Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock confirmed Monday that Kevin Dresser has resigned his position as wrestling coach to become the next head coach at Iowa State.
Dresser’s hometown of Humboldt, Iowa, is approximately 80 miles from Ames. Dresser was a two-time All-American at the University of Iowa and won a national championship for the Hawkeyes in 1986. He was a 2014 inductee into the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame.
“While the in-season timing is admittedly not ideal and disappointing to hear, the opportunity for someone to return home is rare in collegiate athletics,” Babcock said. “We appreciate all of Kevin’s contributions to Virginia Tech. We will always be grateful for that fact that Kevin took over a program in a very tenuous position and transformed Virginia Tech into a top five wrestling program in the nation. I have respect for Kevin and Iowa State Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard. We wish Kevin and his family the very best.”
Under Dresser in 2016, the Hokies claimed the ACC dual meet championship and finished fourth at the NCAA Championships, the best finish in program history and the highest finish ever by an ACC squad. Virginia Tech claimed the ACC dual meet title under Dresser once again this season with a 20-14 win over N.C. State on Feb. 11. The Hokies finished the 2016-17 dual meet season with an 18-1 record and are currently ranked fifth in the NWCA/USA Today coaches poll.
“Virginia Tech and the Hokie Nation have been wonderful to me and my family,” Dresser said. “I appreciate all of our student-athletes, coaches and staff who helped make the Hokies one of the elite programs in the nation. We’ll always cherish the time we spent at Virginia Tech and wish the Hokies much success going forward. While the timing of this move isn’t perfect, making this very difficult decision is what is best for our family and I am excited to return home to Iowa and ISU.”
Babcock indicated that Tony Robie, who is in his 11th season as associate head coach at Virginia Tech, will serve as interim head coach, effective immediately for the remainder of the season. A former head coach at Binghamton University, Robie was a two-time All-America selection and an NCAA runner-up as a student-athlete at Edinboro University. His resume also includes assistant coaching tenures at Michigan, West Virginia and his alma mater.
“We have great confidence in Tony as our interim head coach and also in assistant coach Mike Zadick and Derek St. John to successfully lead our squad during the championship season,” Babcock continued. “Tony has previous head coaching experience, he recruited many of the young men currently on our team and has served on our wrestling staff for a decade. A three-time All-American and Olympian, Mike has been a tremendous asset to our team since his arrival a year ago, while Derek is a former NCAA champion who has also been a solid addition to our staff.
“We are committed to finding a head coach who can continue our success and ultimately bring a national championship to Blacksburg,” Babcock concluded. “We will conduct a comprehensive search at the conclusion of the season to find the right individual to lead the Hokies with both internal and external candidates to be considered. In the meantime, our focus must be solely on our team and student-athletes, and supporting them in every way possible. They’ve worked incredibly hard to get us to this point and they deserve nothing less.”
Dresser joined the Hokies in April of 2006 and guided the program to a 160-51 record in 11 seasons. He came to Virginia Tech after previously serving as head coach at a pair of Virginia high schools in Christiansburg and Grundy, Virginia.