Former Iowa High School State Wrestling Champion Takes Over Program

A former Iowa high school individual state wrestling champion has been named the new head coach at Iowa City Regina Catholic High School.

Byron Tate, who captured gold as a wrestler at Clinton High School in 2008, will lead the Regals starting with the upcoming 2026-2027 season.

“I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead the Regina wrestling program,” Tate said in a press release from the school. “I look forward to building on Regina’s strong tradition by creating a culture centered on hard work, accountability, character and competitive excellence.

“I am excited to get to know our wrestlers, their families and the greater Regina community.”

Welcome Coach Tate! 👑🤼‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/pgqDdsFqqg
— Regina Activities (@ReginaRegalsAD) August 21, 2026

New Iowa City Regina Catholic Head Wrestling Coach Won State, NCAA Division III Titles

Following a high school career at Clinton that saw him later inducted into the Clinton High School Hall of Fame, Tate went on to compete for Wartburg College, where he was a three-time NCAA Division III national champion for the Knights in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Tate was named the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Most Valuable Wrestler in 2011 and named the D3Wrestle.com Wrestler of the Year the following season. In both 2011 and 2012, Wartburg claimed team gold at the NCAA Division III National Championships.

“We are extremely excited to welcome Byron to Regina and have him lead our wrestling program,” Iowa City Regina activities director Taylor Hotek said. “His experience developing young wrestlers, combined with his success as a competitor, gives him a unique perspective that will benefit our student-athletes.

“Byron is also a proven leader who understands the importance of building a strong team culture. We believe he is an outstanding fit for Regina.”

Byron Tate Previously Coached At Iowa City West

Tate started his high school coaching career at Iowa City West High School in 2012 as a varsity assistant, holding several other roles within the program. He has over 14 years of high school coaching experience on his resume.

Last year, Iowa City Regina was coached by Nelson Brands, a former University of Iowa wrestler. Brands, a three-time Iowa high school state wrestling champion, took an assistant coach position at Cal Poly University, an NCAA Division I program.

Prior to Brands, the Regals were coached by another former Iowa high school state wrestling champion in Fort Dodge Senior High graduate Drew Bennett, who works for Iridium Sports Agency as a marketing specialist, where he helps promote athletes competing in UFC, mixed martial arts and the NCAAs.

Regals Return Three State Qualifiers

Dawson Boileau, Porter Shetler and Simon Shetler were all state qualifiers for Iowa City Regina last winter. Boileau placed sixth, finishing the year with 50 wins, as Porter Shetler went 38-18 and Simon Shetler finished 40-15.

Boileau will be a senior this year for Tate, as will both Porter Shetler and Simon Shetler. Other returning wrestlers include Luke Hamilton, AJ White and Huck Zahasky.

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