Contact: Anna Fox, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, amfox@noctrl.edu
 
June 10, 2024 - After building the North Central College women's wrestling team from scratch, head coach Joe Norton '10/M'13 was named the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) 2024 Coach of the Year.
 
"It's really cool to receive the National Coach of the Year award. It validates all our hard work and shows recruits that this is a place where your coaching staff will be really invested in your development," Norton said.
 
Norton has been coaching at North Central since 2014, originally starting as the head coach for the men's wrestling program. Norton was named the head coach of the women's program in 2018, while the program's inaugural season was the 2019-20 season. Prior to the 2022-23 season, Norton transitioned as the men's associate coach and remained the head coach for the women, while Zack Cook was named the head coach of the men's program.
 
Norton credits athletic director Jim Miller and Cook for helping him get to where he is today. Norton said, "I have an outstanding staff of assistant coaches making me look good every day, and the best Athletic Director in America as a mentor. Any success I have is just a reflection of them and their support."
 
The Cardinals pride themselves on working hard to become the best in the country and next year will be no different. "The goal is for this team to continue to compete for National Championships and put women on World and Olympic teams. We pride ourselves on development and will continue to do that better than any other program in America," said Norton. 
 
Norton and the North Central College wrestlers are eagerly waiting for the 2024-25 season to begin. After finishing as the national runners-up, second to the University of Iowa, the Cardinals are looking for revenge on the mat.
 
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