Keith Wilson coaching Jessica Medina during 2010 U.S. Open in Cleveland. Larry Slater photo

Keith Wilson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Sunkist Kids) has been named 2010 Women's Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. This is the first time that Wilson has received this prestigious award.

Wilson served as a coach for the 2010 U.S. Women’s World Team in Moscow, Russia, which featured two medalists and earned a fifth place finish,

Wilson served as a World Team coach with the 2009 U.S. Women’s World Team in Herning, Denmark, which placed sixth in the team standings, with three athletes who placed fifth in their weight class.

Wilson was also a World Team coach with the 2008 U.S. Women's World Team in Tokyo, Japan, which placed fourth in the World team standings and featured gold-medalist Clarissa Chun and bronze-medalist Tatiana Padilla.

He was also a coach with the 2009 U.S. World Cup Team, which competed in Taiyuan, China. The U.S. was fifth in the standings with a 2-2 team record. He was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team staff, and has also coached at the Pan American Championships.

He has been a club coach with the Sunkist Kids since 2001. The Sunkist Kids captured the women’s freestyle team title at the 2010 U.S. Nationals, led by six individual champions. 

The Sunkist Kids had five 2010 World team members in women’s wrestling – Alyssa Lampe, Jessica Medina, Tatiana Padilla, Kelsey Campbell and Stephany Lee.

Wilson is the personal coach for 2008 World champion and 2008 Olympian Clarissa Chun, and has worked directly on a regular basis with a number of other national-caliber women wrestlers. 

Wilson is the owner and a coach at Rough House MMA and Fitness in Colorado Springs, Colo. His club specializes in wrestling, No-Gi Grappling, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay-Thai, kickboxing, boxing and personal fitness.

A native of Virginia, Wilson was a Greco-Roman Team USA member competing for the U.S. Marine Corps. He also competed for the U.S. Army. Wilson wrestled on the college level for the University of Oklahoma.

PAST WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
2010 – Keith Wilson, Colorado Springs, Colo., Sunkist Kids
2009 – Kevin Black, River Falls, Wis., New York AC
2008 - Tadaaki Hatta, Elyria, Ohio, New York AC
2007 - Troy Steiner, Corvallis, Ore.
2006 - Joe Corso, Metairie, La. ,Gator WC
2005 - Bill Scherr, Glenview, Ill., Sunkist Kids
2004 - Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids
2003 - Townsend Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids
2002 - Joe Corso, Des Moines, Iowa, Sunkist Kids