Bormet Named Amateur Wrestling News' Rookie Coach of the Year
5/1/2019 11:45:00 AM | Wrestling
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- University of Michigan wrestling head coach Sean Bormet has been named the 2018-19 Rookie Coach of the Year by Amateur Wrestling News, it was announced when the publication released its May issue digitally on Monday (April 29).
Bormet guided the Wolverines to a 13-1 dual-meet record, highlighted by a dramatic 19-17 road win at No. 2 Ohio State (Jan. 25), to finish third in the final Big Ten Conference standings before wrapping the season with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships (March 21-23) -- U-M's second straight top-five NCAA finish. Senior/junior Stevan Micic (133 pounds), fifth-year senior Alec Pantaleo (157) and senior-junior Myles Amine (174) all captured All-America honors for the third time in their careers.
Named the 10th head coach in the history of the Michigan wrestling program on March 27, 2018, Bormet spent the previous seven years as the program's top assistant, including four as associate head coach. Over the last eight seasons, he has worked with 14 different Wolverine All-Americans, with Michigan earning 19 All-America citations -- from 10 different wrestlers -- over the last five seasons. Michigan has also recorded four consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships, including a fourth-place showing in 2018 and this year's fifth-place finish.
Prior to returning to his alma mater, Bormet founded and operated the Overtime School of Wrestling in Naperville, Illinois, molding the training center into the nation's premiere wrestling club and producing numerous champions and All-Americans at all age levels since its opening in 2001. Alumni of the Overtime School of Wrestling include World medalists, Olympic and World team members, NCAA champions and All-Americans, USA Wrestling Junior and Cadet national champions and more than 150 Illinois and Indiana state champions.
Bormet is a three-time winner of the Terry McCann Award as the USA Wrestling Freestyle Coach of the Year (2006, '08, '10) and serves on USA Wrestling's Executive Coaches Council. He was a member of the coaching staff for three U.S. World Championship Teams (2006, '09, '10) as well as the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Teams, the 2010 World Cup Team and the 2017 Cadet World Team.
Bormet was also named the 2004 USA Wrestling Developmental Coach of the Year for his coaching achievements with age-group wrestlers and programs. He coached the Illinois Junior Freestyle Team to four dual national titles (2006, '07, '08, '10) and two national freestyle titles (2007, '10).
Amateur Wrestling News has presented its Rookie Coach of the Year annually since 1962. Former Michigan head coach Joe McFarland earned the distinction in 1990 after his first at Indiana when he led the Hoosiers to a 14-0 dual-meet record and claimed Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. He returned to his alma mater in the summer of 1992 and spent 19 seasons at the helm of the Michigan program (2000-18) before retiring last spring.
