FORMER THIEL WRESTLING COACH, NAMED TO DIVISION III NATIONAL WRESTLING COACHES HALL OF FAME

Kevin Fenstermacher
Sports Information Director
75 College Ave.
Greenville, PA 16125
Phone - 724.589.2187
Fax - 724.589.2856
kfenstermacher@thiel.edu
www.thiel.edu/athletics

For Immediate Release:

FORMER THIEL WRESTLING COACH NAMED TO DIVISION III NATIONAL WRESTLING COACHES HALL OF FAME

GREENVILLE, Pa. (February 4) - Longtime Thiel College wrestling coach Mark Vennis has been elected to the Division III National Wrestling Coaches Association’s (NWCA) Hall of Fame Class of 2004. He will be inducted at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Wrestling Championships on March 5-6, at the University of Dubuque, Iowa.

“I am humbled by this honor,” said Vennis. “It is truly an honor to be enshrined with the great coaches of Division III Wrestling. Many of the Hall of Fame members are heroes of mine and to be part of that group is a tribute to Thiel College, our athletes, coaches and supporters of our program.”

Vennis was nominated three times as the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year award and earned the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Coach of the Year honors an astounding 11 times.

In his 18-year tenure as head coach at Thiel, Vennis coached 15 NCAA All-Americans, 19 NWCA Scholar All-Americans, and saw 45 NCAA national qualifiers pass through his program.

In 1982 Vennis took over the struggling Tomcat program – there wasn’t even a wrestling room for practice – when the squad was comprised of only four wrestlers. Due to the lack of numbers, as well as an interest in the sport, the program was in jeopardy of being cancelled.

Vennis was given the task of building the program from the ground up. In his first year as head coach he saw his team go 0-11-1, but saw it improve to an 8-6 record in year two, and a 13-1 record in year three.

While building a top-notch Division III wrestling program, Vennis also managed to compile an outstanding 148-56-2 dual meet record. His 21 first place, 17 second place and seven third place finishes at tournaments over the years is a credit to the amount of effort and determination that Vennis instilled in his student-athletes during his reign.

Besides his accomplishments with the Thiel wrestling program, Vennis was also an integral member of the NWCA. He served as president of the Division III Coaches Association and revised the constitution to its current structure, restarted the cultural exchange program, developed a code of operations for the association, and started the Division III Coaches Association National Duals. During his coaching tenure Vennis served on the National Wrestling Coaches Board of Directors and was a member on many association committees aimed to aid and assist in the betterment of wrestling. For his efforts, the NWCA awarded him with the 25-Year Service Award in 1998.

“Mark played a large part in the NWCA moving forward at the Division III level. At this level (Division III) involvement with the NWCA is a thankless job, but Mark approached it with the same passion he showed the sport and with his athletes. I am just glad that he is being rewarded for all of his dedication over the years,” said Ron Beaschler, longtime Ohio Northern University Head Coach and Division III NWCA President.

"I want to thank the athletes who I have been fortunate enough to coach throughout the years here at Thiel College. They are the ones who enabled the program to have the success that it has had," said Vennis.

"Mark was always concerned with the entire state of Division III wrestling, which is obvious by his involvement in the NWCA. He took the NWCA in a positive direction as NWCA President and the thing that always impressed me was his overall passion for wrestling in general," said Angelo Morascyzk, Washington and Jefferson College Head Coach.

He led the Tomcats to 11 PAC titles, second only to former PAC member John Carroll University's 23. He also saw three of his teams win National NCAA Regional Championships – two in the Northeast, one in the East. Eight of Vennis' teams earned top 20 honors at the NCAA Division III National Championships.

“I was happy when I heard about Mark’s selection to the Hall of Fame. He is very deserving of this honor,” said Jare Kline, member of the hall of fame and retired coach of Olivet College (Mich.) and chairman of the Division III National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame Committee. “I have known and competed against him for a lot of years prior to him taking over as president of the NWCA and he just did a terrific job putting things together – such as the constitution, and code of operations for the NWCA. He is a worker, ready to take care of anything. He just did a great job helping Division III wrestling, including Division III coaches.”

Vennis was grateful to his colleagues and members of the Thiel family for their support over the years, singling out a few individuals who helped him develop the successful wrestling program.

“John Dickason, a former athletic director, was instrumental in helping me develop the wrestling program since day one. He allowed me to build this program from scratch and has supported me through all of my years as head coach,” said Vennis.

Dr. Robert Olson, current vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, received thanks from Vennis, as he had been the coach’s first assistant at Thiel and helped lay the groundwork for a successful program.

Roy Wilt, former All-American wrestler at Thiel in 1986, also helped continue the development of the program by increasing the schedule with more solid competition.

Vennis also recognized John Reynolds, current Greenville High School Head Wrestling Coach, who served as assistant for eight years as a great help in maintaining the excellence of the program, and assistant coach Bob Parker, former head coach at Commodore Perry High School who brought great knowledge of wrestling to help keep the program one of prominence.

Vennis also served Thiel College at various times during his tenure as the head coach for football, baseball, women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. He also was an assistant football coach.

Vennis graduated in 1971 from Fairmont State College where he doubled majored in social studies comprehensive and health, physical education and recreation. He earned his master’s degree in education from Youngstown State University in 1979.

Vennis and his wife, Diane, reside in Warren, Ohio, and have two children, Todd and Traci; both are graduates of Thiel College.

--30--
www.thiel.edu/athletics

		Kevin Fenstermacher Sports Information Director 75 College Ave. Greenville, PA 16125 Phone - 724.589.2187 Fax - 724.589.2856 kfenstermacher@thiel.edu www.thiel.edu/athletics

For Immediate Release: FORMER THIEL WRESTLING COACH NAMED TO DIVISION III NATIONAL WRESTLING COACHES HALL OF FAME GREENVILLE, Pa. (February 4) - Longtime Thiel College wrestling coach Mark Vennis has been elected to the Division III National Wrestling Coaches Association’s (NWCA) Hall of Fame Class of 2004. He will be inducted at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Wrestling Championships on March 5-6, at the University of Dubuque, Iowa. “I am humbled by this honor,” said Vennis. “It is truly an honor to be enshrined with the great coaches of Division III Wrestling. Many of the Hall of Fame members are heroes of mine and to be part of that group is a tribute to Thiel College, our athletes, coaches and supporters of our program.” Vennis was nominated three times as the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year award and earned the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Coach of the Year honors an astounding 11 times. In his 18-year tenure as head coach at Thiel, Vennis coached 15 NCAA All-Americans, 19 NWCA Scholar All-Americans, and saw 45 NCAA national qualifiers pass through his program. In 1982 Vennis took over the struggling Tomcat program – there wasn’t even a wrestling room for practice – when the squad was comprised of only four wrestlers. Due to the lack of numbers, as well as an interest in the sport, the program was in jeopardy of being cancelled. Vennis was given the task of building the program from the ground up. In his first year as head coach he saw his team go 0-11-1, but saw it improve to an 8-6 record in year two, and a 13-1 record in year three. While building a top-notch Division III wrestling program, Vennis also managed to compile an outstanding 148-56-2 dual meet record. His 21 first place, 17 second place and seven third place finishes at tournaments over the years is a credit to the amount of effort and determination that Vennis instilled in his student-athletes during his reign. Besides his accomplishments with the Thiel wrestling program, Vennis was also an integral member of the NWCA. He served as president of the Division III Coaches Association and revised the constitution to its current structure, restarted the cultural exchange program, developed a code of operations for the association, and started the Division III Coaches Association National Duals. During his coaching tenure Vennis served on the National Wrestling Coaches Board of Directors and was a member on many association committees aimed to aid and assist in the betterment of wrestling. For his efforts, the NWCA awarded him with the 25-Year Service Award in 1998. “Mark played a large part in the NWCA moving forward at the Division III level. At this level (Division III) involvement with the NWCA is a thankless job, but Mark approached it with the same passion he showed the sport and with his athletes. I am just glad that he is being rewarded for all of his dedication over the years,” said Ron Beaschler, longtime Ohio Northern University Head Coach and Division III NWCA President. "I want to thank the athletes who I have been fortunate enough to coach throughout the years here at Thiel College. They are the ones who enabled the program to have the success that it has had," said Vennis. "Mark was always concerned with the entire state of Division III wrestling, which is obvious by his involvement in the NWCA. He took the NWCA in a positive direction as NWCA President and the thing that always impressed me was his overall passion for wrestling in general," said Angelo Morascyzk, Washington and Jefferson College Head Coach. He led the Tomcats to 11 PAC titles, second only to former PAC member John Carroll University's 23. He also saw three of his teams win National NCAA Regional Championships – two in the Northeast, one in the East. Eight of Vennis' teams earned top 20 honors at the NCAA Division III National Championships. “I was happy when I heard about Mark’s selection to the Hall of Fame. He is very deserving of this honor,” said Jare Kline, member of the hall of fame and retired coach of Olivet College (Mich.) and chairman of the Division III National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame Committee. “I have known and competed against him for a lot of years prior to him taking over as president of the NWCA and he just did a terrific job putting things together – such as the constitution, and code of operations for the NWCA. He is a worker, ready to take care of anything. He just did a great job helping Division III wrestling, including Division III coaches.” Vennis was grateful to his colleagues and members of the Thiel family for their support over the years, singling out a few individuals who helped him develop the successful wrestling program. “John Dickason, a former athletic director, was instrumental in helping me develop the wrestling program since day one. He allowed me to build this program from scratch and has supported me through all of my years as head coach,” said Vennis. Dr. Robert Olson, current vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, received thanks from Vennis, as he had been the coach’s first assistant at Thiel and helped lay the groundwork for a successful program. Roy Wilt, former All-American wrestler at Thiel in 1986, also helped continue the development of the program by increasing the schedule with more solid competition. Vennis also recognized John Reynolds, current Greenville High School Head Wrestling Coach, who served as assistant for eight years as a great help in maintaining the excellence of the program, and assistant coach Bob Parker, former head coach at Commodore Perry High School who brought great knowledge of wrestling to help keep the program one of prominence. Vennis also served Thiel College at various times during his tenure as the head coach for football, baseball, women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. He also was an assistant football coach. Vennis graduated in 1971 from Fairmont State College where he doubled majored in social studies comprehensive and health, physical education and recreation. He earned his master’s degree in education from Youngstown State University in 1979. Vennis and his wife, Diane, reside in Warren, Ohio, and have two children, Todd and Traci; both are graduates of Thiel College.






--30-- www.thiel.edu/athletics