In the arm’s race of college wrestling, the Hawkeye Wrestling Club have been searching for athletes and coaches to beef up their RTC. IAwrestle has learned that one guy on their radar is one of the top wrestlers to strap on the black and gold of this past decade, that man is Mark Perry.
Perry is currently the associate head coach for the Illinois Illini program, serving under Jim Heffernan since the 2011-12 season. During his time with Illinois, Perry has been credited with much of the success of two-time NCAA champions Jesse Delgado and Isaiah Martinez. Before that, Perry was the head coach at Cal-Poly and also spent time as an assistant on the Penn State coaching staff.
During his wrestling career, Perry was a linchpin in kick starting Iowa’s three year NCAA team title run in 2008. A two-time national champion and four-time All-American for the Hawkeyes, Perry never finished lower than third in his career at the NCAA championships, and was also a four-time finalist at the Midlands and Big Ten Championships.
Mark Perry was has been seen in Iowa City numerous times after the NCAA Championships and as recent as May 9th.
The Hawkeye Wrestling Club is currently headed by Iowa head coach Tom Brands, and associate head coach, Terry Brands. The club currently features 2016 Olympian Dan Dennis (57 kg), 2014 National Team member Matt McDonough (57 kg), Chris Dardanes (61 kg), Nick Dardanes (65 kg), Nathan Burak (97 kg), and Bobby Telford (125 kg). The club recently added the four graduating senior All-Americans to the club Thomas Gilman (57 kg), Cory Clark (61 kg), Alex Meyer (86 kg), and Sammy Brooks (86 kg). The HWC also has Women’s Freestyle Wrestler Lauren Louive (58 kg).
At a recent Hawkeye Wrestling Club meeting members of the board expressed interest to make a big splash hire to head up the HWC. Things have been moving quickly on the fundraising and with Mark Perry among others seen in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes will soon have their guy. Nothing is official but we will keep you up to date on this developing story.
[…] Last week IAwrestle was first to report that there were rumblings within the wrestling community that the University of Illinois Associate Head Coach Mark Perry and Iowa were in discussions to bring the former Hawkeye back into the program. Andy Hamilton of Trackwrestling is reporting that the role Perry will be filling will be that of Iowa’s Hawkeye Wrestling Club Head Coach as our own Tony Hager speculated in our original story. […]
Grow up and don’t make assumptions trying to benefit yourself
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