Circle adds to coaching staff

After having the interim tag removed, Cowley College head wrestling coach Justice Circle added to his coaching staff with the recent hiring of Ben Kritsonis as an assistant coach.

"Ben comes to Cowley with a ton of knowledge and experience," Circle said. "He has a ton of contacts in the sport and will help us do things like a (NCAA) Division I program."

Kritsonis is a native of Louisiana, where he was a three-time high school state champion. He is no stranger to the Jayhawk Conference, as he was a national champion while wrestling for Colby Community College. Legendary wrestling coach Dan Gable then recruited Kritsonis at the University of Iowa, where he started for one year at 125 pounds.

After a successful season wrestling for the Hawkeyes, Kritsonis spent his final year of eligibility wrestling at NCAA Division III Wartburg College, where he earned All-American honors for placing third at the national tournament.

He has spent the past two decades coaching high school and club wrestling in Louisiana, where he coached multiple state champions and All-Americans.

"There are only a handful of schools to go to where they have a chance to compete for championships, and Cowley is one of them," Kritsonis said. "I know this is a wrestling town, and there is no reason we can't be good."

Kritsonis has a passion for the sport of wrestling and is a process-driven coach.

"I want to help us have a fun, hard-nosed, exciting style of wrestling that fans will like and our opponents will hate," Kritsonis said. "I hope to help make competing for championships a staple at Cowley."