The 2012 NWCA National Head Coach of the Year is Marty Linford of Cokeville High School in Wyoming. Cokeville is the smallest school in the state of Wyoming that sponsors wrestling. They have consistently proven themselves as one of the best teams in the state, by winning seven state titles in the past eight years.
Coach Linford teaches English and Spanish along at Cokeville, along with helping as an assistant football coach and head Junior High football coach.
"We commend Coach Linford for his dedication to draw the best out of his wrestlers, coming from a small community that is a large task to accomplish at the state level. He is the type of coach we strive to recognize as an educator and coach to these young student-athletes and pushing them to be the best person they can be," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director.
Jeff Buxton of Blair Academy was named the National Prep Coach of the Year. Buxton has led the Bucs to 26 straight National Prep Championships and coached 145 individual champions. They have won the Ironman Tournament nine times, which is more than all other teams in the country combined along with the Beast of the East fourteen times. Buxton's team has perennially been the nation's top-ranked program the last two and a half decades.
This is the third time that Coach Buxton has been honored as the NWCA National Prep Coach of the Year.
"Coach Buxton has built a dynasty at Blair in his twenty-eight years as the head coach. He strives to take his athletes to the next level which shows when looking at the numbers of his former wrestlers who have gone on to wrestle at the collegiate level and have had so much success," said Moyer.
The National Assistant Coach of the Year goes to Mark Madigan of Simley High School in Minnesota. He has been coaching for 31 years. This year he helped to guide the Simley Spartans to the fifth straight Class AA State Championship. He has helped to coach seven state finalist and five state champions.
"Longevity is a great attribute to a truly dedicated assistant coach. I commend Coach Madigan on his years of dedication to the sport of wrestling and his continued service to helping build a program and to teach these young student-athletes," said Moyer.
Pennsylvania's Jimmy Gulibon of Derry Area High School is the NWCA's Senior Wrestler of the Year. Gulibon is one of ten wrestlers in 75 years to accomplish the feat of being a four-time PIAA State Champion. He finishes his career with a 136-4 record, which he compiled at four weight classes: 103, 112, 119 and 126. Gulibon plans to compete at Penn State University next season.
Mark Grey of Blair Academy takes home the National Prep Senior Wrestler of the Year Award for 2012. Grey is the tenth wrestler in Blair history to win four National Prep Titles, he is also the only four-time Beast of the East Champion. He holds a career record of 140-7, and will be attending Cornell University next year.
"Both Jimmy and Mark have both concluded their stellar high school careers. We look forward to watching them compete and excel at the collegiate level in the years to come," said Moyer.
"Our goal as a coaches association is to continue to recognize coaches and wrestlers for their outstanding accomplishments, both on the mat in competition, academically and in life."
We would also like to recognize the award recipients of the NWCA Regional Coaches, Assistant Coaches and Senior Wrestlers of the Year. In order to be considered for National Honors, the nominee must have been selected as a Regional Award Winner:
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling.
The three core competencies of the NWCA Coaching Development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.
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