Brandon Benvenuti has left his position of Head Coach at Viking Wrestling Club to further is academic career and be the Graduate Assistant Wrestling Coach at the University of Central Missouri.
TJ Moen will be the new Head Coach of the Viking Wrestling Club, assisted by new Assistant Coach Jacob Colon , and Cody Coldwell.
Moen has an extensive wrestling background. In college, he was a two-time junior college All-American for NIACC, then finished his career at Grand View, taking 3rd place in the 2012 NAIA national championships where he helped the Vikings win their first-ever national championship. Moen was a two-time state champion for Saydel High School, a Cadet Greco Roman national champion, a Junior Greco Roman all-American, and twice a USA Folkstyle national champion. His vast coaching background includes being the Head Coach at Saydel High School, the Head Assistant Coach at Campbellsville University, and an Assistant Coach at Grand View University. He has also been very active in the youth and high school coaching ranks in the greater Des Moines area. Being a Des Moines native, Moen brings a passion for wrestling in Central Iowa. He has a real knowledge of what it takes to be successful at all levels of the sport.
Jacob Colon capped off an impressive career at Grand View as a 3-time All-American and a 2-time NAIA National Champion. Previous to his time at Grand View, Jacob was a NJCAA All-American finishing 3rd for Iowa Central Community College. Jacob is originally from Clear Lake, IA where he was a 3-time Iowa High School state place-winner finishing 3rd, 2nd, then 1st as a senior.
More info on Viking Wrestling Club
The Viking Wrestling Club (VWC) provides elite training in all aspects of the sport. We help wrestlers develop the technical, physical, and mental aspects of wrestling. Our coaching staff understands the balance of technique and strength, toughness and fun, and hard work and peaking.
Our coaches were highly successful at the collegiate ranks and are assisted by Grand View wrestlers who are still training at a high level. VWC athletes are part of a unique training environment unlike any other.
Our Elite program offers a few payment options; you can choose to pay by the season, by month, or annually. In addition, athletes can register for one day a week for only $75/month and they can pick which weekly practice fits their training needs. We offer Pre-Season and Post Season training at both locations. VWC South members are invited to attend other practices at our Des Moines location.
In addition to our Elite program, we now offer VWC Developmental to work with younger or more inexperienced wrestlers. The focus will be on the fundamentals of wrestling with an emphasis on having fun! Younger athletes may move up to the elite group when both the wrestler and the coaches agree they are ready to move up. Our Developmental program is only $100/month ($500/season). These practices will be held on Sundays from 1:00pm-2:00pm and on Tuesdays from 6:30pm – 8:00pm.
[…] addition, Caldwell served as a coach for the Viking Wrestling Club, which trained junior and senior wrestlers for high-level competitions, including the U.S. Open, […]