From -
examiner.comSt Cloud State names Derek Sikora assistant wrestling coach
Derek Sikora has been named an assistant wrestling coach at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
Sikora had been long associated with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, as a coach and wrestler, most recently serving as the Blugolds' head wrestling coach.
A two-sport athlete at UW-Eau Claire, Sikora was a 2006 NCAA Division III wrestling champion at 165 pounds, a three-time NCAA All-American, three-year captain, four-year letterwinner and two-time WIAC champion. He also earned four letters in football where he was a two-time First Team All-Conference player, two-time Team MVP, two-time All-Region pick and a team captain.
In 2006 he joined the UW-Eau Claire coaching staff as an assistant football and wrestling coach. During the 2007-08 wrestling season, Sikora was the head assistant wrestling coach at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He returned to Eau Claire in 2008 as an assistant wrestling coach and took over as head coach in 2009.
"I am very excited to have Derek Sikora as my lead assistant wrestling coach," said St Cloud State head wrestling coach Steve Costanzo. "Derek comes highly recommended on the mat and his passion and dedication to the sport should pay immediate dividends to the Husky wrestling program. I am confident that he will help SCSU wrestling take that next step and get us to where we want to go."
The St. Cloud State wrestling team placed seventh at the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championships, with four individuals earning All-American honors. The Huskies also did well in the classroom as nine wrestlers earned academic awards during the season.
We missed this one from earlier this spring, but Russ Peloquin has taken over for Derek Sikora at UW-Eau Claire after spending six seasons as an assistant at the school. Peloquin has also been a graduate assistant at UW-La Crosse and has assisted at Wabash and Lawrence. He was a 2x All-American for UW-La Crosse in 1998 and 1999. In addition to his coaching duties, Peloquin has been an associate lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology at Eau Claire. Sikora was recently announced as the assistant coach at Division II St. Cloud State University.
