Head Wrestling Coach
Craig Thurber

Craig Thurber is in his fifth season as the head wrestling coach at Thiel. Thurber 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 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar 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.

His wife Kristin is a sixth grade teacher in the Greenville School District. They have a two young daughters, Keetin and Karis, and reside in Greenville.

Assistant Wrestling Coach
Jeff Linn

Jeff Linn returns for his sixth season as an assistant coach with the Tomcat wrestling team. He will assist head coach Craig Thurber with recruiting and daily activities of the Tomcats.

Linn is a 2002 graduate of Thiel College with a B.A. in history along with an elementary education certification. He is a two-time NCAA national qualifier ('99, '02) and earned All-American honors at the 2002 national meet with a seventh place finish in the 141 pound weight class. Linn was also the Midwest Regional Wrestling champion in 2002, earning him an invitation to the national championship meet.

In Linn's three-year career at Thiel, he earned three letters, compiled a 70-13 overall record and was a three-time Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) champion ('99, '00, '02). Linn is one of only two wrestlers in Thiel history to go undefeated during a regular season (1999).

In 1999, Linn was selected among wrestlers from Division I, II, and III to travel abroad and wrestle against the Bulgarian national team and an Italian club team. Linn wrestled at the 63 kilogram weight class and was one of three American wrestlers to come back to the states with a winning record (3-1). His only loss came to an Olympic alternate from the Bulgarian team.

A 1997 graduate of Chartiers Valley High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., Linn is an alumni of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity.

Linn is the Assistant Director of Admissions and the athletics liason at Thiel. He is married to Kateri M. Linn who is an academic/career counselor in the Center for Learning and Advising at Thiel.