Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Zach Wood is Cleary University's new men's wrestling coach, replacing Matt Santos, who left Cleary to pursue other opportunities. Wood began his new role March 9.

“Zach is a driven and passionate leader who understands what it takes to build a championship-caliber program,”said Max Ballinger, Cleary's director of athletics. “His track record of successful recruiting and developing student athletes academically and competitively, as well as his strong community ties and partnerships, make him the right fit for our wrestlers, our athletic department, and Cleary.”

Prior to joining Cleary, Wood served as head assistant wrestling coach for the women’s program at Siena Heights University, according to a release. Before Siena Heights, Wood was assistant head coach for the men’s and women’s wrestling program at Albion College. During his two years at the school, he mentored 13 scholar All-Americans and coached nine national qualifiers. He was instrumental in recruiting 33 student athletes and helped guide both wrestling teams to NCAA Division III top 25 rankings.

Wood began his coaching career as a wrestling assistant at Clarkston High School. In 2018, he accepted the wrestling head coach position at Holly High School, where he led the team to four state championships, including the first female state champion in Holly history.

Outside his collegiate experience, Wood is Business Manager for MI Revolution, a wrestling and pickleball facility in Highland. He coordinates training classes and programming for youth wrestling.

Wood was born and raised in Oxford, was part of the 2011 State Champion wrestling team at Oxford High School, and continued his education at Lake Erie College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Studies and competed on the men’s wrestling team.

“Cleary’s reputation academically and athletically was very impressive, and when meeting members of the athletic and academic departments, I knew this was the right fit for me,” Wood said. “I’ve been given an opportunity to work with a great group of young men, to build a strong wrestling culture, and have the support of the Cleary organization to help young athletes develop their talents in athletics and academics. Influencing young men at this stage of their lives is a tall order, and I’m extremely grateful to Cleary for this opportunity.”

Wood’s coaching style is based on building strong, sustaining relationships with his team and Cleary; establishing consistent structure, having hard conversations with wrestlers when they are needed; and instilling expectations that are met athletically and academically.

“As a team, we will focus on day-to-day work, doing the small things correctly, that ultimately will lead to positive results,” he finds.

To learn more about Cleary’s wrestling program, visit the link below.