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Head Women's Tennis
Coach
Craig Thurber
Craig Thurber begins a new era in Thiel
College wrestling. Thurber, in his third season with the Tomcats,
is a Greenville native who brings coaching experience from Division
I, II, and the high school ranks. Since taking over the Tomcat
program in 2003, Thurber has posted three Presidents' Athletic
Conference (PAC) Championships. In 2005 Thiel had three national
qualifiers, two All-Americans and one Academic All-American.
Thurber is a 1991 graduate of Greenville High School where he won a state championship
in 1991 and was runner-up in 1990 at 171 pounds. He then matriculated to the
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown where he earned a B.A. in social sciences
in 1996.
As a member of the Pitt-Johnstown wrestling team, Thurber was a three-time NCAA
All-American while finishing fifth in 1993, sixth in 1994, and national runner-up
in 1995 at 177 pounds. He won the Gorriaran Memorial Trophy at the 1995 Division
II National Championships for achieving the greatest number of falls in the least
amount of time. Thurber was a three-time Eastern Regional Champion and was named
outstanding wrestler at the Eastern Regionals tournament in 1995. He was also
a four-time individual champion at the Thiel College Invitational (1992-95) and
a three-time champion at the West Liberty (W. Va.) College Tournament (1993-95).
Thurber amassed 120 collegiate wins under Pitt-Johnstown head coach Pat Pecora.
As an assistant coach with Pitt-Johnstown in 1996, Thurber was part of the Mountain
Cats 1996 Division II National Championship team. From 1997-1999, he was an assistant
to former head coach Steve Roberts at Slippery Rock University where he tutored
Derek Delporto, a Division I All-American in 1999. While at Slippery Rock, Thurber
earned a B.S. in health and physical education.
Along with his position as head wrestling coach, Thurber also coaches the women's
tennis team in the fall.
His wife Kristin is a sixth grade teacher in the Greenville School District.
They have a young daughter, Keetin, and reside in Greenville. |
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