The Zain Train is starting down the coaching track. 

The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club announced Monday that former Penn State great Zain Retherford has joined the NLWC coaching staff. 

Retherford has been a mainstay in the Nittany Lion wrestling room since joining the Penn State roster in 2013. He won three NCAA titles and a pair of Hodge Trophies for the Nittany Lions before hitting the Senior freestyle circuit, where he parlayed four trips to the World Championships into a pair of finals appearances and a 2023 World title at 70 kilograms.

Retherford cut down to 65 kilograms this year and won the Olympic Trials and solidified his spot in Paris by wrestling back to take third at the World Olympic Games Qualifier. He dropped his opening-round match at the Olympics against eventual silver medalist Rahman Amouzad of Iran before withdrawing from the tournament due to a concussion. 

“Although my competitive experience was cut short by a concussion, I am forever grateful for the entire Olympic experience,” Retherford wrote in an Instagram post afer the tournament. “It is an absolute privilege to represent Team USA on this competitive stage, and it has been the honor of a lifetime to have gotten to compete alongside such an extraordinary group of men and women. I’d like to thank everyone back home for your support on this journey. I truly have an amazing community of people around me and I am thankful for each and every one of you. Now it’s time to heal up, enjoy my family, and start working towards the next chapter. Onwards and upwards.”