Six National Champions

52 All-Americans

18 Big Ten Champions

173 NCAA Championships Qualifiers

Longtime Illini staffer Jeremy Hunter was named the 16th head coach in Illinois wrestling program history on Feb. 26, 2026.

"For 25 years, Jeremy Hunter has committed himself to Illinois Wrestling," Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said. "During his time as an assistant coach, Jeremy has played a significant role in many milestone moments for both the team and individual wrestlers. He is an incredible technician and an avid recruiter, and he has first-hand appreciation for the proud history and tradition of this program. That said, he is excited to leave his own stamp on the program and move it to even greater heights. I want to thank Jeremy for his trust and commitment and look forward to partnering with him for the advancement of Fighting Illini Wrestling in the years ahead."

Hunter previously served Illinois Wrestling as an assistant coach for 25 years. He arrived in the fall of 2001 as a volunteer coach and was elevated to a full-time assistant in 2009. His time with the program spanned three previous head coaches: Mark Johnson, Jim Heffernan, and Mike Poeta.

In his first season as head coach (2025-26) he coached two All-Americans in Lucas Byrd (133) and Kannon Webster (157) while qualifiying six other wrestlers to the NCAA Championships being Spencer Moore (125), Michael Gioffre (149), Braeden Scoles (165), Colin Kelly (174), Chris Moore (184) and Luke Luffman (285). Byrd is now only the second four-time All-American in program history joining the program's best Isaiah Martinez. Webster earned his first All-America honors of his career and was a bronze medalist at the Big Ten Championships.

During Hunter's time at Illinois, Fighting Illini wrestlers have won six NCAA titles – Matt Lackey (165) in 2003, Jesse Delgado (125) in 2013 and 2014, Isaiah Martinez (157) in 2015 and 2016, and Lucas Byrd (133) in 2025. He has coached 52 All-Americans and 173 NCAA qualifiers. Under Hunter's tutelage, 18 Illini wrestlers have won Big Ten individual titles.

Hunter carries on a rich tradition of wrestling success at Illinois, which has recorded 20 top-25 NCAA finishes, including eight in the top 10 over the past 25 years. In just his fourth year on the job, Hunter helped lead Illinois wrestling to the 2005 Big Ten team championship, which featured a program record-tying five All-Americans.

As a collegian, Hunter won the 125-pound NCAA title in 2000 and was the runner-up in 1999 as a member of the Penn State wrestling team. He was a three-time All-American, 2000 Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, 1999 Big Ten Champion, and 1997 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. His 123 total victories were tied for fifth in the Nittany Lion record books at the conclusion of his career.

Hunter and his wife, Leslie, have two sons, Landan and Dylan.

Last updated May. 2026

Name	Title	@illinois.edu
Jeremy Hunter	Head Coach	jghuntr
Austin O'Connor	Assistant Coach	austin01
Bryan Medlin	Skill Development Coordinator	bmedlin
Christian Kanzler	Director of Operations	kanzler2
Eric Schultz	Assistant Coach	eric44

Upcoming Events

Results

Completed Event: Wrestling versus NCAA Championships on March 21, 2026 , , 15th of 66, 28 pts.

Completed Event: Wrestling versus NCAA Championships on March 20, 2026 , , 15th of 66, 25 pts.

Completed Event: Wrestling versus NCAA Championships on March 19, 2026 , , 16 of 66, 11.5 pts.

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Big Ten Championships on March 8, 2026 , , 6th of 14, 78 pts.

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Big Ten Championships on March 7, 2026 , , 5th of 14, 69.5 pts.

2025-26 Wrestling Coaching Staff

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