Nickerson joins ISU wrestling staff

Iowa State University announced Friday that former Cornell University NCAA champion Troy Nickerson will join the wrestling staff next season as an assistant to head coach Kevin Jackson. Nickerson replaces Yero Washington, who resigned after the 2011-12 season to pursue a job with a non-profit organization in California.

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Read the Iowa State release:

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head wrestling coach Kevin Jackson announced the hiring of former NCAA champion Troy Nickerson on Friday. Nickerson went 97-8 in his career at Cornell University, including an NCAA Championship in 2009 at 125 pounds.

"(Nickerson) was a perfect fit for us," Jackson said. "His major role will be to solidify the lighter weights on our team. He is a very intelligent guy, having wrestled on an Ivy League team with a top-notch wrestling tradition. It became obvious in his interview that he was the right man for the job."

Nickerson, a four-time All-American at Cornell, was an NCAA finalist twice and won three EIWA wrestling titles during his collegiate career. The Chenango Forks, N.Y. native was the first five-time New York high school state champion and also won six national high school championships.

"Iowa State is one of the most historic programs in the nation and when I came out there to visit, I really liked the tradition and the support that Iowa State commanded," Nickerson said. "It really seems like they have things going in the right direction and I'm looking to be part of something special. It's just exciting to be part of such a historic program."

Most recently, Nickerson served as an assistant wrestling coach for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club in Ithaca, N.Y. While coaching at FLWC, Nickerson constructed and ran wrestling practices for youth, high school, college and senior age divisions. He was the head coach of the FLWC college team during the 2010-11 season.

"I think I bring some youth and a different perspective coming from the east coast and Cornell," Nickerson said. "I'm going to be able to bring in a lot of east coast recruiting and just a different perspective to the Big 12 kind of training philosophy. Coaching the college team up there in Ithaca, I really developed a deep satisfaction for being able to help those guys achieve their goals, so I'm excited to bring that passion to Iowa State and help bring a national title back to Ames."