March 22, 2006
Release courtesy of Darren Miller, Cornell College sports information director

MOUNT VERNON , IOWA . . . Mike Duroe, who led Cornell to a school-record 15 dual victories and coached its first All-American in five years, will shed the interim label and become the full-time head wrestling coach.

“I’m excited about the future of the program,” Duroe said. “There were some things that happened this season that gave us a lot of momentum. We’re going to continue to try to raise the bar here and continue to motivate our guys to reach new heights.”

Duroe, who compiled a record of 82-27 at Northern Michigan from 1980-85, was named by USA Wrestling to coach the 2006 U.S. Freestyle World Team at the World Championships in Guanghou, China, Sept. 26-Oct. 1.

Cornell finished the 2005-06 season with a 15-9-1 dual record. The Rams qualified two wrestlers for the NCAA Division III national championships and sophomore 125-pounder Chris Heilman (Colorado Springs, Colo./St. Mary’s) reached All-American status by placing seventh. Twenty-one wrestlers on Cornell’s final roster are expected to return to the team next season.

“We’re thrilled that Coach Duroe is staying at Cornell,” Cornell Athletics Director Tina Hill said. “He has been a terrific role model for our student-athletes and a tremendous asset for our athletic program. With his leadership we see good things on the horizon for our wrestling program.”

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