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Meet the Coaches

World-Class Coaches

In the room with your wrestler.

An Olympic medalist. Big Ten champions. NCAA All-Americans. Wrestlers who compete at the Pan American and World Championships. They are all on the coaching staff at NWTC Wrestling Academy, where kids from age 3 through high school train in the Nebraska Wrestling Room.

Meet the Staff Try a Class Free
  • 1Olympic medalTervel Dlagnev, London 2012
  • 3World medalsSenior Worlds 2009 and 2014, U23 Worlds 2023
  • 16NCAA All-America honors12 in Division I, 4 in Division II
  • 4Big Ten titlesKokesh 2014 and 2015, Allred 2023, Hardy 2025
  • 10Nebraska state titlesWon by our Academy staff
Tervel Dlagnev leans onto the edge of the mat, coaching from the Nebraska corner in front of a full arena. Photo: Nebraska Athletics

01  ·  Head Coach

Tervel Dlagnev

  • 2012 Olympic bronze medalist
  • 2× World bronze medalist
  • National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Class of 2026
  • 2× NCAA Division II champion
  • Nebraska assistant coach

He didn’t wrestle until his sophomore year of high school. He walked on in college. He left the sport with an Olympic medal and a place in the Hall of Fame.

Born in Bulgaria and raised in Arlington, Texas, Tervel Dlagnev became one of the nation’s best heavyweight freestyle wrestlers: bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, World bronze medals in 2009 and 2014, a Pan American Games title, four U.S. Open titles and eight U.S. national teams. At Nebraska-Kearney he won two NCAA Division II titles, went 49-0 as a senior and was named the first Division II Wrestler of the Year.

He has coached ever since. After five seasons on the Ohio State staff he came to Lincoln in 2021 as head freestyle coach of the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center, and he is now in his fourth season as a Nebraska assistant coach. In June 2026 he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.

At NWTC Wrestling Academy he brings that experience to wrestlers of all ages, helping them build fundamentals, confidence and a love for the sport.

Tervel Dlagnev talks with a group of young wrestlers on the mat in the Nebraska Wrestling Room.
With Academy wrestlers in the Nebraska Wrestling Room.
Tervel Dlagnev celebrates on the mat in a blue Team USA singlet.
Competing for Team USA.

Relationships are what make the journey worth it, no matter how it ended up.

Tervel Dlagnev, Hall of Fame induction, June 2026 · NWHOF

Career timeline

  1. 2008Second straight NCAA Division II title caps a 49-0 senior year at Nebraska-Kearney
  2. 2009World Championships bronze medal
  3. 2011Pan American Games champion
  4. 2012Olympic bronze medal, London
  5. 2014World Championships bronze medal
  6. 2016Fifth at the Rio Olympics, then joins the Ohio State coaching staff
  7. 2021Named head freestyle coach of the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center
  8. 2026Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame

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Head Coaches

Champions Who Teach

Big Ten champions, NCAA All-Americans and wrestlers still competing on the international stage. All six wrestled for Nebraska.

Robert Kokesh Nebraska Assistant Coach Photo: Nebraska Athletics

Head Coach

Robert Kokesh

Hometown Wagner, S.D.  ·  College Nebraska, 174 lb

  • 3×NCAA All-American
  • 2×Big Ten champion
  • 144Husker wins

A three-time NCAA All-American at 174 pounds and, with James Green, one of the first two Big Ten champions in Nebraska history. Robert Kokesh won 144 matches as a Husker, the second-most in school history, and went unbeaten in duals in each of his last two seasons.

He is remembered as much for how he competed. He placed fourth at the 2014 NCAA Championships after tearing his ACL during the tournament, set the record for the fastest pin in Big Ten Championships history (15 seconds) and twice won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

A former head coach at his high school alma mater in Wagner, S.D., and a longtime member of the Husker staff, he coached with the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center before rejoining Nebraska as an assistant coach in 2026.

“Robert Kokesh is probably our best all-time leader in the history of Nebraska wrestling. He’s the best I’ve ever worked with and the best I’ve ever seen.”

Career highlights
  • NCAA All-American at 174 pounds: 3rd (2013), 4th (2014), 3rd (2015)
  • Big Ten champion at 174 pounds in 2014 and 2015
  • 144 career wins, second in Nebraska history; 39-1 as a senior
  • Fastest pin in Big Ten Championships history when he set it in 2015: 15 seconds
  • Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, 2014 and 2015
  • NWCA All-Academic Team; two-time Academic All-Big Ten
  • Three-time South Dakota state champion at Wagner High School
  • Nebraska assistant coach, 2019–23 and 2026–present
Brock Hardy NCAA Finalist Photo: Nebraska Athletics

Head Coach

Brock Hardy

Hometown Brigham City, Utah  ·  College Nebraska, 141 lb

  • 4×NCAA All-American
  • 2025Big Ten champion
  • 111Career wins

Four NCAA tournaments, four trips to the podium. Brock Hardy placed sixth, third, second and fourth at 141 pounds from 2023 to 2026, reached the 2025 national final as the No. 1 seed and won the 2025 Big Ten title with a pin.

Internationally, he won bronze at the 2023 U23 World Championships at 65 kg, coming back from four points down in the medal match, and was runner-up at the 2025 Senior World Team Trials challenge tournament. He continues to compete in senior freestyle.

Off the mat: six-time Academic All-Big Ten, a psychology degree, the 2026 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and two years of mission service in Rio de Janeiro.

“My value is not based upon winning or losing, but rather on growing.”

Brock Hardy has his hand raised after a win in a red Nebraska singlet.
2025 Big Ten Championships. Photo: Nebraska Athletics
Career highlights
  • NCAA All-American at 141 pounds: 6th (2023), 3rd (2024), 2nd (2025), 4th (2026)
  • 2025 Big Ten champion; Big Ten finalist in 2023 and 2026
  • 2023 U23 World Championships bronze medalist, 65 kg
  • 2025 Senior World Team Trials challenge tournament runner-up, 65 kg
  • 111 career wins, 16th in Nebraska history
  • 2026 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award; Nebraska Excellence in Leadership Award
  • Six-time Academic All-Big Ten; four-time NWCA Scholar All-American
  • Four-time Utah state champion at Box Elder High School
Silas Allred Big Ten Champion Photo: Nebraska Athletics

Head Coach

Silas Allred

Hometown Anderson, Ind.  ·  College Nebraska, 197 and 184 lb

  • 2023Big Ten champion
  • 2025NCAA All-American
  • 97Career wins

In 2023, Silas Allred beat Penn State’s top-ranked Max Dean 6-3 to win the Big Ten title at 197 pounds. He was Nebraska’s first conference champion since Robert Kokesh in 2015.

He qualified for four NCAA Championships, earned All-America honors at 184 pounds in 2025, pinning the No. 5 seed along the way, and finished with 97 career wins. In high school he went 146-2 with 138 pins and won two Indiana state titles.

Nebraska named him its Most Dedicated Wrestler in 2022-23 and gave him the Peyton Robb Most Courageous Award in 2025-26. The Big Ten gave him its Sportsmanship Award in 2023.

“We’re not perfect, but we have a special culture where we cheer each other on and hold each other accountable and we just love to work hard.”

Silas Allred celebrates on the mat in a white Nebraska singlet.
2023 Big Ten Championships. Photo: Nebraska Athletics
Career highlights
  • 2023 Big Ten champion at 197 pounds, beating No. 1 Max Dean of Penn State 6-3
  • 2025 NCAA All-American at 184 pounds (7th)
  • Four-time NCAA qualifier (2023–26); third at the 2024 Big Ten Championships
  • 97 career wins
  • 2022 U20 World Team Trials runner-up, 92 kg
  • 2023 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award; Peyton Robb Most Courageous Award (2025-26)
  • Six-time Academic All-Big Ten; two-time NWCA Scholar All-American
  • 146-2 in high school with 138 pins; two-time Indiana state champion
Liam Cronin Team USA · 57 kg Photo: Nebraska Athletics

Head Coach

Liam Cronin

Hometown Orange, Calif.  ·  College Nebraska, 125 lb

  • 2026Pan American champion
  • No. 3U.S. National Team, 57 kg
  • 2023NCAA All-American

In May 2026, Liam Cronin won gold for Team USA at the Senior Pan American Championships, beating 2024 Olympian Darian Cruz 5-4 in the 57 kg final.

A member of the 2025-26 U.S. National Team, ranked No. 3 at 57 kg, he also owns a 2025 Pan American bronze medal and a runner-up finish at the 2025 U.S. Open, and he wrestled at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He lives in Lincoln and trains with the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center.

As a Husker he was a 2023 NCAA All-American, fifth at 125 pounds, and the Big Ten runner-up. His Nebraska degree is in Child, Youth and Family Studies.

“I take a loss as a learning lesson, so I either win or I learn.”

Career highlights
  • 2026 Senior Pan American Championships gold medalist, 57 kg
  • 2025 Pan American Championships bronze medalist
  • U.S. National Team, 2025-26 (No. 3 at 57 kg)
  • 2025 U.S. Open runner-up; 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials qualifier
  • 2023 NCAA All-American (5th at 125 pounds) and Big Ten runner-up for Nebraska
  • NCAA qualifier in 2020 (Indiana), 2021 and 2023 (Nebraska)
  • Seven-time Junior All-American in Fargo; two-time California state finalist at Servite High School
Caleb Smith Competes for Puerto Rico Photo: Nebraska Athletics

Head Coach

Caleb Smith

Hometown High Point, N.C.  ·  College Appalachian State and Nebraska, 125 lb

  • 2×NCAA All-American
  • 2026Pan American silver
  • 2026World Championships

Caleb Smith came to Nebraska as a graduate transfer from Appalachian State and became a two-time NCAA All-American at 125 pounds, placing sixth in 2024 and seventh in 2025. He was also the 2025 Big Ten runner-up.

He now wrestles internationally for Puerto Rico. He won the 57 kg title at the 2025 Bill Farrell Memorial, took silver at 61 kg at the 2026 Senior Pan American Championships and made his World Championships debut in 2026.

A three-time NWCA Scholar All-American, he earned a marketing degree at Appalachian State before graduate study at Nebraska.

“You don’t have to be that good. You have to fight. It’s about working harder than the guy across the mat.”

Career highlights
  • NCAA All-American at 125 pounds for Nebraska: 6th (2024), 7th (2025)
  • 2025 Big Ten runner-up
  • Four-time NCAA qualifier: Appalachian State (2022, 2023) and Nebraska (2024, 2025)
  • 2023 Southern Conference champion
  • 2026 Senior Pan American Championships silver medalist, 61 kg
  • Competed at the 2026 Senior World Championships, 61 kg
  • 2025 Bill Farrell Memorial champion, 57 kg
  • 2019 North Carolina 3A state champion; 186-21 at Southwest Guilford High School
Christian Lance Heavyweight Photo: Nebraska Athletics

Head Coach

Christian Lance

Hometown Nixa, Mo.  ·  College Fort Hays State and Nebraska, heavyweight

  • 2022NCAA All-American
  • 2024Olympic Trials qualifier
  • 101College wins

Christian Lance started wrestling in seventh grade as a 120-pound kid, began his college career in Division II at Fort Hays State and finished it as a Division I All-American heavyweight at Nebraska.

His run to eighth place at the 2022 NCAA Championships included a 5-4 win over Air Force’s Wyatt Hendrickson. In senior freestyle at 125 kg he was runner-up at the 2023 U.S. Senior Nationals, qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and placed third at the 2025 U.S. Open.

“When I first came to Nebraska, I wrote down on a piece of paper that I’d become a Division I All-American. In order to achieve it, I first had to believe in it.”

Career highlights
  • 2022 NCAA All-American at heavyweight (8th); two-time NCAA qualifier
  • Fifth (2021) and seventh (2022) at the Big Ten Championships
  • 2023 U.S. Senior Nationals runner-up, 125 kg
  • 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials qualifier
  • Third at the 2025 U.S. Open
  • Bill Farrell Memorial: 2nd (2023), 3rd (2024 and 2025)
  • 2017 NCAA Division II qualifier at Fort Hays State
  • 2015 Missouri Class 4 state champion at Nixa High School

Interviews & Podcasts

The Film Room

Want to know how our coaches think about training, competing and growing up in the sport? Hear it from them, in their own words.

Class Coaches

Academy Coaching Staff

The head coaches and assistants who lead our classes include a former Husker, college wrestlers, college coaches and Nebraska state champions.

  • Josh Gannon

    Head Coach

  • Scott Robertson

    Head Coach

  • Gage Anderson

    Head Coach

    Spent five years in the Nebraska wrestling program (2012–17), earning three letters, Academic All-Big Ten honors and three selections to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team. A Seattle native with a Nebraska degree in psychology, he has also coached at Nebraska Wesleyan.

  • Mileena Notaro

    Co-Head Coach

    A Lincoln East graduate and three-time Nebraska state finalist (2023, 2024 and 2025) who went on to wrestle at Southeast Community College.

    Watch

  • Abby Negley

    Assistant Coach

    Two-time NSAA Class B state champion for Cozad (2025, 2026) who finished her high school career 152-11. Holds Nebraska’s all-class records for takedowns in a season (252) and a career (692).

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  • Aubrie Pehrson

    Assistant Coach

    Three-time NSAA state champion (2022, 2023, 2025) and the first girl in Nebraska history to reach 150 career wins and 150 career pins. Holds the state record with 175 career pins, and wrestled at Wartburg College.

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  • Hayden Schmit

    Assistant Coach

    Two-time NSAA Class C state champion for David City (2025, 2026) and a four-time state finalist.

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  • Isaac Christo

    Assistant Coach

    2026 NSAA Class B state champion at 157 pounds for Omaha Skutt Catholic, and a third-generation Nebraska state champion.

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  • Isaiah Graves

    Assistant Coach

    Assistant wrestling coach at Nebraska Wesleyan, where he wrestled for five seasons and earned three letters. From La Mesa, Calif.

  • Rylan Hansen

    Assistant Coach

    2026 NSAA Class B state champion at 130 pounds, the first girls state champion in Stanton High School history, and the 2025 state runner-up.

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  • Tre Daro

    Assistant Coach

    2022 NSAA Class C state champion for David City who went on to wrestle four seasons at Nebraska-Kearney.

  • Zeth Gerkensmeyer

    Assistant Coach

    Four-year letterwinner at Nebraska Wesleyan and a two-time NCAA Division III regional placewinner. 2019 NSAA Class B state runner-up for Columbus Lakeview.

  • Abigail Weitzel

    Assistant Coach

  • Gabe Kieth

    Assistant Coach

  • Hoyt Anderson

    Assistant Coach

  • Mia Cobian

    Assistant Coach

Train With Them

Every class comes with a free trial. Bring your wrestler to the Nebraska Wrestling Room and meet the coaches in person.

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Coach portraits and competition photos courtesy of Nebraska Athletics. Career records were checked against Huskers.com, USA Wrestling, the NSAA and college athletics sites in November 2026.