Berg names new wrestling coach in Ned Shuck!

Posted on | July 7, 2011 | 1 Comment

Tiffin, Ohio – June 22, 2011 –

Ned Shuck knows about championships. Augsburg College, where Shuck has been an assistant the past two years, won the Division III national championship in 2010. As a collegiate wrestler for the University of Iowa, one of the nation’s premiere programs, Shuck was a three-time Academic All Big Ten performer and four-year letter winner.
Shuck will bring his experience as a wrestler, coach and teacher to Heidelberg University as its next head wrestling coach beginning Aug. 1. In announcing Shuck’s hiring, Athletic Director Matt Palm said he will bring “a great deal of wrestling experience to the Heidelberg program.”

“We are excited that he will ensure our student-athletes are successful in the classroom, in the community and on the wrestling mats,” Palm said.

Shuck’s passion for the sport is undeniable. Coupled with his record at Iowa and Augsburg, his desire to mentor young men of character is an ideal pairing at Heidelberg, where wrestling has been one of the most successful athletic programs in recent years.

“After meeting and talking to Matt (Palm), Jason Miller (former head coach and associate AD) and Coach (Joe) Hada and Coach (Zach) Mizer, I knew Heidelberg was a great fit for me, personally, professionally and for my family,” Shuck said.

After graduating from Iowa in 2005, Shuck served as co-head high school wrestling coach at Chaska High School in Chaska, Minn. He participated in the USA National Coaches Certification Program from 2008-09 and was the head Minnesota Storm Freestyle Cadet coach, where he trained athletes for national teams. He joined the Augsburg wrestling staff in 2009, coaching two NCAA Division III finalists. At Augsburg, Shuck coached five All-Americans, four finalists and one national champion at Augsburg in 2011 – a year after the college won the Division III national championship. In 2010, he created the Augsburg Wrestling Academy. Additionally, he is a middle school special education teacher and is completing his master’s degree at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis.

Although competing on the big stage of Division I in college, Shuck likes the Division III atmosphere at Heidelberg and the Ohio Athletic Conference. “It’s appealing because of the intimacy of getting to know the kids on the team. Feeling like a family at a place like Heidelberg is easier to do,” he said. “Division III does a great job with promoting the sport as well.”

Already, Shuck has wasted little time getting to know his team. He has begun making phone calls to returning team members. “I’m really excited to get going as soon as possible. I’m excited to meet the guys and find out what I can do for them now. There’s a lot that goes into working with young men.”

Part of that work will be continuing to promote a positive attitude about community service. “This is an opportunity for us, not an obligation,” he said. “We want to get out there and give back, and show the community what Heidelberg wrestling is all about.”

To be sure, Heidelberg wrestling is about winning – with an emphasis on academic success. The Berg won the regular OAC title three times in the past six years and five of the last six OAC tournament championships.

Scott Casber
Founder/Host
Takedown Wrestling Radio and TV
USA Wrestling Weekly
515-707-8657

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