“The opportunity to lead one of the Academies with their history and tradition is special,” stated Heskett when asked for comment. “The goals and vision they have for the Cadets completely reflect the way I was raised and the person I have become. It is an absolute honor to be the head coach at Army. It is our mission to produce great men and great wrestlers.”
Heskett bring a wealth of experience to West Point. As a wrestler he was a three-time state champion for Walsh Jesuit HS, a four-time All-American and the 2002 NCAA 165 pound national champion at Iowa State, and a five-time National Team Member in freestyle and was on the 2007 World Team. As a coach Heskett spent his first four years on staff at Cal Poly and the last four years as an assistant coach at Ohio State.
“Joe Heskett is going to be a great head coach and we are going to miss having him in Columbus,” offered OSU head coach Tom Ryan. “He is a special person and that transcends coaching. He will not only make a difference in the wrestling room, but in the classroom and in their every day lives. At the same time Joe is someone that will continue to learn and grow with each new challenge.”
Heskett is tentatively scheduled to take over as head coach on July 15. Joining him on staff will be a pair of returning assistant coaches, Ryan Wilman and Rafael Vega.
“Coach Barbee did a great job at Army but there is always room for improvement,” responded Heskett when asked about the transition. “I hope that with the returning coaches and wrestlers we can build on the hard work they put in and help the program take the next step forward.”
Army was 7-4 during the 2009-2010 regular season finishing seventh at the EIWA Tournament with a pair of national qualifiers. They will have six returning lettermen expected to be in the lineup next year.
“The rest of the summer is going to go pretty fast. There is a lot of work to do to be ready for the regular season so I look forward to building relationships with the coaches, cadets, administration, and alumni during the summer. We have a lot of work to do so I can’t wait to get there and get started.”
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now