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Wrestling
Assistant head coach Randy Pugh will enter his sixth season as UNI's top assistant. Pugh was promoted in the middle of the 2003-04 season. Pugh joined Penrith's staff following an outstanding athletic career at the University of Northern Iowa. In his eight seasons as a coach, Pugh, a former Panther All-American, helped develop All-Americans Eric Hauan (174), Kyle Hansen (184), Jason Payne (197), Sean Stender (197) and Paul Hynek (285). When head coach Brad Penrith took over eight years ago, the Columbus Junction, Iowa, native was a natural choice. "Randy was a great student-athlete here at UNI," Penrith said. "When he was one of my wrestlers, we had a bond for a student-coach relationship. Now as a coach, he relates to all the guys on the team. He has a great head on his shoulders and does a great job in the wrestling room. "I've said a thousand times, Randy came into this program working his tail off when he was a senior, becoming one of the leaders," Penrith said. "It has carried over to him being a leader as a coach. I'm not scared to go on a recruiting trip or an appointment, because I know everything will be taken care of. I'm confident that the practices will be run well and he is going to get the most out of the wrestlers when I'm not around." While coaching for the Panthers, he has been training for international competition as an 85 kg. freestyle wrestler. Pugh finished in fourth place at the USA World Trials in June 2002 and competed in the Trials again in 2003. In 2002, he won the Sunkist International Open and garnered a third-place finish at the U.S. Open. In 2003, Pugh again achieved All-American status as he placed 8th at the U.S. Open. He also placed third at the Dave Schultz Open in 2003. As an athlete at UNI, Pugh finished fourth at the 2000 NCAA Tournament at 174 pounds, capping a senior season in which he compiled a 26-4 record. He was ranked as high as third nationally after upending top-rated Otto Olson at the Virginia Duals. Pugh was a state high school champion his senior year at Columbus Junction before enrolling at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he compiled a 16-8 record his first year. After transferring to UNI in 1998, he went 54-9 in two seasons for the Panthers, giving him a 70-17 career mark. For Pugh, the biggest change from competing on the mat to coaching his former teammates is motivating others. "When I was on the mat, I was doing what it took to make myself a better athlete," Pugh said. "But as a coach, I am more concerned with what others are doing and helping them improve." Pugh not only was a leader in the wrestling arena but also in the classroom. He graduated with a degree in Industrial Technology. Pugh's goal for the Panthers is for the athletes to improve every match out and continue to be good student-athletes. He and his wife, Krista, are the parents of a daughter, Hayden, born March 6, 2007. |
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