Navy Record: 36-29 (Seventh Year) | Career Record: 75-67 (13th Year)
Former national champion and Olympic team member Cary Kolat is in his seventh year as the head coach of the Navy wrestling team after being introduced as the program’s eighth head coach on March 20, 2020.
“The Navy community is very pleased to welcome one of the most accomplished competitors and finest coaches in the sport of wrestling to Annapolis,” Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk said at the time of Kolat's hiring. “The influence with which Coach Kolat’s resume has had on so many speaks volumes to his commitment to success at every level of competition. I am extremely impressed with his professionalism, technical knowledge, ambition and confidence, along with the manner in which he exudes an enthusiastic will to win. Today is a big day for our midshipmen and our program as we turn the head coaching responsibilities over to a coach with great anticipation and widespread enthusiasm.”
“I am honored to accept the position of head wrestling coach at the United States Naval Academy,” Kolat said. “I would like to thank Navy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk for the opportunity he has given me to lead this program. I did not get to where I am on my own, so I feel very fortunate that some of my staff will be joining me. We have big plans for Navy wrestling and we are looking forward to getting our feet on the ground in Annapolis and begin moving forward. Go Navy!”
Kolat guided the Mids to a 6-5 overall record during the 2025-26 season, winning three of five duals against Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) opponents. Navy finished the regular season on a strong note, securing victories in four of its final five duals with wins over George Mason, Bloomsburg, American and Bucknell.
At the NCAA National Championship, Kolat’s squad featured five qualifiers, highlighted by Danny Wask earning his second consecutive All-America accolade with a sixth-place finish at 174 pounds. Wask became the 16th Navy wrestler to earn All-America honors twice and marked the third consecutive season a Midshipman reached All-America status under Kolat.
The Midshipmen also finished in second place out of 12 teams at the 122nd EIWA Championship in Washington, D.C., with two freshmen reaching the finals in their respective weight classes. In regular-season tournament action, Kolat led Navy to a third-place finish at the Navy Classic—where freshman Spencer Lanosga captured the 285-pound title—and a fifth-place finish at the Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa.
In the 2024-25 campaign, Kolat led the Mids to a 6-4 record and won four of five duals against EIWA opponents to end the regular season as co-champions, highlighted by a 21-15 victory over No. 21 Lehigh. Navy finished the season in 21st place at the NCAA Championship, the program's highest placement since 2016.
The team produced two All-Americans for the first time since 2009, as senior Josh Koderhandt (141) placed sixth and Wask (174) placed eighth. Under Kolat's guidance, the Mids tied for third at the EIWA Championship in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where Koderhandt captured the 141-pound title to become the 28th Navy wrestler to win two EIWA crowns. Navy also secured a third-place finish at the Navy Classic, paced by Wask winning his second consecutive tournament title.
During the 2023-24 season, Navy posted an 8-6 record, opening the year with six straight victories for the program's best start since 2016-17. The run included a 23-18 upset over No. 23 Illinois, marking Navy’s first win against a Big Ten opponent since 2019. Kolat’s squad swept the Navy Quad Meet with victories over Morgan State, VMI and No. 16 Pitt, and later secured a 38-0 shutout over American, the Mids' first shutout of an EIWA foe since 1989.
In the postseason, Navy placed sixth at the EIWA Championship, crowning Koderhandt as the 141-pound champion and qualifying five wrestlers for the NCAA Championship. At nationals, David Key (184) highlighted the tournament by placing eighth, earning the program's 65th All-America nod and becoming the first Navy wrestler to reach the podium under Kolat.
Navy posted a 5-6 overall dual record during the 2022-23 season, winning four of its five EIWA duals and continuing its long-standing dominance over Bucknell and Army. Kolat guided the Mids to a tie for fourth place at the EIWA Championship, where heavyweight Grady Griess won the 99th individual EIWA title in school history.
Kolat secured five automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Championship. Throughout the season, seven Mids recorded 20 or more victories, led by Griess, who became the 50th wrestler in program history to reach the 30-win milestone.
Collegiate wrestling returned to its traditional format in 2021-22, with Kolat leading the Midshipmen to a 6-5 dual record that was capped by a 22-9 victory over Army in the annual Star Match in Annapolis. Navy placed third at the Navy Classic and seventh at the EIWA Championship, ultimately sending three wrestlers to the NCAA Championship in Detroit. Under his tutelage, Jacob Allen excelled off the mat as well, earning First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and graduating with a 4.00 grade-point average.
Kolat arrived in Annapolis at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, maneuvering his way through a shortened 2020-21 season. After dropping the opener, Navy regrouped to win its final five duals, including back-to-back shutouts over Cleveland State and George Mason and a 20-13 victory over Army.
Navy placed second at the EIWA Championship—the program’s best finish since 2013—where senior Cody Trybus secured his second conference title. Kolat then sent nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championship, marking just the third time in program history that Navy sent nine or more wrestlers to the national tournament and the first since 1969.
Before arriving at Navy, Kolat established himself as one of the premier coaches in the sport after building Campbell into a Southern Conference power. The Camels saw unprecedented success in his final four seasons, winning three SoCon Tournament titles (2017, 2019, 2020) and two regular-season SoCon Championships (2019, 2020). Under his tutelage, he produced 19 NCAA Championship qualifiers, 12 individual SoCon champions and 28 medalists at the SoCon Tournament.
Kolat arrived at Campbell prior to the 2014-15 season after serving as associate head coach at North Carolina from 2010 to 2014. During his tenure in Chapel Hill, he helped improve the team’s national ranking from 57 to 22 and served as head coach at the Olympic regional training center, where he trained Olympic-level athletes. His collegiate coaching stops also include stints at Lehigh, Wisconsin, West Virginia and his alma mater, Lock Haven.
On the international stage, Kolat was named the 2017 USA Wrestling Women’s Co-Coach of the Year alongside John Smith. The duo led the U.S. women to an impressive second-place finish at the World Championships in Paris.
On June 2-3, 2017, Kolat was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member for the Modern Era. The honor recognizes his extraordinary success in international competition and outstanding coaching leadership.
A two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion, Kolat was a four-time All-American who went on to compete in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. A three-time World Cup gold medalist, he also won World silver and bronze medals. His career includes three U.S. Open championship medals and a pair of Pan American Games first-place finishes. Kolat was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1991 to 2002. In the summer of 2011, he returned to competitive wrestling, reaching the finals of the U.S. Open and competing in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Kolat won four straight state titles and compiled a perfect 137-0 record at Jefferson-Morgan High School in Greene County, Pennsylvania. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the state meet each year, an honor no other wrestler had won even twice.
He began his decorated collegiate career at Penn State, advancing to the NCAA finals as a freshman and earning Big Ten Conference Wrestler of the Year honors as a sophomore. He compiled a 61-6 record in two seasons at Penn State before transferring to Lock Haven, where he won his first NCAA Division I National Championship in 1996 with a 25-1 record. He finished 25-0 as a senior to capture the 142-pound national title, completing his college career with a 111-7 overall record and 53 pins.
Kolat earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Lock Haven in 2003. He and his wife, Erin, have two daughters, Zoe and Gracie, and a son, Ryder.
