Chris Forman/Navy Sports Information
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy head wrestling coach Bruce Burnett has announced the hiring of Scott Owen as an assistant coach to replace Todd Beckerman, who left for a similar position at the University of Maryland. Owen began his duties on Monday, Oct. 17, and brings a wealth of experience to the Navy wrestling program.
“We are very excited to have Scott join our staff. We are very lucky to get someone of his quality this late in the game, “said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. “We had a number of very strong applicants, but Scott’s skills and what he can do for the program really stood out. He will fit in very well here. He is goal-oriented, a very hard worker and understands wrestling. His dad was a high school wrestling coach, so he comes from a coaching background and he knows what it takes to be successful. We are very thrilled to have him join our program. ”
Owen comes to Navy from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., where he helped the Huskies to national recognition on the mats. He served as as a volunteer and assistant coach at the MAC school since 2003, where he helped coach four wrestlers to last year’s NCAA Championships. As a collegiate wrestler at Northern Illinois, Owen was a four-time NCAA Qualifier and two-time All-American, placing fifth at 157 pounds in 2002 and 2003. He was the nation’s top-ranked wrestler during the 2002-03 season and was a three-time Mid-American Conference champion. He ended his career as the all-time wins leader in Northern Illinois history and is just one of three Northern Illinois wrestlers to finish his career as a two-time All-American.
Following the completion of his collegiate career, Owen has remained active on the mat and has claimed several top honors as a freestyle wrestler. He finished in the top 12 at the 2005 United States Nationals and was ranked as high as seventh in the country at 66 kilograms. Owen is a 2008 Olympic Freestyle Wrestling hopeful, and he continues his training to become a member of the USA Olympic Team in Beijing, China. Owen is currently a member of the New York Athletic Club at 66 kilograms and competed at the prestigious U.S. Open in Las Vegas, Nev., where he lost to eventual Olympic Silver Medalist Jamil Kelly in overtime, 3-1. Based upon his outstanding performance, it’s anticipated that Owen will be ranked among the United States’ top 10 in his weight class.
Owens came to Northern Illinois as a three-time New Mexico state champion and was a two-time member of the Asics All-American Team in 1996 and 1997.
He also excelled in the classroom, where he graduated for NIU with a 3.63 GPA in biological sciences with an emphasis in pre-med and a minor in chemistry. He was a two-time member of the NWCA First-team Academic All-America team and was named to the Verizon / CoSIDA Academic All-American second team in 2002. He was a four-time Dean’s List honoree and a five-time Northern Illinois Victory Scholar, which is given to athletes with a 3.5 GPA or higher. He is currently seeking a master’s degree in sport management. from Northern Illinois.
“I am extremely excited about this opportunity, “said Owen. “Navy is a program on the rise and I am looking forward to helping our athletes reach some big goals while also helping Navy continue to climb the national rankings to the top. ”
Owen joins a top-notch staff at Navy, as head coach Bruce Burnett and assistant coach Joel Sharratt enter their sixth year together at the helm.
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