Rob McCabe will step down as the Head Coach of the Kentucky Wesleyan College wrestling team on July 31st. McCabe has been with the Panthers since the inception of the program in 2018.
“We are glad for Coach McCabe, but sad for us,” said Vice President of Athletics, Mark Shook. “I’d like to publicly thank him for his tireless work and his impact on a new and growing program and the significant number of students he recruited to Kentucky Wesleyan College in his 4+ years here.”
McCabe is returning home to his native Nucla, Colorado, moving into a teaching and coaching role. More importantly the majority of the McCabe family resides in Nucla and the surrounding areas. The Adams State graduate has been with the Panthers since the 2018 season where he served as the assistant coach for a year before being elevated to the head coaching position in May of 2019.
“I am extremely grateful to Kentucky Wesleyan,” said Coach McCabe. “I was able to be the head wrestling coach and build a brand-new wrestling program at the collegiate level. It truly has been an honor. I believe the progress that has been made during my time will be something the school and next head coach will be able to build upon. We have accomplished a lot in a short amount of time with Academic All-Americans, regional placers, and a new wrestling facility. KWC will hold a spot in my heart as well as my family’s for everything that we have been able to do here.”
In his time at the helm of the Panthers, McCabe as grown the roster and academic profile. Last season he helped guide Wesleyan to its best finish in the NCAA Super Regional as Andrew Parker finished sixth at 133-pounds, the highest finish by any wrestler in program history.
As his tenure comes to close, McCabe was able to complete work on acquiring a permanent structure for the program, the Mesco building on the West end of campus. The building is on schedule to be transition into a wrestling room and will be completely empty by or on July 21st, with more renovations to follow. The Mesco building along with other renovations on campus will continue to serve the program and all student-athletes better in the 2022-23 season. The progress will not stop there as plans for a bigger facility are being developed for the future of the program and sport.
Wesleyan will conduct a national search immediately to identify the next head coach of the program.
