Matt Manley"I'm extremely happy to welcome Matt and his wife Alexa back to Mizzou, because I know what our university and program mean to them," head coach Brian Smith said. "Matt was a tremendous competitor during his time with our program and he personifies what Tiger Style is all about. It was exciting to watch him serve as the CEO of Gladiator Academy in Texas and his experience doing that makes him a perfect fit for this position."
"I am very excited to be a part of such a prestigious program again," Manley said. "Tiger Style has become a part of who I am, and after a year of being away from the program, I am more than ready to do everything I can to see that this program reaches its goals."
As the CEO of the Gladiator Academy, Manley maintained valuable relationships with coaches and athletes along with a variety of duties that are similar to ones he will be in charge of at Mizzou. He scheduled employees, camps and practices, monitored budgets and employee salaries while also coaching. He led the Texas National Team in 2017 and mentored 12 All-Americans in the Junior Freestyle/Greco Nationals. He had one wrestler earn a state title with three more earning a spot in the 2017 state finals.
As a wrestler at Mizzou, Manley posted a 68-28 overall record in four seasons, earning bonus points in 22 of 62 career wins, including 10 falls. His best year came as a redshirt junior, starting for Coach Smith at 141 pounds. He went 28-8 and qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second time in his career. He was awarded the "Iron Man" Award at end-of-the-year banquet for his courageous effort to wrestle through injuries all season. He also earned the Courage Award at the annual Mizzou Athletics ROARS Awards Ceremony.
Manley was part of five MAC Championship teams and was twice named the league's Wrestler of the Week. A two-time NCAA qualifier, he ranked as high as fifth nationally during the 2015-16 season. He was also part of the 2015 Mizzou Wrestling team that took home the National Duals Championship.
For all the latest on Mizzou Wrestling, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouWrestling).
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