(photo courtesy of Roanoke athletics) "My wife grew up in Roanoke and in all the years we lived around here she  always said that Roanoke College would be a great job and they could have  an amazing program if they ever started one," Nate Yetzer.
Yetzer was named the inaugural head coach of the Roanoke College Maroons in March 2020 and they enter their first year of competition this season. "The administration here has been phenomenal. They are fully on board with the program and are willing to invest in us to be successful," said Yetzer. They currently have two coaches on staff and are hoping to add a third this spring. Forty-five wrestlers make up the initial lineup, "I'm impressed none of them have dropped off," said Assistant Coach Blake Rosenbaum, "we were expecting a few, but these guys have been tough and are ready to scrap."
Yetzer is excited to take on the challenge of building another program. He was the Head Coach at Ferrum College and built that program from the ground up in his eight years at the helm. Yetzer was an All-American at Edinboro and was an assistant coach at Virginia Tech. He was an integral part of the emergence of the Hokie program prior to taking the new position at Ferrum.
When touring the campus and facilities at Roanoke, it's hard to not be impressed. The campus is a community in itself and showcases the beauty of the Blue Ridge mountain setting. The facilities rival those of many D1 programs. The wrestling room houses a full three-mat setup, with bikes and equipment on the far side of the mats. The competition arena will hold 1500 fans around the mat and up to 2000 fans on the walkway and in suites above the seating. There is an attached field house where Roanoke hosts the Southeast Open and the Star City Classic that can hold 12 mats. All of this within two blocks of the best calzone in Virginia (Mac and Bob's) and where you will find Jason Bryant when he ventures back to this part of the Commonwealth.
Yetzer has proven himself to be a great coach and an amazing program builder. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can build in Roanoke.
Roanoke will be in action next Saturday at the Gator Boot Duals in Nashville, Tennessee.
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