Aug. 22, 2008
Contact: Greg Murphy
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ben Stehura, a graduate assistant at Cleveland State from 2001-03, is returning to the Viking program as the head wrestling coach. Director of Athletics Lee Reed made the announcement on Friday (Aug. 22) morning.
"I am extremely excited about the opportunity to return to Cleveland State and Northeast Ohio and become part of a great tradition that is CSU wrestling," Stehura said. "I have a tremendous amount of pride in the wrestling program and I want to do everything I can to continue the success that the program has enjoyed.
"I am looking forward to working with a tremendous group of student-athletes, coaches and administrators and helping to write the next chapter in Cleveland State history."
"I am thrilled about the addition of Ben as our head wrestling coach," Reed said. "Ben really impressed us with his work ethic, his knowledge of wrestling and his committment to the overall well-being of the student-athletes.
"His approach to wrestling has allowed his teams to be very successful. He started the program at Limestone just five years ago and it is already competing on the national stage. That speaks volumes about the kind of coach he is."
Stehura joins the Viking wrestling program after serving the last five years as the head coach at Division II Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C. The only head coach in school history, Stehura quickly built the program and has already coached one NCAA National Champion, three NCAA All-Americans, five NCAA National qualifiers and eight NCAA All-Academic team members.
He has also coached three U.S. Senior Open All-Americans, four Olympic Team Trial qualifiers and two Olympic team alternates.
Prior to starting the program at Limestone, Stehura was a graduate assistant coach at CSU from 2001-03, while earning his Masters Degree in Education Administration in 2003. While at CSU, he was part of a staff that qualified 10 grapplers for the NCAA Championship, had three EWL individual champions and 14 EWL placewinners. In addition, the 2003 squad finished third at the EWL Championship.
A 2000 graduate of Lock Haven University with a Bachelor's of Science in Secondary Education, Stehura was a three-year starter, earning fourth and fifth place finishes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament.
He was a two-time state qualifier at Jefferson High, placing fifth at the OHSAA state tournament as a senior.
Stehura takes over a program that had two national qualifiers last season and loses just three seniors from last year's roster. The Vikings have had at least one NCAA qualifier each year since 1965.
