Joe Russell (Photo/GoMason.com)Fairfax, Va. -- Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Brad Edwards has announced that George Mason wrestling Coach Joe Russell has resigned to accept a coaching position with USA Wrestling in Colorado Springs. Assistant coach Mark Weader has been named interim head coach.
"Joe has been a tremendous representative of George Mason and has been the face of Mason wrestling," said Edwards. "He has an incredible opportunity to represent his country as a wrestling coach for the National team. The Mason and wrestling community will miss both he and wife Sadie's passion for wrestling. I want to wish Joe, Sadie and son Taft well in their new chapter."
"I am thankful for the opportunity to have served as the head wrestling coach at George Mason University," said Russell. "This experience has helped me grow as a person and I am proud of the progress we made during my tenure. Seeing the team win 41 dual meets and having eight wrestlers compete at the NCAA Championships was gratifying. Even more so, seeing the wrestlers graduate and seeing the great alums Mason Wrestling is helping produce makes me proud to be a Patriot. George Mason University will always hold a special spot in my heart."
In his six years as head coach at Mason, Russell has guided the Patriots to a 41-82 dual record, making improvements on Mason's winless season six years ago. Russell also coached several wrestlers at the NCAA Championships. Most recently, Russell coached senior Sahid Kargbo and junior Ibrahim Bunduka at the 2017 NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo.
Overall, for the Patriots, Russell coached eight wrestlers at five NCAA Championships. Greg Flournoy earned two straight NCAA bids and finished his career with 95 total wins after going 1-2 at the 2016 NCAA Championships in New York. In 2012, he coached Mendbagana Tovuujav and Vincent Rodriquez to a bid into the NCAA National Tournament and Jake Kettler in 2013 and 2015.
Russell is no stranger to the national and international wrestling circuit. In 1998, he served as the coach of Team USA in a world freestyle dual versus Germany. Also in 1998, he was selected as the coach for the USA Wrestling Tour de Monde team in Hungary. Russell coached Team USA in another world freestyle dual meet versus Cuba in 1999 and went on to coach the U.S. 17-and-under team at the Cadet World Championships in August 1999 in Denmark. For his efforts, Russell was voted the 1999 USA Wrestling Person of the Year for the University and FILA Junior Age Divisions.
In the summer of 2000, Russell was selected to coach the U.S. Junior Team at the 2000 Pan American Championships in Peru. In 2001, he coached a team of USA All-Stars in the First Annual Utah Greco-Roman Challenge in Sandy, Utah. He also served on the coaching staff in both freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling for the USA team at the Junior Pan American Championships in 2002, 2004 and 2014.
He coached Mason wrestler Sahid Kargbo in representing USA Wrestling at the 2012 Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Kargo made the FILA Junior World Team in 2013. In 2016, he coached the Patriots Matt Voss, who placed first overall at 130kg while two other Patriots placed in the top eight of their weight class at the 2016 UWW Greco Roman University Nationals in Akron, Ohio. With the win, he qualified to represent the United States at the 2016 University World Championships in Corum, Turkey.
On the academic front, Russell's team earned the NCAA Public Recognition Award in 2017, the first in program history. The honor is based on the most recent Academic Progress Rate (APR), posting scores in the top 10 percent of their sport nationally. The Patriots were recognized as a Division I All-Academic Top 30 Team by the NWCA two straight years.
Russell's wife Sadie has been heavily involved in the wrestling community for more than 20 years, working most recently with Beat the Streets D.C. since 2014 acting as executive director to help establish wrestling programs in Washington D.C. schools. Sadie has also assisted the Wrestlers in Business Network with the NWCA All-Star Classic since 2013 when George Mason hosted the annual event. Their son Taft, 6-years old, is an avid youth wrestler.
Assistant coach Mark Weader, who recently completed his 13th overall season in collegiate coaching at Mason, will take over head coaching responsibilities as the interim. The Mason wrestling alum is familiar with that position, having led the Patriots as the head coach from 2005-2011, compiling a 39-56-2 record during that span. He started his coaching career as an assistant at Mason during the 1999-2000 season and returned as Russell's top assistant last season after a five-year stint working in business.
During the 2007-08 season, Weader guided the Patriots to one of their finest seasons. Mason posted a 13-5 overall record and 5-3 mark in CAA duals, while improving four spots to a fourth-place finish at the CAA Championships. The 13 wins were the most the program had reached since the 1991-92 season when the Patriots won their first of five CAA team titles.
The Danville, Pa native guided several wrestlers to conference and NCAA heights, with seven NCAA qualifiers in four of his six seasons as head coach. In his first season in 2005-06, redshirt freshman Tyler Tisdell finished as runner-up at 165 pounds at the CAA Championships and advanced to the NCAA Championships. Two wrestlers, Cayle Byers and Mendbagana Tovuujav made two trips to the NCAA Championship and finished nationally ranked. At the 2009 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Byers came within one win of earning All-America status.
AS a student-athlete for the Patriots, Weader was a four-year starter and finished with an overall record of 75-40, ranking in the top-20 all-time in victories at Mason. He won the CAA Championship at 157 pounds and advanced to the NCAA Championship. He graduated from George Mason in 1999 with a B.S. degree in communication.
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