From Navy Athletics

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Navy head wrestling coach Cary Kolat announced today that former Campbell assistant coaches Mike Evans and Blaize Cabell have joined his coaching staff at the Naval Academy.

Mike Evans, a former three-time All-American at the University of Iowa, begins his tenure in Annapolis after spending the last three seasons on the Campbell wrestling staff, including last season as head assistant coach.

Serving alongside Kolat, he helped lead the Campbell wrestling program to unprecedented success in recent years. The Camels wrapped up the 2019-20 season by posting an 11-2 record that featured wins in each of their last nine duals. Among that nine-match winning streak, CU put together an undefeated mark (7-0) in Southern Conference action. Campbell secured its second straight and third overall SoCon Tournament Championship in four years thanks to crowning five individual champions.

A program-record six wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championship for a second consecutive year. Among those qualifiers were three wrestlers seeded among the top 10, including 133-pound Noah Gonser, a three-time NCAA qualifier who was named the 2020 SoCon Wrestler of the Year. Josh Heil (141), meanwhile, is also a three-time NCAA qualifier and the school's first three-time SoCon Champion. At 184 pounds Andrew Morgan was ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation, winning the 2020 SoCon title and qualifying for his second NCAA Championship.

Campbell, who ranked as high as No. 12 in the country, completed a sweep of its regular-season conference schedule with a 35-13 win at Davidson on February 23, claiming its second straight league dual championship. The dual title is the first outright regular-season championship for the Camels in program history, while its undefeated conference record also was also a first.

In 2018-19, Evans was promoted to assistant coach after serving as a volunteer coach during the 2017-18 campaign. He helped the Camels capture their second SoCon Tournament title in three years, while also earning the school's first regular-season conference championship. CU earned a share of the SoCon dual title with a 5-1 league mark to go along with a 7-1 overall dual record. It earned the program's first top-25 national ranking, while placing a program-best 10th at the prestigious Midlands Championship.

Campbell sent a school-record six to the NCAA Championships in 2019, while eight total Camels earned spots on the podium at the SoCon Championships, with all 10 wrestling for medals.

Additionally, Campbell earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Division I Academic Team honors for the third-straight year. The Camels finished 13th nationally in the standings with a 3.28 team grade-point average, posting a top-25 academic finish for the fifth time in program history.

In his first season in Buies Creek (2017-18), the Camels boasted a top-three finish in the SoCon and ranked in the top-25 of the NWCA Division I All-Academic team standings. After winning the SoCon Championship in 2017, CU placed third in 2018, and took ninth in the NWCA All-Academic team ranks.

Four Camels made the individual NWCA All-Academic team, including Jere Heino, Austin Kraisser, Andrew Morgan and Quentin Perez, while five medaled at the 2018 SoCon Championships, highlighted by Jere Heino's title at heavyweight.

Evans came to Campbell after a stint as an assistant coach at Cal Poly under former head coach Brendan Buckley and Scotti Sentes, who was elevated to head coach at Campbell following Kolat's departure.

The Enola, Pa. native earned three All-America citations as a member of the Iowa wrestling team and posted a 107-27 record in his four years of competition at the 174-pound weight class. He finished his career with a trio of runner-up finishes and one third-place finish at the Big 10 Conference Championships. Additionally, he placed sixth in each of his three appearances at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Evans compiled a 165-8 overall mark at Blair Academy (N.J.) as a prep, including a flawless 52-0 record in his senior year. He captured the prep state and national titles at the 189-pound weight class during his final year. Evans also won the Pennsylvania freestyle and Greco-Roman state championship three times.

"Mike has been with me for the past three seasons and what has impressed me most about him is his ability to build trust with his athletes," said Kolat. "Although he is relatively new to the coaching scene, he handles his athletes more like a coach who has been at this for 20 years. He brings a level of intensity that affects each athlete from 125 through heavyweight. He finds ways to connect with each wrestler that he is directly responsible for and they have always responded with improvements."

"It takes an incredible amount of grit to attend one of the premier military and academic institutions in the country, while also competing at the Division I level of wrestling," said Evans. "To have the opportunity to work with these competitors is a journey that I am looking forward to."

Cabell arrives in Annapolis after spending the 2019-20 season as the volunteer assistant coach at Campbell. A three-time NCAA qualifier (2014-16) at heavyweight during his collegiate career at Northern Iowa, Cabell's responsibilities at Campbell included helping develop the 197-pound and heavyweight athletes. Among his prized pupils, heavyweight Jere Heino clinched his third NCAA Tournament berth following his runner-up finish at the 2020 SoCon Championship, while 197-pound Chris Kober placed third at the conference tournament.

The Camels wrapped up the 2019-20 season by posting an 11-2 record that featured wins in each of their last nine duals. Among that nine-match winning streak, CU put together an undefeated mark (7-0) in conference action. Campbell secured its second straight and third overall SoCon Tournament Championship in four years thanks to crowning five individual champions.

Campbell, who ranked as high as No. 12 in the country, completed a sweep of its regular-season conference schedule with a 35-13 win at Davidson on February 23, claiming its second straight league dual championship. The dual title is the first outright regular-season championship for the Camels in program history, while its undefeated conference record also was also a first.

The 2016 Mid-American Conference Champion competed for the Panther Wrestling Club and the Valley Regional Training Center following graduation. He placed fourth at the Senior Men's Freestyle World Team Trials (97 KG) in 2018.

"When I was looking for an upper weight coach, Mike Evans recommended Blaize for the position because he thought Coach Cabell was the right fit for our staff," said Kolat. "Mike's instincts were dead on. Blaize was exactly what we were looking for. Although he is the newest addition to my staff, it feels like I've worked with him for years. Blaize is a worker and just a genuine guy which makes him a team and staff favorite. He will primarily work with the 197 and heavyweight athletes, but he can train anyone we put in front of him."

"It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of Navy wrestling," said Cabell. "The program has a rich history and a bright future! We will be developing these young men to be smart and tough, and to provide them the best opportunity to win. I am looking forward to being in Annapolis and to hit the ground running! Go Navy!"

Additionally, Lloyd Rogers, who has spent the last seven years at Navy, will continue to serve as the volunteer assistant coach and second-year Navy assistant coach Dan Neff will also remain on staff in a capacity to be determined.

"I felt that it was important to keep some familiarity on staff for the midshipmen currently on the roster," added Kolat. " Lloyd Rogers and Dan Neff have great reputations amongst the wrestling community and I look forward to working with both of them. Both Lloyd and Dan have been extremely helpful with the transition and I feel that will help to bind all of us together. I have only had the ability to meet with the current team through video chat, but the team seems very happy that these two chose to remain part of the program."