Wynn Michalak Named Assistant Wrestling Coach
Former Chippewa standout won four MAC Championships and was a three-time All-American.
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Former Central Michigan All-American and U.S. Senior Nationals Champion Wynn Michalak has been named assistant wrestling coach, first-year head coach Roger Chandler announced on Tuesday.
One of the most successful wrestlers in Central Michigan history, Michalak was a four-time Mid-American Conference Champion (2005-08), three-time MAC Wrestler of the Year (2006-08), and a three-time NCAA All-American (2005, 2006, 2008), including a runner-up finish at 197 pounds in 2008. He won the 2015 U.S. Senior Nationals title at 97 kg/213 pounds on Dec. 19, 2015, in Las Vegas, and competed in the past two U.S. Olympic wrestling trials.
His coaching experience includes four seasons as a volunteer assistant at Illinois (2012-16), where he helped train two-time NCAA Champion Isaiah Martinez, and two seasons (2009-10) as a graduate assistant at CMU.
“Wynn brings with him the success that we expect from our Spartan wrestlers,” said Chandler. “He has not only competed at the highest levels in our sport but he has also been very successful. He was a three-time All-American and NCAA finalist, and became U.S. Nationals Champion this past year. He comes from a program (Illinois) where he has coached All-Americans and National Champions each year. His knowledge and experiences will have a huge impact on our program as we begin a new era of Spartan wrestling.”
Michalak ranks second all-time at Central Michigan in winning percentage (.842, 128-24 record), third in pins (50) and fourth in victories (128). The two-time team MVP (2006, 2008) was named the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2005 and MAC Wrestler of the Year three times (2006-08). The first Chippewa to win four MAC Championships, all at 197 pounds, Michalak was also a three-time All-American, placing sixth at the NCAA Championships in 2005, eighth in 2006 and second in 2008. He also helped lead the Chippewas to team conference championships all four of his seasons in Mount Pleasant.
Michalak owns two of the best seasons (winning percentage) in CMU history, going 30-2 (.938) in 2007-08 and 33-4 (.892) in 2005-06, and also has two of the Top 10 single-season pin totals (15 in 2005-06 is tied for fifth; 13 in 2007-08 is tied for ninth).
Not only was Michalak successful on the mat at CMU, he was a four-time Academic All-MAC and NWCA All-Academic team selection and earned Academic All-America honors in 2008. He received both the NCAA post-graduate scholarship and Bob James Memorial Scholarship in 2008. Michalak graduated with a 3.8 grade-point average and earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary mathematics education and physical education from Central Michigan. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in athletic administration from CMU.
Post collegiately, Michalak was the 2010 Hargobind International champion and was runner-up at the 2011 Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Open and Sunkist Kids International Open.
Wrestling for the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, Michalak won the 2015 U.S. Senior Nationals title at 97 kg/213 pounds over Scott Schiller in the finals, 12-4, on Dec. 19 in Las Vegas.
Michalak was a two-time state champion, three-time all-state honoree, and four-time conference champion at Caro (Mich.) High School. He helped lead his team to the Division III state title in senior season and finished his career with a 232-8 record. He lettered four times in wrestling and three in football, and received all-state honors twice as a quarterback.
Michalak married Jessica Davis on Jan. 1, 2016.