Cloud County Community College has named Chris Freije the first Men's Wrestling Head Coach in school history, following Tuesday night's Board of Trustees meeting.
Freije, a 31-year-old native of Mesa, Arizona, will lead the T-Birds for their inaugural season in the fall of 2017.
"I'm excited. This is a very good wrestling region in the state of Kansas and I'm excited for this opportunity," Freije said, who comes to Concordia from Columbia, Kentucky where he was the Head Assistant Coach at Lindsey Wilson College.
Freije also has assistant coaching stops at a pair of Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) programs: Colorado Mesa University (2010-2014) and his alma mater Western State University (2010).
"Chris was an outstanding candidate and came into the interview with approximately seven years of collegiate coaching experience. He has a great feel for recruiting, a great feel for raising money through camps, which will be something very important to our area," said Cloud County Athletic Director, Matt Bechard. "He understands departmental matters and issues, and really has a good feel for getting his athletes involved in campus and community life. He was a great candidate in a solid group of applicants interested in the job. But Chris definitely stood out. We're excited about him getting here on November 1."
On the mat, Freije was the 2004 Arizona Class 5A state champion his senior year in high school at 152 pounds. He wrestled his freshman year at Arizona State University before finishing collegiate career at Western State, helping the Mountaineers to a RMAC Championship in 2009. Freije won the RMAC Super Region 4 championship and finished as the NCAA DII runner-up at 149 pounds that same season.
That competitiveness that nearly landed him a national championship has Freije hopeful that Cloud County wrestling can be a program that can compete immediately in the NJCAA Region VI and nationally.
"I'd like to hit the ground running this first year. I think all the resources are there to be a top team," Freije said. "It's tough to make predictions going in, but I'd like us to be a top-15 team in Year One and in years to come. I believe Cloud County will be a program that consistently competes for championships at the national level."
Freije said he would like to finalize the hire of an assistant coach within the coming weeks and get on the recruiting trail as soon as possible. And while he has connections across the Midwest, Freije said finding in-state talent is a top priority.
"I have a large recruiting database of seniors already put together, but Kansas is obviously going to be my main state for recruiting," Freije said. "I think it's important to recruit in-state and keep as many of the local wrestlers in the region as possible."
Freije, who has helped coach eight conference championship teams, 28 national qualifiers, 12 All-Americans and two National Champions between the NCAA Division II and NAIA ranks, said personality traits, in addition to recruiting great talent, will be important factors when assembling his roster.
"The big thing with me is to recruit top quality individuals with high character," Freije said. "I want kids who are committed to the process. Putting the focus on well-rounded excellence is something that is essential and what my coaching philosophy is based on."
