Tsirtsis replaces John Kading, 1996 NCAA champ for University of Oklahoma, who has accepted the head coaching job at Leyden High School in suburban Chicago after five years at the helm of the Mt. Carmel Caravan wrestling program which was nationally ranked last season and placed third in Class 2A at the Illinois state championships.
In fact, when Kading announced his departure, he recommended Tsirtsis for the position to Mount Carmel athletic director Dan LaCount.
"Alex's name came up right away," LaCount told the Tribune. "He was No. 1 on our list and we approached him immediately."
As someone who grew up just across the Illinois-Indiana state line in Griffith, Ind., Tsirtsis is familiar with the Mount Carmel mat legacy, and how the IHSA - the governing body for high school sports in Illinois -- allows its teams to travel and compete in tournaments across the country.
"I live in Northwest Indiana, and I think in Illinois, they're a little more competitive on the national scene," Tsirtsis said. "As far as the IHSA is involved, they give less restrictions on travel, which was pretty intriguing for me from a competition standpoint."
LaCount also cited Tsirtsis' residing just across the Chicago Skyway from Mount Carmel, located straight south of the Chicago Loop, as a positive factor.
"We love the fact that he lives in Northwest Indiana and that he has a great pipeline to that area," LaCount said. "He was receptive right away."
Tsirtsis wrestled at Griffith High School, where he compiled a flawless 236-0 record and took home four Indiana state titles. He then headed west on I-80 to Iowa City, where, as an Iowa Hawkeye, Tsirtsis was a four-time Big Ten Conference Championships place winner (2005-2009), and earned All-American honors by placing seventh at 141 pounds at the 2006 NCAA Championships.
In addition, as co-founder of the Region Wrestling Academy in nearby Gary, Ind., Tsirtsis brings coaching experience to the Caravan mat program.
"It's about finding the right people and designing your program so these kids love the sport but still get the training they need," Tsirtsis said. "You'll have your studs and then the guys just trying wrestling out. I wanna grow the sport. I want the guys to love it for the rest of their lives."
Located on the south side of Chicago, Mount Carmel is an all-male, four-year high school run by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Founded in 1900, Mount Carmel has 850 students.
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