months took its toll and Wong failed to medal in Budapest. In 2007, Jenny went back up 51 kg, but was defeated by Patricia Miranda in the Trials. Miranda later had to bow out with a knee injury just two weeks before the World Championships, and so this placed Jenny on her third World Team.
Wong took one last shot at making the 2008 Olympics, deciding to go up to the Olympic weight of 55 kg, but never felt quite big enough for the weight class, especially with some of the other competitors cutting over 20 lbs. She placed second at Nationals and was seeded first in the mini-tournament at the Olympic Team Trials, but unfortunately, underperformed in the last wrestling competition of her career.
Jenny had already been accepted to medical school and so she took off her wrestling shoes and turned her attention back to finishing her education, enrolling at the Des Moines University in lowa. Here, Jenny completed her Doctorate of Osteopathy and then traveled to Michigan for her Emergency Medicine residency, and finally finished her training with a Sports Medicine fellowship in Fort Worth, Texas.
Jenny currently resides in Modesto, California, where she works as a Sports Medicine Physician specializing in non-operative orthopedics. Jenny feels fortunate to be near her parents and her family, who had already been living in the Bay Area for several years. Wong no longer competes in wrestling, but she trains regularly and sometimes competes in jiu-jitsu, and recently earned her Black Belt under her esteemed professor, Samir Chantre. She feels that the experience she gained as a wrestler has enabled her to persevere through some difficult and arduous academic and professional challenges.
Jenny is grateful for the unconditional support of her family as well as some of the outstanding wrestling people who have helped her along the way – starting with Greco coaches Dan Chandler and Ed Kane, as well as Carl Poff, Rocky Bonomo, Cary Kolat, Terry Steiner, and Sara McMann and many other coaches and competitors that she has had the privilege of working with and competing against.
Bill Benson – Luverne
Bill Benson, son of Clarence and Mareileen Benson, was born in Worthington and moved to Luverne when Bill was a youngster. Bill had three older brothers, one younger brother, and two sisters, all athletes. The boys played football, baseball, and wrestled while the girls played tennis and golf and were involved in cheerleading during the winter months. Bill appreciated all the support and encouragement he received from his parents and older siblings. His dad was involved in the dairy business – manufacturing, bottling, packaging and distributing dairy products. Clarence was an outstanding baseball player, following in his own father’s footsteps.
Bill’s grandpa spent some time in the minor leagues and played with Ty Cobb for a minor league team in Billings, Montana.
Bill’s dad (Clarence) played for Worthington Community College and Arizona State before transferring back to Minnesota and playing for Dick Siebert and the Gophers. He was drafted by the New York Yankees and had the honor of pitching for the pin-stripers for one season. It was a summer to remember.
Bill followed in his older brothers’ footsteps, playing football in the fall, baseball in the spring, and grappling in the winter. Benson had an outstanding senior wrestling season under coach Dave Cain at Luverne, but fell short of his ultimate goal, taking fourth in State at 145#. A wrestling highlight for Bill came when he was invited to wrestle on the U.S. National team coached by Jim Short, Dick Pullen, and a couple more outstanding coaches. He also took pride in surviving Bucky Maughan’s 14-day intensive wrestling camp in the summer before his junior as well as his senior year. Benson was one of the few guys who did not miss one practice or conditioning workout in either camp. Being in condition paid off more than once for Bill – he remembers being down by 14 points in the state tournament only to come all the way back and go up by 14 points before securing the pin.
After graduating from Luverne, Bill enrolled at Worthington Community College and continued his wrestling career under coach Jerry Jansen, earning All-American Honors and finishing #3 on the all-time win list at Worthington. Benson went on to attend Mankato State and wrestle for Rummy Macias and the Mavericks. Competition was tough, but it was a great experience. One of Benson’s wrestling highlights came in the Las Vegas Open at Caesar’s Palace when he took Kevin Jackson down and turned him to his back. From there Jackson was able to turn the tables on Bill, so to speak (pun intended). Benson enjoyed throwing in the legs and turned many wrestlers with his power half. He also had a leg counter that involved hitting sort of a granby with a twist and a kip that he scored big points with. His teammates called the move the “Benny-Roll”
After accumulating three majors in three years at Mankato – Finance, Real Estate and Insurance, and Education – Benson was hired by Great American to work on commercial claims. Bill then went back to school and got his MBA from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management. Benson currently works for Hallmark Financial out of Dallas, Texas handling complex claims in Excess and Surplus Insurance including London and domestic markets.
Benson’s officiating career began in an unconventional way. Just after graduating from Mankato State, Bill went to watch his younger brother Roger wrestle in a dual meet between Anoka-Ramsey and Itasca Community College. The assigned official had to cancel at the last minute. Gary Wellner, Anoka-Ramsey’s coach, along with Mike Rybak, the Itasca coach, asked Bill if he would officiate the match. Bill thought for a second and said, “Sure”. Wellner liked what he saw and right after the meet ended, asked Benson if he would be willing to officiate their team tournament. Bill thought it over and again said, “Sure”. At the conclusion of the team tournament, Bill was asked if he would be interested in doing the NJCAA Regional Qualifier. With all that experience under his belt, Benson said, “Sure”.
This atypical start led to an officiating career that has spanned over 38 years, officiating high school as well as collegiate matches. Benson has been selected to referee over 20 State Championship matches as well as collegiate matches for the Big 10, Big 12, NSIC, and MIAC Conferences. Bill has officiated NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III, and NJCAA National Qualifiers and National Tournaments. Benson currently serves as the Collegiate Assignment Secretary for the Minnesota Wrestling Officials Association and serves on the Board of Directors for the Gold Country Officials Association. He has been awarded the MSHSL Distinguished Officials Award as well as the Distinguished Officials Award from the National Wrestling Coaches Association for NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA.
As Bill looks back on his wrestling life, he is grateful for the encouragement and support from his family with his dad serving as the NJCAA National Tournament director in Worthington, his mom serving as the family health coordinator and dietitian, and his brothers and sisters all helping and supporting each other – it was a great environment and Bill feels very fortunate and indebted to each and every one of them. His coaches were all top notch – from Dave Cain at Sherburne to Jerry Jansen at Worthington and Rummy Macias at Mankato as well as those coaches who helped him get started in officiating – Gary Wellner, Jim Makovsky, J. Robinson, and Jerry Jansen. Benson is grateful for the guidance and support he received in the early days from Don Meyers, Neil Jensen, Al Palmer, and Tim Shiels as well as the comradery and critique from the guys who drove thousands of miles and worked long and arduous hours trying to “do it well and get it right”. That group includes Jerry Reker, Rod Frost, Brian Kelvington, and Joel Toedter along with many more referees from the Minnesota Wrestling Officials Association and the Gold Country Wrestling Officials. It has been a great ride. And it all started when Wellner and Rybak asked Bill to referee their dual and he said, “Sure”
Matt Clark – Park Rapids
Matt Clark, son of Joe and Becky Clark, was born and raised in Park Rapids along with brothers Nathan and J.T. and sister Marcy. Nathan teaches Special Education and serves as assistant wrestling coach in Garden Grove, California and J.T. is head of the food service program at Park Rapids High School. Marcy teaches Social Studies in Alexandria.
Matt’s dad is retired from his speech therapist position at Park Rapids Middle School and his mom works from home with Lady Slipper Designs. When Matt was in 5th grade, he wanted to go out for wrestling, but their home was thirty-five miles from school, so Matt’s dad, Joe, decided to stay after school and work in his classroom so Matt would have a ride home from wrestling practice. The middle school coaching staff always welcomed help, so Joe started volunteering as a wrestling coach (even though he had never wrestled) and has recently retired from coaching wrestling, some 30+ years later. Matt’s mother, Becky, served as Park Rapids Cheerleading Advisor for 15+ years.
Matt participated in both Cross-Country and Wrestling as a 7th grader and had some success as a runner, making the varsity team as an eighth grader, but started to focus more on wrestling as he advanced to Senior High. Matt made varsity at 98 pounds in his 8th grade season and moved up in weight as he got older, qualifying for the state tournament as a Senior at 125 pounds and finishing his high school career with 98 wins. Pat Costello, a Park Rapids native, was an excellent coach and a positive role model for Matt.
After graduating from Park Rapids High School, Clark enrolled at Moorhead State where he had the privilege of wrestling under John Sterner and Spencer Yohe. Matt was a four-year letter winner wrestling at 142 pounds and qualified for the National Tournament (getting knocked out in the blood round) as a Senior. One of his college wrestling highlights came when he was selected to wrestle on an exchange team that traveled to Guatemala coached by Spencer Yohe.
Matt stayed on at Moorhead for two years where he served as a Grad Assistant wrestling coach, then was hired to work as a Native American instructor at Park Rapids for a year before going to Greenbush-Middle River-Badger for another year as a Physical Education teacher. Clark then returned to Park Rapids to teach Health and Physical Education and served as assistant wrestling coach for Al Judson for one year before taking over the head wrestling duties where he has remained for the past 27 years.
Park Rapids has garnered 280 wins over that stretch with 50+ state qualifiers and 21 place-winners including Tyler Safratowich, a three-time State Champion. In addition to coaching during the high school season, Matt served as a coach for the Minnesota Storm for twenty years and had the opportunity to take five international tours with USA Wrestling including tours to Bulgaria and the Junior Pan. Am. Games in Brazil.
Matt and his wife, Angel, who serves as the Park Rapids Athletic Trainer, have four children, all who wrestled at Park Rapids High School. Son Ashton, a five-time state qualifier and two-time state finalist, went on to wrestle at St. Cloud State. His daughter Mickey also wrestled for Park Rapids and was a state qualifier. Matt’s son Wrigley qualified for state as a seventh grader and as a sophomore, but suffered an injury as a junior and is starting his Senior season at Park Rapids. Seventh-grade son Cooper is looking forward to his first year in the High School wrestling program.
Clark has served as a Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association Section Representative for many terms as well as President-Elect, President, and Past President of the MWCA. Matt has also served on the All-State Team Selection Committee from its inception and is a member of the Minnesota Chapter – National Wrestling Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
Steve Costanzo – St. Cloud State
Steve Costanzo, son of Vince and Judy Costanzo, was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska along with sisters Lori, Gina, and Kathy. When seven-year-old Steve came home with an elementary wrestling flyer, Vince and Judy were a little skeptical but gave in after some relentless begging on Steve’s part. The elementary, middle school, and senior high wrestling programs were coached by Rick Allgood, who did it “all” and did it “well”.
Steve excelled in wrestling all the way through the program, amassing a 131-14 record, and winning an individual state title as a senior in 1990. Steve was blessed to be on some great wrestling teams while at Bennington High School, helping to bring home state team titles in 1987 and 1990. Coaches Rod Tickle and Allen Pokorney followed Allgood at Bennington, with Pokorney serving as a tremendous practice partner and mentor for Costanzo.
Steve was also an outstanding football player at Bennington (All-State at defensive back and playing on an undefeated State Championship team in 1989) as well as a solid centerfielder on his baseball team, which finished 3rd at State Championships. Steve has fond memories of his high school days and thoroughly enjoyed every sport he had the privilege to participate in.
In the fall of 1990, Costanzo enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and continued his stellar wrestling career, earning three NCAA DII AII- American honors, including back-to-back third-place finishes at the National Tournament in 1994 and 1995. Also, Costanzo won two North Central Conference titles in 1994 and 1995 enroute to 133 career wins for Nebraska-Omaha (which ranks in the top 10 for all-time wins at the university). Steve was blessed to be on four outstanding collegiate teams, with two runner-up finishes, a third place, and a National Team Title in 1991. The Nebraska-Omaha team also won the North Central Conference title in 1995, with the NCC being the premier wrestling conference at the NCAA Division II level at that time. It is still hard to believe that just minutes after the team won their third consecutive NCAA Division II National Championship, head wrestling coach Mike Denney was informed that the Nebraska-Omaha wrestling program would be eliminated from the University’s athletic department immediately.
After college, Costanzo spent two years teaching and coaching football and wrestling at Estes Park, Colorado, then went to Lyons, Colorado, for a year before taking the head wrestling position at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska, in 1999. In seven seasons at Dana College, Steve had the privilege of coaching 31 NAIA All-Americans and two NAIA National Champions and led his team to an NAIA National Team Title, with a national scoring record of 193 pts, in 2006. Costanzo was then hired at St. Cloud State where he was able to take that program to the next level. Steve, in his twentieth season at St. Cloud State, has enjoyed phenomenal success with 98 D-II All-Americans and seven D-II National Champions. His teams have placed in the top five thirteen times with four Runner-up finishes and five National Team Titles. In addition, his St. Cloud State teams have won nine NWCA National Dual Meet Championships. Steve and his wrestlers have garnered a boatload of individual honors along the way – both in the classroom and on the mat. In his 27 years at Dana College and St. Cloud State, his grapplers have earned 193 Academic All- American honors. During that time, his teams have recorded 347 dual meet wins against 61 losses at two ties for a winning percentage of .850. St. Cloud State currently holds the NCAA record for consecutive dual meet victories with 77 straight wins set from 2017 through 2022, but Penn State is currently at 72 straight dual meet wins and counting. Costanzo credits his dedicated and hardworking coaching staff for many of these team as well as individual awards and honors.
The secret to Costanzo’s success is not really a secret, it’s a “keep-working-hard” mentality from the coaching staff and the athletes – both in the classroom and on the mat. Steve recruits’ quality student athletes who are willing to commit and provides them with the tools they need to be successful in wrestling and in life. Steve and his wife Nancy, a real estate agent, have raised five children – Cassandra, Sam, Katie, Brock, and Lacey. Both boys wrestled at Royalton helping their team to a State Runner-up finish. Cassandra and Lacey played volleyball and softball, and Katie was a state place-winner in gymnastics. Steve and Nancy also have three grandchildren – Rosie, Marshall, and June.
Russ Holland – Park Center
Russ Holland’s remarkable journey in wrestling began in 8th grade, when he split his time between hockey and wrestling. Not being a fan of the harsh Minnesota winters on the ice, he decided to follow the suggestion of Don Meyers, who would become a lifelong mentor and father figure, and try wrestling.
As a ninth grader at Fridley High School, Russ earned the varsity spot at 112 pounds and compiled a 16-1 record before being edged out in a wrestle-off by teammate Jimmy Anderson, who went on to become Fridley’s first state champion. Despite an injury-shortened sophomore season (4-2), Russ bounced back in his junior year, finishing 29-2-2 and reaching the state finals, where he finished as runner-up after a narrow loss. That year, Fridley finished second at the state meet, just a half point shy of the championship. Determined to finish strong, Russ went undefeated his senior year (30-0) and captured the 1966 Minnesota State Championship at 133 pounds. In addition to wrestling, Russ excelled in football as both a running back and linebacker, and he also participated in baseball and track throughout high school.
Following graduation, Russ attended Northern Michigan University, where he was a four-year team captain and an All-American, placing fifth in the 1970 NCAA Division II National Tournament at 158 pounds. After earning his degree, Russ began his coaching and teaching career in Ishpeming, Michigan, where he led his teams to extraordinary success, amassing a dual record of 29-1-1 over two seasons and winning back-to-back state titles, producing 11 individual state champions.
When the local mines shut down and the school closed, Russ briefly coached in Flint, Michigan, before returning to Minnesota and the Twin Cities to raise his family. Russ joined Jim Dotseth at Roosevelt High School as an assistant wrestling coach before being hired in 1976 to teach physical education and coach wrestling at Park Center High School, a position he held with distinction until his retirement in 2007. Over three decades, Holland coached wrestling, golf, football, and volleyball, earning the Minnesota Wrestling Coach of the Year award in 2000. Russ was afforded the opportunity to see wrestling from a different perspective, serving as a referee for 30+ years.
After “retirement,” Russ couldn’t stay away from the mat for long. In 2009, while living at his cabin on Lake Shamineau near Motley, he accepted a position as junior high and assistant wrestling coach at Pierz High School. What began as a one-season opportunity turned into a beloved commitment that has lasted more than 15 years. Under the leadership of head coaches Mark Jensen and Skip Toops, Russ continued to make a lasting impact on young athletes.
In 2017, Holland was honored with the Dave Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame Award and the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association Lifetime Achievement Award. More recently, Russ stepped into a new role as the head coach of the Pierz Girls Wrestling Team, guiding the program to exciting milestones, including the school’s first-ever girls’ state tournament qualifier. Even now, over 50 years after his first season, Holland continues to share his passion and expertise with the next generation of wrestlers. Outside of wrestling, Russ has stayed deeply involved in his community serving as a volunteer fireman for 27 years. Since moving to Motley, Minnesota in 2007, he has been an active member of the Lincoln Scandia Valley Lions, where he was honored as Lion of the Year in 2020. He serves as a trustee at the First United Methodist Church, is a top-rated AARP 55 and Alive safety instructor in the state, and continues to support local charities, community events, and golf tournaments.
Russ and his wife, Jill, who also coached high school athletics for two decades, are the proud parents of two children and grandparents to six. Their daughter, Erin, lives in St. Cloud with her husband, John, and their three adult children: Kaleb (and wife Rachel) of Minneapolis, Conner of Duluth, and Chloe of Bozeman, Montana. Their son Todd is continuing the family coaching legacy as the head baseball coach at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Fort Smith with their three children—Rylie, a junior at the University of Arkansas; Carsyn, a sophomore at the University of Central Arkansas; and Cooper, a ninth grader and wrestler himself. Russ Holland’s lifelong commitment to wrestling—as a competitor, coach, and mentor-has left an indelible mark on generations of athletes. His legacy embodies dedication, perseverance, and an unwavering love for the sport.
Mike Langlais – Apple Valley – NDSU
Mike Langlais, son of Edward and Delores Langlais, was born and raised in Fridley, Minnesota, along with older siblings Tim, Debbie, and Don. The family moved to Apple Valley when Mike was a 3rd grader. Older brother Tim was a solid wrestler, qualifying for the State Tournament as a senior. Brother Don wrestled as a youngster before switching to hockey and passed away while still in high school from a drowning accident.
Mike took a real interest in wrestling at a young age and had an outstanding coach at the youth and junior high level in Doug Anderson, who coached football and wrestling for many years at Rosemount. As a ninth grader, Langlais made the starting line-up on the first-ever Apple Valley wrestling team with Bill Demaray as the inaugural wrestling coach. In Mike’s first season, he took second in the Region at 112# and qualified for State. Langlais was a Region One Champ as a sophomore at 126# and finished 4th at State. As a junior, Mike won the Region at 132# and made it all the way to the State Finals, where he was upset by a relative unknown wrestler from Moorhead by the name of Steve Carr. As a Senior, Langlais breezed through the Regions and the first couple rounds of the State Tournament before winning a hard-fought (3-1) match against Osseo’s Kelly Lewis and then defeating a talented Wayzata kid (Shea Kennedy) in the State Finals by a 10-7 score. Langlais finished his prep career with an overall record of 124-8-1. He also won 11 national age group titles in Freestyle and Greco for an overall wrestling win-loss record of 641-21-1. Langlais won three straight Conference Wrestling Titles and was named Outstanding Wrestler all three years after finishing second as a Freshman. Mike’s Apple Valley Team started out taking 8th place in the Region that first year, but in Mike’s senior season, the Eagles made it all the way to the state final match before falling to a talented and seasoned Bloomington Kennedy team. In addition to Bill Demaray, Mike was blessed to be coached by some outstanding assistant coaches, including Greg Gunderson.
Langlais headed to North Dakota to wrestle for the NDSU powerhouse coached by the legendary Bucky Maughan. Mike was strong and quick and made the transition from high school to college wrestling in short order, finishing 4th at the D-II nationals as a Freshman at 142#. The following year Langlais was crowned the 142# National Champ and came back at 142# as a Junior poised to repeat. Mike made it to the finals before being edged by a pretty fair wrestler from Cal-State Bakersfield by the name of Jesse Reyes, who went on to win the D-I Title the following week. That is one match Mike would have liked to have a do-over – it might have come out the same, but it would have been great to get one more shot. As a senior, Mike was struggling to make 142# early in the season and asked Bucky if he could move up to 150# against Nebraska-Omaha and take on defending national champ Mark Manning just to see if he would be able to compete at that weight. Bucky thought it was a great idea and they decided to “go for it”. Mike competed fairly well, notching a 9-0 major decision against Manning, and decided to stay at 150# for the remainder of the season. Langlais won the National Tournament at 150# with a pin over Mark Kristoff (son of Larry Kristoff), with Manning taking 3rd place after losing to Kristoff in the semis. Langlais took 6th at the Division I Nationals that year, with Kenny Monday taking the top spot at 150#. Mike was a three-time NCC Conference Champion (named OW all three years) and was voted the Outstanding Wrestler in the Division II nationals in 1982. His overall record at NDSU (152-22) is far and away the top record in NDSU history. As Mike looks back on his college career, he is indebted to Coach Maughan and many outstanding assistant coaches, especially Jeff Blatnik, the 1984 Gold Medalist in Greco, and a key person in Mike’s development on the feet.
Mike spent the following year as a graduate assistant at NDSU while finishing up his Physical Education & Health degree. He came back to Apple Valley and student taught under Bill Demaray while serving as a volunteer assistant at Valley, then went out looking for a teaching position. In his first interview, Mike was taken back a bit when he was informed that he would be making $27,000 as a first-year teacher. He had a talk with his dad and the next day went out to buy some landscaping equipment and join his dad in the landscaping business. Mike continued to coach wrestling at Apple Valley for a couple more years and then moved to Lakeville, where his son Ryan was attending elementary school. Darwin Rasmussen talked him into coming to help out at Lakeville and try to build a program together. Mike and Darwin had 14 great years together before Mike returned to Apple Valley as son Ryan was now in the Rosemount School District. Mike joined Bill Demaray and Jim Jackson, along with Brad Schafer, Joe Hoialmen and a great group of assistant coaches for the next three years. Mike served as a volunteer coach at Eastview when son Ryan wrestled under Kurt Habeck and Nick Fornicoia.
Mike decided to pursue another adventure in wrestling when he was recruited to do some officiating. He saw a whole new aspect of the sport and developed another set of friends in the wrestling community. Scott Erickson, Ron Ackerman, and Rod Frost were instrumental in getting Mike started and many more wrestling officials helped mentor Mike along the way. It was a great 14 years – Mike got out during COVID and got busy with life and work as he took over the landscaping business from his dad and was joined by son Ryan who has recently taken over the reins of the company.
Mike and his wife, Robin, daughter of Bob Board (longtime Coon Rapids wrestling coach), live on a lake in Remer, Minnesota where Robin has been able to continue working for Minnesota Energy. Mike goes to the cities three days a week to provide landscaping bids and write contracts while son Ryan does the “grunt work” and spends the remainder of the week fishing and enjoying time on the lake with Robin. They also enjoy spending time with their grandchildren – Ryan and his wife (Chelsie)have three children – Ellery, Caden, and Crew. Ashley and her husband (Zach), have two daughters – Henley and Sawyer.
Bruce Moe – Caledonia
Bruce Moe, son of Garland and JoAnn, was born and raised on a farm near Caledonia along with four brothers and two sisters. All four brothers wrestled for Leo Simon at Caledonia and John Philo at Rochester Junior College. Leo Simon stopped in at Garland and JoAnn’s house on the farm in the Fall of 1974 to let them know that he would like to see Greg (junior) and Bruce (freshman) give wrestling a try. After a short conversation, Leo said goodbye and Garland told Greg and Bruce that they were both going out for wrestling and practice started on Monday. And that is how it all began.
It took Bruce a while to catch on to the sport of wrestling, but he kept working at it, making considerable strides every year. As a senior, Bruce qualified for the State Tournament and finished 3rd. From there, he followed in brother Greg’s footsteps to Rochester Junior College, where Greg had finished 2nd in the Junior College National Tournament as a Sophomore. Bruce went undefeated through the regular season in both his Freshman and Sophomore seasons at 142#, but failed to place in the National Tournament either year. Moe transferred to Indiana State and wrestled for one year under Fran McCann before returning to Minnesota and enrolling at Winona State, Leo Simon’s alma mater. He redshirted his first year under Tom Eitter, followed by two outstanding years at WSU. I remember going to a Winona State dual meet when Bruce was there, and Bruce was going up against a pretty fair wrestler. Bruce came out with one white and one black wrestling shoe (he was a trendsetter) and proceeded to put on a clinic on the feet. He won 25-10, with his opponent getting (being given) ten escapes. It was impressive to say the least. In Moe’s Junior season, Winona State was not able to wrestle in the Division II National Tournament due to some type of clerical error, so Tom Eitter took his wrestlers to the Division I Western Regional Qualifier in Colorado, where Bruce finished second at 150#. Bruce wrestled pretty well in the National Tournament, but failed to medal. As a Senior, Bruce had another outstanding season, wrestling most of the year at 158# and winning the Conference Tournament for the second straight year. Moe went to the Division II National Tournament, seeded #2, and ended up taking 3rd place. Bruce believed he was just as good a wrestler as the Champ and Runner-up, but got tripped up by a wrestler he should not have lost to. Moe had defeated some outstanding wrestlers during the season and felt he still had some unfinished wrestling business to take care of.
Bruce graduated from Winona State with a degree in Phy. Ed. and Health and enrolled at North Dakota State University to work on his Master’s Degree in Education and serve as a Grad Assistant under Bucky Maughan at NDSU. During that time, Bruce continued to wrestle and gravitated toward Greco, placing a couple of times in the Greco-Roman National Tournament. Steve Ricard mentioned that he first met Bruce when he and some of his Fertile- Beltrami team-mates traveled to NDSU for a summer wrestling camp. Bruce watched Steve as he was working on a single leg and gave him a couple of tips to make the move more effective. Steve said it made all the difference in the world and made him a better wrestler on the feet.
After graduating from NDSU, Bruce met and married Cathy (Kit) Brenen and was subsequently hired as head wrestling coach at the University of North Dakota. Kit started teaching classes in Sales & Marketing at Northland Community & Technical College in Grand Forks, where she has recently retired after 20 years. In addition to coaching wrestling at UND, Bruce started his own construction company doing mostly building remodeling. After four years, the UND wrestling program was suddenly and inexplicably dropped in an era where many outstanding wrestling programs around the Midwest were shut down. Bruce continued to manage his construction company and began taking his Greco domination to the next level.
Bruce has also just retired recently from construction, but has continued to wrestle. He enjoys working out with college wrestlers and likes to practice at NDSU. He has lost a little ground in folkstyle, but can hold his own in Greco. He has been wrestling competitively for over 50 years and has won many National Age Group Championships along with 11 World Titles. He is now 68 years old and has moved up to the 66-75 year-old age group. Bruce has found that the numbers have dwindled a bit, but the wrestlers who are still competing are very skilled. Bruce recently won two world age group titles in both Freestyle and Greco in Poland and is looking forward to wrestling this coming year in South Africa. He still enjoys practicing and competing in Freestyle and Greco and figures he will continue until his body starts falling apart. It is not only amazing that Bruce is still wrestling, but competing very favorably against high level competition on the world stage.
There is an old saying that we tell ourselves as we start to decline mentally and physically with age, “We are not getting older, we are getting better.” Bruce Moe is one of the few people on this earth who actually epitomizes that phrase.
Paul Vaith – Hastings
Paul Vaith, son of Don and Geraldine Vaith, was the third of eight children. Paul has two older siblings – Sherry and Jim – and five younger siblings – Steve, Ruth, Tom, Doug, and Sandy. Tom and Doug are also long-time wrestling coaches. Paul, Tom, and Doug have not missed an NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament in twenty-five years, as the three of them have had the privilege of delivering wrestlers to and from their semi-final and final matches. Talk about securing the best seats in the house.
Paul graduated from Blooming Prairie High School in 1976, finishing his wrestling career with an 84-14-1 overall record. He was a four-year All- Conference selection, a two-year captain, and a State Qualifier. Vaith attended the College of St. Thomas, where he compiled a two-year record of 28-7 before a series of knee injuries ended his college wrestling career. Paul graduated from St. Thomas in 1980 with a degree in Business Management while serving as an Assistant Wrestling Coach for the Tommies during his final two years. Vaith spent one year as an Assistant Wrestling Coach at Bloomington Lincoln before returning to St. Thomas for the next four years. Paul completed his Master’s Degree in Education while serving as an Assistant in Wrestling and then went on to earn an Education Administrative Degree from Mankato State in 1993.
Vaith was hired to teach Business Education at Hastings High School in 1986 and served as Assistant Wrestling Coach for four years before taking over the reins in 1990. From 1991 to 2009 Paul’s Hastings Wrestling Team won twelve Conference Titles and eight Section Championships. Paul’s Raider Teams have reached the State Finals four times, winning the State Championship in 1996 and in 2023. Vaith has had the pleasure of coaching 290 State Qualifiers, 111 State Place-winners, 37 State Finalists, and 14 State Wrestling Champions. Hastings Wrestlers were crowned Academic State Champions in 2001 and 2016. Under Paul’s tutelage, his Hastings charges compiled an overall dual meet record was 412-99-1.
Paul was the MWCA Class AAA Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1996 and 2007 and was inducted into the MWCA Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016. Vaith is a member of the Blooming Prairie High School Hall of Fame, as well as “The Clash” Hall of Fame and the Hastings Wall of Fame. Paul was named the District 200 Employee of the Year in 1996.
From 2010 to 2012, Paul worked as an Assistant Coach at Hastings Middle School and in 2013, he returned to Hastings High School as an assistant wrestling coach and has continued to serve in that capacity, coaching both boys’ and girls’ wrestling teams. Vaith has been recognized as the Section Assistant Coach of the Year in both 1AAA and 3AAA and named State Assistant Coach of the Year in 2023. Paul has just completed his 48th season of coaching the sport of wrestling and his 39th at Hastings.
Tim Haneberg, who nominated Paul for this award, offers this testimonial: “Paul Vaith is the ultimate example of someone who has dedicated his life to serving others, continually striving to make a positive impact on every person he comes in contact with. Paul lives by two principles that he models on a daily basis – Bring a positive mental attitude and a strong work ethic to every task you face, and you will be successful in this game we call life. Paul Vaith is a constant rock of support for our coaching staff and our athletes every single day.”
Paul and his wife, Jill, have six children: Beth (Steve Schommer), Niki (Dain Berg), Maddy (Scott Rudis), John (Sam Novitzky), Luke (Casiana Poenaru), and Mark (Sam Schorzman). They have also been blessed with six grandchildren: Kaitlyn, Will, Evelyn, Henry, Lou, and Marley.
Corey Olson – Hayfield – Nebraska
Corey Olson, son of Bob Olson and Carol Lingbeck, was born and raised in Hayfield, Minnesota, along with older brother Curt and sisters Shelly and Sheila. Bob and Carol both worked at IBM for many years, with Carol finishing her career at Wenger Corporation out of Owatonna. Older brother Curt was an outstanding wrestler, qualifying for state twice and finishing fourth as a senior. Corey fondly remembers traveling all over southern Minnesota as a youngster, going to wrestling tournaments with his brother and his dad.
Corey followed his brother’s path with much success, qualifying for State as a Freshman and winning the State Wrestling tournament the next three years. Head Coach Dave Erickson, who never wrestled, was an outstanding leader and role model. He was strict, but fair, and would not hesitate to go the extra mile for his wrestlers. Corey also enjoyed playing football as a running back and a linebacker. After graduating from Hayfield, Olson was recruited by Tim Newman to wrestle at Nebraska. After redshirting as a Freshman, Corey finished 3rd in the NCAA Div. I National Tournament. Corey lost to Marty Morgan in the quarterfinals, then came back strong in the wrestle-backs for a 3rd place finish. The following year, Corey got off to a great start and was ranked second in the nation at 177# behind Morgan, but blew his knee out midway through the season and was finished for the year. Olson finished as a National Runner-up in both his junior and senior seasons to Kevin Randleman from Ohio State. The Cornhuskers finished 3rd in the Nation as a team, with lowa taking the top spot, but Nebraska was able to defeat the Hawkeyes earlier that year in the National Duals.
Corey stayed on at Nebraska to finish his degree in Criminal Justice and assist Coach Newman and Mark Cody, one of Corey’s mentors, then returned to Minnesota in 1995 and married Annette Husemoller, his high school sweetheart, an Austin and Mankato State graduate. Corey and Annette moved back to the Olson farm of three generations near Grand Meadow and started Olson’s Tree Service, Inc. The company has expanded with son Blake and nephew Alec (Curt’s son) joining the business. Annette was working in the Business Department at the Mayo Clinic while keeping the Tree Service Books and when the NYWA came into fruition, Annette was needed to help run the NYWA Wrestling organization. A man of few words, Corey explains Annette’s duties with the Tree Service and the NYWA with the explanation, “She kind of does it all”. Corey spends most of his day providing bids and writing contracts for Olson’s Tree Service and working on NYWA duties, while the young bucks manage a number of crews for the company.
A few years back (about 30), Corey was talking with Grand Meadow wrestler Dean Swanson and how the Jaycees Youth Wrestling Tournament was great for participation, but many kids were state champs without having to break a sweat. They started brainstorming about putting together a Youth Tournament that still promoted participation, but allowed the top kids to see how far they could go against the top competition. Corey remembered the Huskerland Youth Wrestling Tournament series from his Nebraska wrestling days and thought something like that might really catch on in Minnesota.
Corey and Annette are entering their 30th year running the NYWA (with one year off during COVID), along with help from their children. The NYWA is set up a lot like the High School League Wrestling Tournament. There are four Districts for each Region, with the top two advancing from each of 68 weight classes. There are five Regions in the State, with four Regions sending the top three in each weight class to State, and a Wild Card Region sending the top four to State. Each of the 68 weight classes has 16 wrestlers who compete at the Rochester Civic Center for State Titles. There is an overflow tournament for those wrestlers who did not qualify for State in the old Civic Center. If my math is correct, that provides a total of 1088 State Tournament qualifiers and this past year they had over 800 wrestlers in the Invitational (overflow) tournament. If that sounds a little crazy, that is because it is.
But with Annette manning the website and help from Blake (28), Brenn (26), and Isabelle (23), the Olsons are able to make it all happen. Wrestlers need to purchase an NYWA card (like a USA Wrestling card) to participate in the NYWA Tournaments, and after a number of years, at 3500 to 4000 memberships per year, the past two years they rose to just over 5300 in NYWA membership cards sold. Corey is grateful to his family for all their hard work and cooperation.
Corey and Annette have three children. Blake was an excellent High School wrestler at Dover-Eyota, serving as a captain his senior year. He attended lowa State University, majoring in Supply Chain Management, and works in the cities as a sales rep for a mortgage insurance company. Brenn placed 5th in the State as a Junior and was a state Runner-up as a senior for Grand Meadow-Leroy Ostrander- Southland ,and manages a number of tree service crews along with cousin Alec, who also wrestled for Dover-Eyota. Daughter Isabelle, also an outstanding high school athlete, attended the University of Minnesota and works as a Social Media Strategist for Curious Plot, a company that works with Agriculture Businesses.
Annette Olson – Lifetime Achievement
Annette Olson, daughter of Russ and LaVonne Husemoller, was born and raised on a farm in Austin, Minnesota, along with older siblings Mark, Kris, and Tina, graduating from Austin High School in 1988. Annette didn’t play sports in high school, but was a football and basketball cheerleader her senior year. She attended Austin Community College for two years, then transferred to Mankato State University, where she majored in Marketing and Human Resource Management.
After graduating from Mankato State, Annette moved to Nebraska while Corey was finishing up school and his college wrestling career. When she and Corey moved back to Minnesota, Annette went to work at Mayo Clinic in the finance department. She went on to earn her master’s degree in business administration from St. Mary’s University in Winona in 1998.
When the Olson Tree Service began, Annette helped with the books initially while working at Mayo, but started working full-time with the business once the kids were older and in school, around 2010. When Corey and Curt, along with Dean Swanson, began talking about putting together a youth wrestling tournament series that would allow wrestlers to compete for a true individual state championship, she also participated in organizing this. Corey explained the workings of the Huskerland Youth Tournament series that he was involved with while wrestling at Nebraska and thought it provided an excellent model for their program. They decided to give it a try, and it was well-received by Minnesota youth programs. NYWA is entering its 30th year of existence and has flourished. With 68 individual weight classes in all and five regions in the state, each being fed by four districts, it was an overwhelming undertaking. Currently, there are 1088 wrestlers competing individually in the state tournament, as well as 64 teams with 32 in each division. Teams, both K-6th grade and 7-8th grade, compete at one of five regions throughout the state to earn their way to state, also at the Mayo Civic Arena each year. There are many excellent wrestlers who have been eliminated in district or region competitions, but still want to keep wrestling, so Corey and Annette run a simultaneous invite tournament for those wrestlers, as well as the teams who didn’t qualify for state. This past year, there were 800+ wrestlers in the NYWA Invitational Tournament in the old Civic Center, along with 1088 State participants in the Mayo Civic Arena.
As girls’ wrestling grows, the NYWA started a separate girls’ event, and 2026 will mark the fourth year of individual competition and the third year for girls’ team competition. When Corey was asked what role Annette had in the organization and administration of NYWA, he explained, “She oversees quite a bit.”
Annette said there have been some thoughts to expanding the program to neighboring states now that their children are more involved. She said with each passing year, the kids take on more of the workload, and it’s truly a family project that has been bigger and better than they originally imagined.