Navy Record: 24-18 (Fifth Year) | Career Record: 63-58 (11th Year.)
Former national champion and Olympic team member Cary Kolat is in his sixth year as the head coach of the Navy wrestling team after being introduced as the program’s eighth head coach on March 20, 2020.
Kolat led the Mids to a 6-4 record and won four of five duals against Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) opponents to end the regular season as co-champions in 2024-25. Additionally, the Mids defeated No. 21 Lehigh, 21-15, for the first time since 2021.
Navy finished the season with two All-Americans for the first time since 2009 when Bryce Saddoris (sixth place) and Joe Baker (eighth place) achieved All-America honors. Senior team captain Josh Koderhandt (141, sixth place) and sophomore Danny Wask (174, eighth place) each claimed All-America honors at the 94th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
Under Kolat’s guidance, senior Josh Koderhandt capped an impressive postseason run by earning All-America honors at 141 pounds. Koderhandt closed out the EIWA and NCAA Championships with a combined 7-3 record, including five victories over nationally-ranked opponents and two ranked in the top 10.
Sophomore Danny Wask (174) also earned All-America recognition following a strong performance at the NCAA Championship. Competing as the seventh seed, Wask finished the tournament 3-3 overall.
Navy finished 21st at the NCAA Wrestling Championship, its highest placement since 2016 when the team finished 22nd.
Additionally, the Mids tied for third at the 121st EIWA Championship at the Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pa.
Josh Koderhandt won all three of his matches to claim the 141-pound title at the EIWA Championship. Koderhandt became the 17th Navy wrestler to reach the 100-win threshold with a, 5-2, decision over Hofstra’s Justin Hoyle in the quarterfinals. He became the 28th Navy wrestler to become a two-time EIWA Champion and the first since Cody Trybus in 2020 and 2021. Koderhandt pinned Bucknell’s Dylan Chappell in the first period of the finals to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship for the fourth-consecutive season.
Wask and freshman Payton Thomas (197) also earned an automatic bid to the championship as they placed second and fourth, respectively, at the EIWA Championship.
The Mids played host to the 46th annual Navy Classic where they finished third among 12 teams. Eight wrestlers placed in the event, six of which were either freshmen or sophomores.
Wask (174) finished with a 4-0 record to win his second-straight title at the Navy Classic. He defeated three ranked wrestlers, highlighted by a win over sixth-ranked Lenny Pinto (Nebraska), 10-5, in the final. Wask became the 17th Navy wrestler to win an individual championship twice at the tournament and was also the first Mid to win back-to-back titles since Nicholas Gil in 2017 and 2018.
Koderhandt shined at the Soldier Salute in Coralville, Iowa, leading the Mids to a fifth-place finish. Koderhandt posted a 4-0 record en route to being named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the tournament.
Navy won four-straight dual matches, including three EIWA victories. The Mids defeated American (24-21), No. 21 Lehigh (21-15), Harvard (32-9) and Bucknell (27-9).
Navy posted an 8-6 record and won two of its five duals against Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) opponents in 2023-24. The Mids opened the season with six-straight victories, which was their best start since 2016-17. Navy’s first dual was a 23-18 upset against No. 23 Illinois. The victory marked the first time the Mids defeated a Big Ten opponent since 2019 when they beat Maryland, 21-12.
Kolat’s squad also saw tremendous success in tournaments in 2023-24. Navy placed second of 14 teams with 137 points at the 45th annual Navy Classic. Nine of the 20 wrestlers placed in the event, five of which were freshmen. Freshman Danny Wask (174) and senior Grady Griess (285) both finished with a 5-0 record to win their first titles at the Navy Classic. Wask became the first Navy freshman to earn a first-place finish since Joe Locksmith in 2010. Additionally, he is the first mid to win a title at 174 pounds since Jadaen Bernstein in 2016.
Josh Koderhandt (141) posted a 4-0 record at the EIWA Championship to be crowned a champion in the tournament for the first time in his career. Navy was one of only four programs with an individual champion. Koderhandt won two matches by fall and outscored his additional two opponents, 17-2 to become the third mid to win an EIWA title under Kolat. Additional place winners at the league tournament were Cerniglia (second), David Key (third at 184), Griess (seventh) and Wask (seventh). The Mids finished in sixth place of 17 teams with 79.5 points.
All five place winners at the EIWA Championship qualified to compete in the NCAA Championship. Key highlighted nationals by placing eighth to become the first mid to garner All-America honors during Kolat’s tenure in Annapolis. He claimed the 65th All-America nod in team history and became the first Navy wrestler to reach the podium since Mathew Miller (184) in 2016. Key was seeded 25th in his respective weight class for the championship and posted the second-largest seed to place difference (17) amongst the field of 330 wrestlers. Additionally, he was one of only four wrestlers seeded 20th or higher to place in the top eight in their respective weight class. Key compiled a 3-3 record at the championship, defeating Air Force’s No. 7 Sam Wolf (4-1), Wisconsin’s No. 20 Shane Liegel (4-2) and Missouri’s No. 9 Colton Hawks (2-1).
Navy posted a 5-6 overall dual record during the 2022-23 season and won four of its five duals against EIWA Opponents. Additionally, the Mids wrestled in five tournaments during the regular season.
Kolat guided the Mids to another impressive outing at the EIWA Championship. Navy finished in a tie for fourth place out of 17 teams. Heavyweight Grady Griess won the 99th individual EIWA title in school history after posting a 4-0 record at the tournament. He was one of five Mids to earn an automatic qualifying spot for the NCAA Championship. Koser qualified for nationals for the third-straight season after placing fourth and Koderhandt earned his second-consecutive appearance by finishing in third place. David Key (184) also earned a third-place finish in his respective weight class to qualify for the championship for the second time in his career. Additionally, Brendan Ferretti (133) placed fourth at the league tournament to become one of only 17 true freshmen to qualify for nationals.
Kolat was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a member of the 41st Annual Class. Kolat is recognized as a Distinguished Member for the Modern Era. The NWHOF recognizes distinguished members as a wrestler who has achieved extraordinary success in national and/or international competition; a coach who has demonstrated great leadership in the profession and who has compiled an outstanding record; or a contributor whose long-term activities have substantially enhanced the development and advancement of the sport.
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 also includes three U.S. Open championship medals and a pair of Pan-Am Games first-place finishes. Kolat was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1991-2002. In the summer of 2011, Kolat returned to competitive wrestling, was a finalist at the U.S. Open and competed 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 Green County Pa. He was named Outstanding Wrestler at the state meet each year, an honor no other wrestler had won even twice.
Kolat began his decorated collegiate career at Penn State, where he advanced to the NCAA finals as a freshman. After his sophomore year, he garnered All-America honors for the second-straight season and was named Big Ten Conference Wrestler of the Year. In two seasons at Penn State, Kolat compiled a 61-6 record, including a 39-1 mark as a sophomore.
He transferred 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 when he won the 142-pound national title. He completed his college wrestling career with a 111-7 overall record and 53 pins.
Kolat earned his Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Lock Haven in 2003. He and his wife, Erin, are the parents of two daughters – Zoe and Gracie and a son Ryder.
