Dernlan's resume is not like that. There's a lot of weight to that piece, including state championships and All-America honors as a wrestler and proven success as an assistant wrestling coach at some of the most accomplished Division I wrestling programs in the country.
Tuesday (Apr. 15), Ashland University named Dernlan as its head wrestling coach. Dernlan was introduced to the media and AU community at an on-campus afternoon press conference.
"I was flattered and overwhelmed with the interest level in our head coaching position in wrestling here at Ashland University," said AU director of athletics Bill Goldring. "It was clear that Tim Dernlan's background and personal integrity stood out. He is absolutely the right person at the right time to lead our program. The fact that he and his family have achieved a status in Ohio where they are recognized for their outstanding accomplishments is an added bonus. Tim has prepared himself to be a head coach and I truly believe he'll do an outstanding job at Ashland University."
"I know he'll do well," said Purdue head coach Scott Hinkel, who was Dernlan's college head coach. "It's a great fit. We're very proud of him, being an alumnus. We wish him the best, except when Ashland wrestles us."
"Passion, drive, a lot of energy, that describes Tim," said Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel. "He's the kind of kid who works, works, works. You have to tell him to go home.
"He was with me for two years," continued Strobel. "I put a lot of pressure on him in recruiting. It wasn't easy for him to pick up right away. He comes to Ashland with a lot of experience, especially with a private institution. There were a lot of challenges here in recruiting and Tim did a great job. Tim's class last year was really a Top 10 class and this year we have nine top wrestlers. I gave him the lead with that."
Dernlan was selected from a field of over 40 applicants.
"Ashland University has a great tradition in wrestling," said Dernlan. "It's located in the greatest wrestling state in the nation. Ashland is a place with great support for wrestling. I'm looking forward to the future at Ashland University."
Dernlan comes to the Eagles from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, where he has served as the lead assistant coach since 2006. In that role, he coordinated all of Lehigh's recruiting efforts and co-directed a summer wrestling camp that attracted over 950 participants.
Dernlan was an assistant wrestling coach at Penn State from 2003-2006. With the Nittany Lions, he developed and implemented an individual and team system of training.
The new AU head coach was an assistant mat coach at Ohio State from 1999-2000 and was an assistant at his alma mater, Purdue, from 1998-99. He was the owner and operator of Victory Wrestling Camps from 1998-2007. In that role, he managed a budget of over $100,000 and coordinated and directed 14 camps at 12 locations throughout Ohio.
In seven years of coaching, Dernlan has coached 42 NCAA Division I qualifiers and 11 NCAA Division I All-Americas. His 2007 recruiting class ranked sixth in the country. His 2006 recruiting class was ranked third in the country and in 2005, the class he helped recruit was ranked fourth nationally. In 2004, Penn State's list of newcomers was ranked 14th in the nation.
While at Penn State, Dernlan was responsible for the administration of the team's academic progress. For three consecutive years, Penn State ranked among the nation's Top 20 teams in grade point average. During that stretch, PSU had 12 All-Big Ten selections and four Academic All-America selections.
"He's got a great presence," emphasized Penn State head coach Troy Sunderland. "He's a sincere individual and I know Penn State and Lehigh, their programs have been better by having Tim Dernlan. I know Ashland University, the entire community and the wrestling program will be very pleased with Tim and everything he brings to the university."
Sunderland said it's not fair to label Dernlan as just a recruiter or a technician.
"Obviously, he does a lot of things well," Sunderland said. "He's very sound. I think he brought a fresh perspective to our program. A lot of times Tim thinks outside the box. His strength is relating and communicating with athletes and staff."
Strobel says that Dernlan's ability to recruit shouldn't overshadow his ability to teach and coach.
"He's terrific in the room," stressed Strobel. "That's his forte, planning an overall program. That's something I do here. We compared notes a lot, how he did it, how I did it. Because I did that, I got him into the recruiting part of it. Tim had to do all the hard work with that."
Dernlan has spent the past several years in Pennsylvania but that shouldn't reduce his effectiveness in his home state.
"Timmy is such a hard worker," said Hinkel. "He's very personable and that's important in recruiting. His personality is great. The thing is, Tim's a legend in Ohio. He's well known and his family is well known and they are highly regarded."
Dernlan wrestled at Purdue and throughout his career, was one of the Boilermakers' top performers. He was a team captain in 1997 and 1998 and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 1996 and 1998. Dernlan earned All-America laurels in 1998 when he placed sixth in the country at 125 pounds. He won 110 matches for the Boilermakers.
"For us, he was the first wrestler out there and that was key for us," recalled Hinkel. "We could count on him for excitement, to provide a spark."
In 2004 Dernlan was a USA Wrestling Final Olympic Trials qualifier. He was a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center from 2001-2003. Dernlan trained as a fully funded Olympic Training Center Athlete. He had the opportunity to study and train with some of the nation's best wrestling and strength coaches while he was in that program.
Dernlan was the 1996 USA Wrestling University National Freestyle champion. In 1994 and 1995 he finished first at the USA Wrestling Olympic Festival Freestyle Championships. In 1994 he placed first at the USA Wrestling Espoir National Freestyle Championships. He was first at the 1992 USA Wrestling Junior World Team Trials.
Dernlan was a three-time undefeated Ohio High School state champion (1990, 1991, 1993). He wrestled at West Liberty-Salem High School.
The new AU head coach is a 1998 Purdue graduate. He expects to earn his master's degree in educational leadership from Lehigh in December, 2008.
Dernlan and his wife, Kara, have three children, Boaz, 4, Zeke, 2, and Rebecca, seven months.
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