Perry enjoying life at Cal Poly

OMAHA, Neb. - Wrestling and the West Coast has agreed well with Mark Perry.

Perry, a former four-time All-American for the University of Iowa from 2004-08, finished his first season as an assistant coach for Cal Poly-SLO at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships last night at the Qwest Center.

“It's great,” said Perry, a Penn State assistant last year. “I love it. I couldn't be happier. This is the happiest I've ever been in my wrestling career.”

Perry has had an impact. The Mustangs were 8-4 in duals, finishing third at the Pac-10 tournament, holding a 6½-point going into the finals before placing behind Boise State and Oregon State.

“He brings a lot,” Cal Poly head coach John Azevedo said. “He's obviously a very intense competitor. Very passionate about wrestling and 24/7 thinks about wrestling and helping these guys.”

The Mustangs were looking at a top-20 team finish and had two All-Americans in 133-pounder Boris Novachkov and Chase Pami at 157. Pami is the first Mustang finalist since Chad Mendes (141) in 2008. He was attempting to be the school's first NCAA champ since Mark DiGirolamo in 1976.

Things are bright for the Mustangs.

“I think in the next couple years you'll see great things out of Cal Poly,” Perry said. “We return nine guys.

Of course, Perry has helped add a little shine to the future, bringing in young talent.

“We had the sixth-best recruiting class,” said Azevedo, praising Perry for his efforts to build excitement and funding. “Mark was pretty much in charge of recruiting, and did an awesome job, obviously.”

Azevedo wasn't sure what to expect when he contacted Perry about the position. Perry won everyone over.

“He's an awesome coach,” Azevedo said. “He's not just a great wrestler, but he's got a coach's mentality. You can just see that.”

Perry said he hopes the relationship is long-term. He could see Cal Poly blossom into something special.

“We're slowly building a fan base,” Perry said. “It could be a powerhouse easily.”