Navy Record: 24-18 (Fifth Year) | Career Record: 63-58 (11th Year.)
Former national champion and Olympic team member Cary Kolat is in his fifth 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,” said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. ”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,” said Kolat. “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!”
Navy wrestling 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.
Navy then played host to the Navy Quad Meet, where it picked up three more wins against Morgan State (39-0), VMI (40-6) and No. 16 Pitt (21-12). The Mids improved to 26-13-2 against Pitt and earned their first win in the series since 1997.
Navy opened its EIWA slate against American. The Mids won all 10 bouts and earned bonus points in five to defeat the Eagles, 38-0. The victory marked the first time Navy shut out an EIWA foe since 1989 when it beat Franklin & Marshall, 37-0.
The Mids later won two duals against Lock Haven (33-9) and Bucknell (34-7). Kolat defeated his alma mater to give Navy its first win over Lock Haven since 1992. The Mids claimed their 22nd-consecutive win over the Bison to improve to 26-1 in the series. Navy's 22-straight victories over Bucknell is its longest active win streak against a program. The Mids ended the dual with their second-highest point total and posted their third-largest victory against the Bison. Additionally, Navy scored more than 30 points against Bucknell for the first time since 2007. The win marked the fifth time the Mids scored 30 or more points in a dual during the season, which is the most since 2006-07.
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.
Wask and senior Griess shined again at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Wask finished with a 4-2 record to place fourth overall in his respective weight class. Griess also compiled a 4-2 record to place fifth at heavyweight.
Andrew Cerniglia (165) posted a 6-0 record to place first in his respective weight class at the 11th annual Franklin & Marshall Open. He became the eighth mid to garner a first-place finish at the tournament. Cerniglia outscored his six opponents, 73-30, and scored 10 or more points in five matches. Additionally, Wask (third), Griess (fourth) and Jamier Ferere (fifth/sixth) placed in the tournament.
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.
Navy placed third of 12 teams at the 44th annual Navy Classic. Nine Mids placed in the event, led by second-place finishes from Grady Griess (285) and Jacob Koser (197). Navy also had an impressive showing at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, finishing in 14th place as a team. Josh Koderhandt (141) won six matches in his weight class, five of which were against nationally ranked wrestlers to place fourth. Koser won three matches to finish seventh overall in his respective weight class.
The Mids won four of their final five duals to end the regular season. Navy defeated Hofstra, 21-12, and rallied to beat Binghamton, 19-18, in its final two duals in Annapolis. The Mids trailed the Bearcats, 15-6, but won four of the final five bouts to win the dual. Navy also continued its dominance over Bucknell and Army. The Mids won their 21st-consecutive dual over Bucknell with a 25-9 victory, improving to 25-1 in the all-time series. Kolat remained undefeated against Army with an 18-13 victory in West Point to claim Navy’s 52nd win in the all-time series.
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.
Seven Mids recorded 20 or more victories during the 2022-23 season, led by 32 wins from Griess. Navy’s heavyweight became the 50th wrestler in program history to reach 30 victories in a season and the first Mid to achieve the mark since Michael Coleman (34) and Nicholas Gil (32) did so in the 2017-18 season. Also posting 20 or more wins was Koderhandt (28), Koser (26), Ferretti (22), Sammy Starr (21), Key (20) and Val Park (20).
Collegiate wrestling returned to its traditional format in 2021-22 with Kolat leading the Midshipmen to a 6-5 dual record, while also sending wrestlers to five tournaments during the regular season. Navy wrestlers claimed a combined 9 individual titles competing at the Clarion Open, Bearcat Open and Navy Classic. The Mids also saw great success in the 43rd annual Navy Classic, placing third in the 12-team field, while eight wrestlers placed in the top-three among their respective weight classes including four individual champions.
After dropping its first two duals to Maryland and Lehigh, Navy responded with three-straight victories over Hofstra (35-6), Ohio (21-14) and Cleveland State (32-7). Navy ended the regular season with another three-match win streak, defeating EIWA foe Bucknell (21-12) and Clarion (33-8), before claiming a 22-9 victory over Army in the annual Star Match which was held in Alumni Hall in Annapolis.
Four Navy wrestlers placed among the top eight in their respective weight classes, including 2022 finalists Josh Koderhandt (133) and Andrew Cerniglia (157), who helped lead Navy to a seventh-place finish at the 118th EIWA Championship. Additionally, Jacob Koser (197) placed third to join Koderhandt and Cerniglia as automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Championship, while Val Park (165) finished eighth, just missing a qualifier spot.
Koderhandt and Koser both claimed a victory at the NCAA Championship held at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. to help Navy tie for 48th in the team standings.
Under his tutelage, Jacob Allen excelled both on and off the mat. A 2020-21 NCAA qualifier, Allen was named a 2022 First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American. He graduated with a 4.00 grade-point average and was ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2022 in Academic Order of Merit, No. 2 in Military Order of Merit and No. 7 in Overall Order of Merit.
Kolat arrived in Annapolis at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, maneuvering his way through what would be a shortened season that featured only dual competition outside of the postseason conference and national tournaments.
Though Navy would fall short in its season-opener against Pitt 22-14, the Mids regrouped and won their final five duals of 2020-21 including a 41-3 victory at Clarion on Jan. 9 to give Kolat his first win at the Academy. The Midshipmen also claimed a 21-9 victory over Lehigh, their first against the reigning EIWA champions since defeating the Mountain Hawks 19-15 in Annapolis on Jan. 15, 2011. From there, Navy put together back-to-back shutouts against Cleveland State (37-0) and George Mason (44-0), marking the first time the Midshipmen put together two-straight shutout victories since the 1962-63 season when they blanked Hofstra 24-0 and followed up with a 30-0 win over Virginia Tech. Navy closed out the dual season by scoring a 20-13 victory over Army in the annual Star Match which was held at Christl Arena in West Point.
Navy placed second at the EIWA Championship, the program’s best finish since 2013 (2nd). Seven Mids wrestled in the semifinals, while five competed in the finals, as seven of the Mids’ nine wrestlers placed among the top three. Senior Cody Trybus became the program’s 33rd different wrestler to earn multiple EIWA titles after winning the 141-pound weight class in 2000 and 2021.
Nine wrestlers represented Navy at the NCAA Championship, marking just the third time in program history that Navy has sent nine or more wrestlers to the national tournament and the first since 1969. Logan Treaster (125), Jacob Allen (133), Cody Trybus (141), Andrew Cerniglia (157), Tanner Skidgel (165), David Key (184) and Jacob Koser (197) earned automatic berths by way of their finish at the EIWA Championship, while Casey Cobb (149) and John Birchmeier (285) earned at-large bids. Five of the nine wrestlers won at least one match, as the Mids went on to finish 37th out of 63 teams.
Kolat established himself as one of the premier coaches in the sport after building a Campbell program into a Southern Conference power and a national name. 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 2010-14.
During Kolat’s tenure in Chapel Hill, he was involved in all phases of the UNC program and helped improve the team’s national ranking from 57 to 22. In addition, he served as head coach at the Olympic regional training center in Chapel Hill where he trained Olympic-level athletes.
Kolat has also served on wrestling staffs at Lehigh, Wisconsin, West Virginia and his alma mater, Lock Haven.
Kolat was named 2017 USA Wrestling Women’s Co-Coach of the Year, joined by John Smith for the honor, and named by USA Wrestling. Smith and Kolat were the official 2017 Women’s World Team coaches, working with National Coach Terry Steiner and leading the U.S. women in Paris, France to an impressive second-place finish. The team was led by World champion Helen Maroulis, World silver medalist Alli Ragan and World bronze medalist Becka Leathers.
On June 2-3, 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.
