Damion Hahn hugs Cam Simaz after winning a national title in 2012 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com)Cam Simaz: Simaz thrived under the tutelage of Hahn at Cornell. He was a four-time All-American and 2012 NCAA champion at 197 pounds. After his college wrestling career he coached at the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club and worked with Cornell wrestlers like Gabe Dean, Brian Realbuto, Dylan Palacio, Mark Grey, among others. Before this past season, Simaz was hired last year as the head coach of West Point Wrestling Club and Regional Training Center (RTC).
Dustin Schlatter: Schlatter is the third assistant at Minnesota behind head coach Brandon Eggum and head assistant Luke Becker. A three-time All-American and 2006 NCAA champion, Schlatter competed for the Gophers after Hahn graduated. However, like Hahn, Schlatter was a top recruit from the East Coast who came to Minnesota and became a national champion. Schlatter also become a multiple-time U.S. World Team member in freestyle. He's still young, has name recognition and can be a huge asset in the room.
Damion Hahn and Gabe Dean coaching at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com)Gabe Dean: It's no secret that Hahn and Dean have a close relationship. Hahn played a key role in developing Dean into a two-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American for the Big Red. "Personalities attract one another," Hahn said of Dean on a wrestling radio show called 'On The Mat' last year. "From the day we recruited Gabe we just kind of hit it off. We have a lot of the same visions." Dean was a volunteer assistant for his alma mater this past season. He helped coach his brother Max to an eighth-place finish at the NCAAs as a freshman 184-pounder. Would Dean leave Ithaca to join Hahn's staff at SDSU? It remains to be seen.
Cory Cooperman: The New Jersey native Cooperman said he initially attended the University of Minnesota because of Damion Hahn, a high school wrestling legend in the Garden State. Cooperman eventually transferred to Lehigh and became a three-time All-American for the Mountain Hawks. After his college wrestling career, Cooperman spent time as an assistant coach with Hahn on the Cornell coaching staff. He's very respected as a technician and played a key role in the development of several highly accomplished wrestlers, including NCAA champions Jordan Leen and Troy Nickerson, along with multiple-time Cadet world champion Kurt McHenry. Last year he was named head coach of the New York RTC at Cornell, so it's unlikely he would leave that position so quickly, but he's someone to keep an eye on because of his past history with Hahn.
Jason Ness (right) coaching with Luke Becker at the NCAAs (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com)Jayson Ness: Ness, like Hahn, is a former Gopher wrestling great. He was a volunteer assistant coach for the Gophers after his college career, but stepped away from the position to focus on his own competitive wrestling career. Ness is well-liked in the wrestling community, has strong relationships within the state of Minnesota and would be a strong asset to the SDSU program, especially working with lightweights like NCAA champion Seth Gross (133) and NCAA qualifier Connor Brown (125). It remains to be seen if Hahn would hire someone still competing. If so, Ness might be a perfect fit.
Nate Carr Jr. played a key role in getting Ronnie Perry to the NCAA finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WreestlersAreWarriors.com)Nate Carr Jr.: Carr, who wrestled collegiately at Iowa State, has ties to Hahn during his time in Ithaca where he was an athlete and coach for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club after spending time on the coaching staffs at Maryland and Virginia. Carr has been an assistant coach at Lock Haven for the past two seasons where he has played a key role in the program's reemergence.
Zach Sanders: Sanders is currently a volunteer assistant coach at Minnesota. Like Ness, he is former Gopher four-time All-American who would be a strong asset to the program, especially working with the lightweights.
Jordan Leen: Hahn coached Leen at Cornell, where he was a three-time All-American and 2008 NCAA champion. Leen, a Tennessee native, has been climbing the coaching ranks since leaving Ithaca. He spent time on the coaching staffs at Duke and Virginia before taking an assistant coaching position at Pitt with first-year head coach Keith Gavin. He is very personable and a strong recruiter. Leen has been an associate head coach already in a major conference, so it seems like his next move would have to be a head coaching position.
Jared Lawrence: Lawrence, a former teammate of Hahn's at Minnesota, is a co-owner (with Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson) at the PINnacle School of Wrestling in Minnesota, one of nation's top wrestling clubs. The Idaho native and 2002 NCAA champion is a well-respected wrestling mind with great connections, especially in Minnesota, a bordering state to South Dakota. In 2011, Sean Bormet left his club, Overtime School of Wrestling, to become an assistant coach at Michigan. Would Lawrence leave his club to become a head assistant coach with his former teammate? It might be a long shot, but it might be worth a call at the very least.
Cody Caldwell: Caldwell, a former Northern Iowa wrestler, was an assistant coach this past season for South Dakota State, and unlike Jon Reader, did not follow Chris Bono to Wisconsin. He's the only coach currently listed on SDSU's wrestling website. He has relationships with wrestlers on the team, which makes him an asset.
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