Mike Maksimovic starts his fifth season as an assistant coach at UW-La Crosse in 2023-24. A native of Northbrook, Illinois. Maksimovic was an assistant coach at Cornell College (Iowa) for two years before arriving at UWL.
UWL won its seventh straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship in 2022-23 as three wrestlers earned individual titles. The Eagles placed second at the 2023 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Upper Midwest Regional. Seven wrestlers qualified for the 2023 NCAA Division III Championships, including four All-Americas. Nolan Hertel captured the national title at 157-pounds while Noah Leisgang was third at 165-pounds, Seth Brossard third at 174-pounds and Michael Douglas eighth at 285-pounds.
Maksimovic was a four-year starter at Cornell (Iowa), qualifying for the 2017 NCAA Division III Championships at 174-pounds as a senior. He was runner-up at the 2017 Central Regional Championships. Maksimovic led the the Rams in victories his senior season, finishing 26-12 overall.
Earning his bachelor's degree in exercise science from Cornell (Iowa) in 2017, Maksimovic is pursuing his master's in clinical exercise physiology at UWL.
Maksimovic was a three-time regional place-winner at Cornell (Iowa), finishing his career with 80 wins. He was named a National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar-Athlete and voted Cornell's (Iowa) Most Dedicated Wrestler in 2016-17.
