Army West Point Athletics
Ward Named Finalist for NWCA Coach of the Year
March 17, 2019 | Wrestling
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point Head Wrestling Coach Kevin Ward has been named a finalist for the Division I National Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) presented by Defense Soap.
Ward is in his fifth season at West Point and has guided the Black Knights to an 8-3 record in 2018-19, including a 7-1 mark against EIWA opponents. Army captured the EIWA dual crown following its 22-10 victory over service-academy rival Navy on Feb. 23 before posting a fourth-place finish at the conference tournament. The Cadets were the only team to place all 10 of their wrestlers and achieved this impressive feat for just the second time in program history. They also eclipsed the 100-point plateau for just the third time in program history by nearly doubling the team's total score from a year ago.
Six Black Knights will be competing at the NCAA Championships next weekend, the most under Ward's tenure and most since 2008. Senior Rocco Caywood (197 lbs.) and juniors Lucas Weiland (157 lbs.) and Ben Harvey (174 lbs.) are all returning to the national tournament after qualifying last season. Juniors Cael McCormick (165 lbs.) and Noah Stewart (184 lbs.), along with rookie Corey Shie (141 lbs.) will all be making their NCAA Championship debuts on Thursday. Additionally, Shie became the first plebe since Bryce Barnes in 2013 to qualify for NCAAs.
Army has improved in multiple categories since last season under Ward's direction, including: overall record (3-6 to 8-3), EIWA record (2-3 to 7-1), EIWA Championships team finish (8th to 4th), EIWA Championships team points (56.5 to 106.5), EIWA Championships place winners (six to 10) and NCAA Championships qualifiers (three to six).
The presentation of the award will take place at the NWCA Social on Tuesday evening at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center.
For more information on Army West Point wrestling, visit GoArmyWestPoint.com and follow @ArmyWP_Wres on Twitter and Instagram.
