ANGOLA, IND. -- Trine University and the Thunder wrestling program announce the promotion of Tom Hall to the position of Head Wrestling Coach. Hall takes over for Dan Callahan who has moved into an Assistant Athletic Director of Compliance role within the Athletic Department.
"Tom was an obvious choice to take over our wrestling program," said Athletic Director/Assistant VP for Athletics Matt Land. "Tom has been with the program as an assistant the past two seasons and has played a big role in recruitment in the area which will aid the transition."
"We thank Coach Callahan for all his hard work with the wrestling program and has helped transform it into one of the better programs in the area," added Land. "He has served as both our Head Wrestling Coach and Compliance Officer for several years and we look forward to having him in his new role."
Tom joined the Thunder wrestling program as an assistant coach in the summer of 2016 and brings a strong wrestling pedigree to the Trine wrestling program.
"I am thankful to have been chosen for this position," said Hall. "Over the last two years, this program has made many strides and I am very excited to see what's to come. Trine has academics that are second-to-none with both programs and professors that I feel push students to their fullest potential along with an athletic department that is committed to excellence. I am proud to continue to be a part of Thunder Athletics!"
He wrestled collegiately at Olivet College, where he was a two-time NCAA Division III Regional placer. While at Olivet, Hall also earned NCAA Division III All-American honors and was a two-time captain. Hall graduated from Olivet in 2016 with a degree in exercise science.
A native of South Boardman, Mich., Hall was a three-time Michigan High School state qualifier at Fife Lake Forest Area High School. His top performance in the state meet included a third-place finish. Hall graduated from Fife Lake Forest Area in 2012.
In addition to having a new head coach, the wrestling program will have a new conference as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association will begin sponsoring wrestling in 2018-19 after a 35-year hiatus.
Currently, four MIAA schools sponsor wrestling: Adrian, Alma, Olivet, and Trine. Of the four, Olivet is the lone institution that has continually sponsored wrestling and has not dropped the program since first offering the sport for the 1964-65 campaign. Adrian's first season was in 1959, with the program halting in 1984 before resuming for the 2015-16 academic year. Alma first sponsored wrestling in 1969 before discontinuing in 1984; the Scots resumed for the 2011-12 season. Trine has offered wrestling since the 2004-05 academic year.
Originally added as an MIAA-sponsored sport for the 1968-69 academic year, wrestling was dropped by the conference in 1984. During the sport's 16-year span in the MIAA, the conference awarded 17 league titles (Kalamazoo and Olivet were co-champions in 1980) and honored 18 wrestlers as MVPs. The MIAA also awarded 160 All-MIAA awards, with six student-athletes earning All-MIAA accolades four times.
The addition of wrestling gives the MIAA 23 sponsored sports - 12 for men, 11 for women.