W&J Names Tommy Prairie as New Head Wrestling Coach
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- Washington & Jefferson College Director of Athletics Bill Dukett announced Tommy Prairie as the Presidents’ head wrestling coach on Friday, April 15.
A 2005 graduate of Williams College (Mass.), Prairie replaces Jay Robison, who resigned following the 2010-11 season after six years on the Washington, Pa., campus.
“Tommy is an outstanding young coach who has been successful in NCAA Division III as a student-athlete and as a coach,” said Dukett. “He has experienced both sides of what it takes to succeed in the classroom and on the mat. Tommy displays great passion for the sport and epitomizes what the student-athlete experience at Washington & Jefferson College is all about. His organizational skills and recruiting experience will help us continue to grow the sport of wrestling on our campus.”
“We would like to thank Coach Robison for his dedication to W&J wrestling,” added Dukett. “He helped maintain a level of success with our wrestling program and Coach Prairie is excited to put his own mark on our team as the new coach.”
Prairie comes to W&J after spending four seasons as the head wrestling coach at Plymouth State University (N.H.). This past winter, he helped the Panthers to their best finish (4th) at the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) Championships since 2003. One PSU wrestler, Mike Willey, qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships after compiling a 21-match win streak.
