CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State Athletic Department and head wrestling coach Josh Moore announced the hiring of Domenic Abounader as an assistant coach for the Vikings program.
Abounader was a five-year wrestler at the University of Michigan from 2013-to 2018, qualifying four times for the NCAA Championships at 184-pounds. He reached the round of 12 in his junior year before earning NCAA All-American honors in his final year after placing fifth.
"Domenic is a great fit for our program," stated coach Moore. "He is well known in our wrestling community and has incredible credentials as a Big Ten Champ and All-American. I'm excited for our upper weights to learn and develop under his watch."
Abounader was a four-time Big Ten placer, finishing third on three occasions and winning the Big Ten Championship in his sophomore year.
"I'm very excited to be a part of this program," said Abounader. "I think I can start making an impact immediately and hope to help these student-athletes become better on and off the mat as better wrestlers, students, and men."
Abounader graduated from Michigan with a 96-30 overall record which included; 12 falls, 12 technical falls, and 18 major decisions. His all-time dual record was 43-11 with a perfect 15-0 mark during his junior year. In addition, he was a four-time team captain and earned the Steve Fraser Award for mental toughness in 2018 and the Pete Cornell Award for leadership in 2016.
After graduating from UM, Abounader was a four-year wrestler for the Lebanon National team at 86kg. In his first international tournament, he won a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games, the first medalist for Lebanon wrestling.
Abounader attended St. Edward High School, winning three Ohio state Championships, twice at 182-pounds and once at 160-pounds. He had a career record of 135-8, including a perfect 36-0 senior season. Abounader was twice named All-Ohio first team and was the nation's No. 11 overall recruit by InterMat and the No. 1 ranked 182-pound wrestler.
Abounader graduated with a bachelor's degree in sociology from Michigan.