St. Vincent-St. Mary High School has hired U.S. Olympian Justin “Harry” Lester as its next head wrestling coach, the school announced Wednesday.
Lester, a four-time high school wrestling state champion at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy, competed in the 2012 Olympics. The decorated Greco-Roman wrestler won bronze medals at the 2006 and 2007 World Championships and is a six-time U.S. Open champion.
The 2001 CVCA alum has provided personal training for NCAA All-Americans and champions and has coached at several youth clubs.
"It has always been my passion to give back to wrestling,” Lester said in a prepared statement provided by the school. “I feel it is my responsibility to give every bit of knowledge of the sport back to any athlete who wants to learn."
Lester, a 10-year veteran of Team USA, is currently training for the Olympics in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 32-year-old is Team USA’s top wrestler at 156 pounds.
"The entire St. Vincent-St. Mary High School community is excited about Harry Lester joining its family,” STVM athletic director Willie McGee said in a prepared statement. “He will not only be a great coach for Irish wrestlers, but will also take the sport of wrestling to a new level for young athletes in our area."
It's official 😈🍀 pic.twitter.com/DQsCOcyCLx
— TheRealMike (@mikey_3443) March 23, 2016
Lester replaces Mark Skoniecny, who took over as the leader of the Fighting Irish grapplers on an interim basis in January when Anthony Gary was relieved of his coaching duties for an unspecified reason.
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