Dave Malecek begins his 20th season as UW-La Crosse's head wrestling coach in 2025-26. He has led the Eagles to top-four finishes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships in eight different seasons. UWL placed second in 2008 and 2010, third in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2024 and fourth in 2012 and 2013. The 2020 and 2021 national championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat.
The Eagles placed fifth at the 2025 NCAA III Championships with four wrestlers being named All-America. UWL's
Marcus Orlandoni captured the national title at 184-pounds while
Tanner Gerber was third at 165-pounds,
Tyler Goebel sixth at 157 and
Ben Kawczynski seventh at 197.
UWL finished third at the 2024 NCAA III Championships held at the La Crosse Center with five wrestlers earning All-America honors.
Nolan Hertel (157) won his second straight individual national title while
Michael Douglas (285), Goebel (149) and
Noah Leisgang (165) all placed second.
Ben Kawczynski (197) finished eighth to earn All-America recognition.
The Eagles were fifth at the 2023 national championships as four wrestlers earned NCAA III All-America accolades, including Hertel winning the 157-pound national title. Leisgang (165) and
Seth Brossard (174) both placed third and Douglas (285) finished eighth.
Dave Malecek has led UWL to 14 WIAC championships.
Hertel and Brossard earned NCAA III All-America honors at the 2022 championships with Hertel placing fifth at 157-pounds and Brossard finished seventh at 165-pounds.
Five wrestlers qualified for the 2020 NCAA III Championships, but the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
Isaac Lahr (197-pounds) and
Grant Zamin (157) were named to the All-America First Team by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) while
Mitch Hertel (165) and
Sawyer Massie (174) earned Second Team honors.
Sawyer Sarbacker (125) was NWCA All-America Third Team.
The Eagles tied for 11th at the 2017 NCAA III Championships under Malecek held at the La Crosse Center as
Dustin Weinmann captured the national title at 141-pounds and
Richard Carlson finished fifth at 174-pounds. UWL placed seventh at the 2018 NCAA III Championships with three wrestlers earning All-America honors.
Wesley Schultz placed third at 197-pounds while
Konrad Ernst was sixth at 285-pounds and Massie sixth at 174-pounds.
Ernst placed seventh at 285-pounds and Zamin eighth at 157-pounds in earning NCAA III All-America honors in 2019. UWL tied for 24th overall at the 2019 national championships.
UWL finished 11-2 overall and 5-0 in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) duals in 2024-25. It marked UWL's seventh undefeated conference dual season in the last nine years. The Eagles captured their ninth straight WIAC Championship and conference-recorded 24th in school history in 2024-25. Douglas (285), Gerber (165), Goebel (157), Orlandoni (184) and
Talan Schutte (141) each won individual titles. Eighteen of 19 wrestlers placed.
The Eagles were 12-2 overall and 5-0 in WIAC duals in 2023-24. Goebel (149), Hertel (157), Leisgang (165), Kawczynski (197) and Douglas (285) won individual titles in 2024 as 18 of 20 wrestlers placed with UWL capturing the league crown. Hertel was named the 2023-24 WIAC Co-Wrestler of the Year.
UWL finished 13-3 in duals in 2022-23, winning the WIAC Championship and going 5-0 in league duals. Hertel (157), Leisgang (165) and
Tyler Shackle (141) each won individual titles. Seventeen of UWL's 20 wrestlers placed at the 2023 WIAC Championships.
The Eagles were 8-4 in duals in 2021-22 while capturing the WIAC Championship under Malecek. UWL won three individual titles, Hertel (157), Brossard (165) and
Kawczynski (285) at the 2022 conference meet. Fifteen of UWL's 16 wrestlers placed in the 2022 WIAC Championships.
UWL went 5-0 in duals during in 2020-21 while also winning the conference title. Fourteen of 18 wrestlers placed at the 2020 WIAC Championships with
Josh Stenger (133),
Tyler Shackle (141), Hertel (157), Zamin (165),
Reed Williams (174),
Connor Williams (184) and Ernst (285) winning league titles. The 5-0 conference dual record was UWL's third straight undefeated league season and 13th since 2000-01. The seven individual titles were the most in the WIAC since UWL captured seven in 2010-11.
UWL went 10-4 overall and 5-0 in 2019-20. Sixteen of UWL's 18 wrestlers placed in the 2020 WIAC Championships with Zamin (157), Hertel (165), Massie (184) and Lahr (197) winning league titles. UWL finished 11-3 overall and 5-0 in the WIAC in 2018-19. The Eagles captured their third straight title as 15 of 16 wrestlers placed at the 2019 league championships, including four champions in
Logan Schlough (149), Zamin (157),
Jackson Schoen (165) and Ernst (285).
The Eagles went 10-4 overall and 4-1 in the WIAC in 2017-18, winning the conference championship. Thirteen of 16 wrestlers placed at the 2018 conference meet, including champions
Hayden Schlough (141), Hertel (165), Massie (174) and Ernst (285). Massie was named the WIAC John Peterson Wrestler of the Meet.
The Eagles finished 9-0 overall and 5-0 in the WIAC in 2016-17 under Malecek, recording their first undefeated dual season in school history and first undefeated conference season since 2011-12.
UWL won its first NCAA Division III Regional title in 2025 after placing second in six of the previous seven years. Malecek has been named the 2015, 2018 (co), 2020 and 2025 NCAA Division III Regional Coach of the Year.
Named the 2023-24 and 2024-25 NWCA Division III Coach of the Year, Malecek was inducted into the NWCA Hall of Fame in 2024. He was also named the 2007 NCAA Rookie Coach of the Year and 2010 D3wrestle.com Coach of the Year.
He has been named the WIAC Mertz Mortoreilli Coach of the Year seven times in his career (2007-11, 2015, 2017). UWL has also earned the WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year award eight straight seasons (2018-25).
The Eagles finished sixth at the 2016 NCAA III Championships as three wrestlers earned All-America honors with Weinmann placing third (133-pounds),
Tyler Schneider fourth (174) and
Austin Cook (184) sixth.
He has coached 14 NCAA Division III champions and had 72 wrestlers earn All-America honors in 19 seasons at UWL.
Three wrestlers earned 2015 NCAA III All-America honors, including Schneider (165) who placed second with
Eric Twohey (197) finishing third and Carlson (184) sixth. Twohey was named to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-American® First Team after being a second team choice in 2013-14.
UWL had two wrestlers earn All-America honors in 2014 with
Jake Minske placing sixth (285) and Twohey eighth (184). Four wrestlers earned All-America honors in 2013, including
Adam Sheley who captured the 141-pound title.
Billy Mayer (third at 285-pounds);
Izzy Balsiger (fourth at 125) and
Kevin O'Brien (fifth at 174) also earned All-America awards. Sheley (first team) and O'Brien (third team) were also named to the 2012-13 Capital One Academic All-American® Team.
Five wrestlers earned NCAA Division III All-America honors at the national meet hosted by UWL in 2011 and 2012. In 2011,
Bebeto Yewah (141-pounds) captured his second straight national crown while
Albie McKinney (second at 125);
Mike Schmitz (third at 174); Sheley (fifth at 133) and Mayer (sixth at 285) also earned All-America awards. In the 2012 national championships, Yewah (141) placed second while Schmitz (174) was third, O'Brien (165) fourth; Mayer (285) fifth and Sheley (133) sixth.
The Eagles crowned three individual champions at the 2010 national meet, including Yewah (133-pounds), Schmitz (174) and
Dan Laurent (285). UWL 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.
Malecek has guided UWL to 14 WIAC titles. The Eagles have secured nine WIAC Wrestler of the Year Awards under Malecek and eight WIAC John Peterson Wrestler of the Meet Awards at the league championships. A total of 83 individual conference champions have been earned under Malecek. Lahr was named the 2019-20 WIAC Newcomer of the Year.
UWL is 244-56-1 (.812) in overall duals under Malecek, including 88-9 (.907) in the WIAC.
Eleven wrestlers have garnered the WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award in Malecek's 19 seasons while 96 have been named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic Team.
Sean O'Neil was named to the 2017-18 Google Cloud NCAA Division III Academic All-America® At-Large First Team.
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. He was voted to the Osage High School Hall of Fame in 2021.
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 (Iowa), 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).
Malecek and his wife, Kayahbah, have four daughters, Amalia, Lydia, Kora and Isabella.
