Utah Valley State names Greg Williams new head coach
Utah Valley State Sports Information
OREM, Utah – Utah Valley State has announced the hiring of Greg Williams as its new head wrestling coach.
Willliams becomes the second coach in Utah Valley’s short history as the school will begin its fourth season of NCAA competition in the fall of 2006.
“We are very excited to have Greg Williams as part of our athletic program,” said Utah Valley State Director of Athletics Mike Jacobsen. “We had an outstanding pool of applicants for our head wrestling position, which made for a very difficult decision. But Greg brings with him the total package. He has tremendous respect in the wrestling community and has the ability to take our program to the next level. Greg understands where we are at, while at the same time has a vision for what we will become.”
“This is a great opportunity to help bring Utah Valley wrestling to a higher level. The potential for success here is huge,” said Williams. “We have a great talent pool in Utah and we want to continue what Cody (Sanderson) has been building on the last three years.”
The move to hire Williams comes just days after the announcement of the newly formed Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) and Utah Valley’s inclusion in the conference along with seven other collegiate institutions.
Williams brings to Utah Valley State over 20 years of coaching experience, including the last 13 as the owner and coach of the Elite Wrestling Club.
He is a 14-time coach of the Utah National Wrestling Team and during his coaching career has tutored over 70 high school All-Americans.
Williams’ pupils include Justin Ruiz, the top-ranked Greco wrestler at 211 lbs. Ruiz was a two-time All-American at Nebraska and bronze medalist at the World Championships in 2005.
Current Utah Valley assistant Gabe Vigil, a Pac-10 champion and four-time NCAA qualifier while at Boise State, also worked under Williams.
He began his coaching career at Sky View High School in Smithfield, Utah, where he led the school to an 87-8 record.
Williams, a native of San Diego, Calif., graduated from University High School in 1979 where he was a California State Champion.
From there, he moved on to Utah State University in Logan, Utah and was an All-American and a three-time NCAA qualifier for the Aggies.
Williams graduated from Utah State in 1985 with a degree in Marketing Education. He and his wife Kristin have two children, Alexis (9) and Taylor (6).
“Eventually Utah Valley will be a top 20 program”¦and higher,” said Williams. “I think the key is getting the best Utah kids to stay here”¦while also being able to recruit some of the best talent throughout the country.”
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