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Wrestling
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 Head
coach Jim Miller came to Wartburg in 1991. Since then, his teams have compiled
a 335-32-4 dual meet record, won 18 consecutive Iowa Conference
championships, won seven national championships since 1996, and placed first or second in the nation 15 of the
past 18 years. Wartburg has also reeled off a remarkable string of 142 consecutive dual wins against Iowa Conference competition, dating back to 1994, and reached the 20-win dual mark in four of the last five years. Wartburg owns four NWCA/Cliff Keen Division III National Duals championships (2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008) and has reached the final round of the event in each of the last eight seasons. Miller is a member of the National Wrestling Coaches Association's Division III Hall of Fame, Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame, Glen Brands Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame, the East (Waterloo) High School Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame. He was named Division III Rookie Coach of the Year and National Rookie Coach of the Year by Amateur Wrestling News in 1992 and Division III Coach of the Year in 1993, 1996,1999, 2003 and 2009. He also won Coach-of-the-Year laurels in the Iowa Conference in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009 and was the third runner-up (1996) and recipient of the prestigious Dan Gable all-division Coach of the Year award in 2004 as selected by W.I.N. magazine. Wrestling USA magazine tabbed him Iowa's Man of the Year in 2003. He previously served for eight years as the top assistant at the University of Northern Iowa where he was honored as an assistant Coach of the Year in 1989. Prior to moving to UNI, he was an assistant coach at Riceville High School and a head coach at Charles City High School, where he compiled a 55-10 record. He was named Iowa High School Coach of the Year in 1979 and Iowa's Freestyle Coach of the Year in 1982.
Keller earned his degree in health and physical education from the University of Northern Iowa in 1999. He was an NCAA All-American and Academic All-American for the Panthers and also added world team wrestling trials qualifier, Northern Plains Regional Olympic champion and UNI team captain (1998-99) honors to his competitive resume. He was also a two-time Iowa state champion, compiling a 161-10-1 record in the high school ranks. Chris Ortner begins his fifth season with the Knights staff in 2009-10. Ortner previously led Waterloo (Columbus) High School to three consecutive top seven finishes at the Class 2A state tournament including a team championship in 2004. He was a two-time All-American in Wartburg's wrestling room, placing sixth in 1997 and 1998. T.J. Miller, three-time NCAA Division III All-American and 2007 national champion at 197 pounds, is in his second year with the staff in 2009-10. The son of head coach Jim Miller, T.J. amassed more than 100 wins in his career at Wartburg and was also a three-time Iowa Conference individual champion. |
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