DeRoehn named head wrestling coach

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. -- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville athletic director Mark Molesworth announced Mike DeRoehn as the Pioneers head wrestling and assistant strength and conditioning coach on Tuesday.

"Mike will be a great fit for UW-Platteville, because he brings a good wrestling background and a passion for strength and conditioning," said Molesworth. "He is a proven head coach, and knows what it takes to be successful in the WIAC and at the national level."

DeRoehn has spent the last four seasons at Lakeland College, and led the Muskies to two Northern Wrestling Association team championships. During that span he also guided 10 individual conference champions and two national qualifiers. DeRoehn's student-athletes were just as successful in the classroom as they were on the mat with two Academic All-American honors. He has put the Musky wrestling program in position to continue in the future, as he helped develop a stand-alone on-campus wrestling facility, which was completed in 2013. 

Prior to Lakeland, DeRoehn was the head coach at WIAC-foe UW-Oshkosh for six years.  The Titans finished as high as fourth in the WIAC in 2009, tying for the program's best finish since placing third in 1997. 

In addition to coaching collegiately, DeRoehn has been heavily involved in coaching at the youth and grass roots level. He served as the state coach of the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, an organization that works to improve Wisconsin wrestling for all ages from 2006 to 2010. 

DeRoehn also owns and is head wrestling coach of World Class Wrestling School, whose mission is to "assist young men and women in developing their wrestling skills, building character and developing positive habits on and off the mat." He has received awards for his work with youth, named USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Junior National Coach of the Year in 2010 and USA Wrestling Kids/Cadet Person of the Year in 2011. 

DeRoehn wrestled collegiately at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, N.H., where he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 2005. He later received a master's in educational leadership from UW-Oshkosh in 2009.