UW-La Crosse Wrestling
Head Coach
Dave Malecek
Head Coach
Dave Malecek begins his sixth season as UW-La Crosse's head wrestling coach in 2011-12. He has led the Eagles to top-three finishes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships in each of his first five seasons. UW-L placed second in 2008 and 2010 and third in 2007, 2009 and 2011. He was named the 2007 NCAA Rookie Coach of the Year.
The Eagles had five wrestlers earn 2011 NCAA Division III All-America honors at the national meet hosted by UW-La Crosse at the La Crosse Center. Bebeto Yewah (141-pounds) captured his second straight national crown while Albie McKinney (second at 125); Mike Schmitz (third at 174); Adam Sheley (fifth at 133) and Billy Mayer (sixth at 285) also earned All-America awards.
The Eagles crowned three individual champions at the 2010 national meet, including Yewah (133-pounds), Schmitz (174) and Dan Laurent (285). UW-L was the only team to win multiple individual titles in 2010. Along with the three national champions, Matt Mauseth (third at 149); Andy Moore (fourth at 197) and Cory Ferguson (eighth at 165) earned All-America honors.
For his efforts, Malecek was named the 2010 D3wrestle.com Coach of the Year.
He has coached nine NCAA Division III champions and had 28 wrestlers earn All-America honors in his five seasons at UW-L.
Malecek has guided UW-L to five straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) titles and been selected the Mertz Mortorelli WIAC Coach of the Year each season. The Eagles, who are 79-15-1 (.837) in duals under Malecek, have won 14 consecutive conference crowns.
Malecek served as the head assistant coach at Wartburg College (Iowa) from 2000 to 2006, helping lead the Knights to three NCAA Division III Championships (2003, 2004, 2006). He was selected the NCAA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year in 2006. Wartburg also won Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) titles every season while Malecek was an assistant coach. The Knights had 11 national champions and 47 All-America selections since Malecek begin coaching in 2000.
Malecek was also Wartburg’s Wrestling Recruiting Coordinator, Summer Wrestling Camp Director and handled the upper weight classes for the Knights.
A four-time NCAA Division I qualifier at Northern Iowa University (1991-94), Malecek earned All-America accolades in 1994 with a fourth-place finish at 177-pounds. He served as the Panthers’ team captain in 1993 and 1994 and ranks seventh in career victories at Northern Iowa. Malecek earned his bachelor’s (1994) and master’s (2005) degrees from Northern Iowa.
He was a participant in the United States’ Olympic Wrestling Trials in 1992 and 1996. Malecek was also a two-time state champion at Osage (Iowa) High School.
Malecek spent two years as head coach at Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he recorded 31 dual victories. Xavier also had 10 state qualifiers and one state champion under Malecek’s guidance.
Along with his coaching responsibilities at Wartburg, Malecek served as an instructor in the physical education department. He has also taught at Wright Elementary School in Cedar Rapids (1997-2000) and in the Aurelia, Iowa Schools (1994-96).
He currently teaches in UW-L's exercise and sport science department.
