Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324

NWCA Press Release

Mar. 5, 2026 - For the fifth straight season, North Central College women's wrestling head coach Joe Norton has received a national coach of the year award, as the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced Thursday that Norton is the inaugural winner of the 2026 NCAA Women's National Coach of the Year.

North Central won the 2025-26 NWCA National Duals for the first time in program history. The Cardinals opened the Duals with two victories before handing top-ranked Iowa its first loss in program history, 23-21, in the semifinals. In the championship match, the Cardinals avenged their season-opening loss to McKendree with a 21-18 victory. North Central also won the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Championship for the fourth straight season.

Entering the first NCAA Women's Wrestling National Championship, the Cardinals are one of four teams — and the only Division III program — to qualify the maximum 10 wrestlers. Five won regional titles, and all 10 are seeded in the top six at the national tournament, including Sara Sterner, the No. 1 seed at 124 pounds.

Since the program's inception, Norton has guided North Central to 52 All-Americans, 34 NWCA Scholar All-Americans, six individual national titles and the 2023 team national championship.

The two-day NCAA Women's Wrestling National Championships begin at 10 a.m. at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Click HERE to read the tournament preview and HERE for live coverage links. The tournament will stream exclusively on ESPN+, which requires a subscription.