Tom Brands Named NWCA Coach of the Year

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The National Wrestling Coaches Association announced Wednesday that University of Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands has been named 2020 NWCA National Coach of the Year.

The NWCA coaching honor is the second of Brands’ career. He first won the award in 2008 following Iowa’s national championship.

The 2020 Hawkeyes were favored to win their fourth NCAA title under Brands. Iowa entered the 2020 NCAA Championships with three top seeds, including Hodge Trophy winner Spencer Lee, nine wrestlers seeded eighth or better, and another seeded 11th. A team title would have been the 24th in program history.

The Hawkeyes were ranked at the top of every national poll this season, posting a 13-0 dual record and 9-0 Big Ten Conference record. The Hawkeyes won the 2020 Big Ten Championships, crowing three individual champions and scoring 157.5 points, its highest total since 1995. Brands was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, and Lee was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.

The NWCA honor is Brands’ second coach of the year award this season. He was also named 2020 InterMat Coach of the Year.

Iowa led the nation in attendance for the 14th straight year, setting a NCAA dual record average of 12,568.