New Ridgewater Wrestling Coach Brings Strong Athletic Background to the Team
May 6, 2020
WILLMAR and HUTCHINSON, MN – Ridgewater College Warrior wrestlers will have a new head coach for the 2020-21 season. Meet Joey Brown from Washington state.
Brown comes to Ridgewater College highly recommended after serving the previous five seasons as the head wrestling coach at Snohomish High School in Snohomish, WA, where following this last season, he was named District 1 Coach of the Year.
Brown grew up in Washington and Oregon where he wrestled, played football, baseball, and threw for the track team through high school. After high school he attended Southern Oregon University and Mayville State University, ND, where he played football and walked on to the wrestling team.
During his time at Snohomish, he and his staff turned around a program that was forfeiting multiple weight positions during dual matches into a championship caliber team. When he took over the program, Brown had 26 wrestlers and he grew it to over 60 this past season. He has produced 17 state placers, two state finalists, and one state champion during that five-year period.
In addition to his wrestlers’ individual successes, Brown’s team won the league title for the first time in more than a decade and also maintained a combined team grade point average of 3.2 or higher. During the past five seasons, the team had 32 wrestlers earn distinguished academic awards from the Washington State Coaches’ Association.
The Snohomish High School activity director described Coach Brown as a person who truly loves wrestling and as a quality individual. He said it will be very tough for the school to replace him.
“We are very excited to have such a qualified and knowledgeable individual interested in leading our program,” said Heidi Olson, Ridgewater College dean of students. “Coach Brown demonstrates the type of energy and commitment that we believe will do great things for our student athletes and our wrestling program.”
“My family and I are very grateful for this opportunity to use wrestling as a tool to have a positive impact on our athletes, our school, and our community,” Brown said. “I’m excited to bring a new energy and direction to Ridgewater Wrestling.”
Brown and his wife, Britta, have two children with another on the way in September. They are relocating to Spicer later this month.
