Delaware Valley College is pleased to announce that former Division I wrestler and assistant coach Steve Cantrell has been named as the new head coach of the storied Aggie wrestling program. He replaces Brandon Totten, who resigned in August to pursue a teaching career.

            Cantrell assumes the head position of one of the premier wrestling teams in all of Division III. Delaware Valley has produced 41 consecutive non-losing seasons, 14 Middle Atlantic Conference championships (the conference no longer sponsors the sport), six regional titles and five, top five finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships. Individually, the Aggies have produced nine national champions, 66 All-Americans and 20 Scholar All-Americans.

            “It’s a dream opportunity to be part of a team and a program with such an incredible legacy,” Cantrell said. “To get up every day and work with young men and use the sport of wrestling to prepare them for the challenges ahead to me is the perfect job.”

            Cantrell served as a member of the United States Marine Corps for 24 years before retiring from the service in 2007. He was a Commissioned Officer for 16 of those years, holding various positions as a Combat Helicopter Pilot.

            As an assistant coach with the United States Naval Academy from 2001 to 2004, Cantrell was mentored by former Olympic Coach Bruce Burnett as well as current Air Force Academy head wrestling coach Joel Sharratt. The Midshipmen produced a 34-16 record and two All- Americans with Cantrell on the staff. He served as the academy advisor for academics and assisted with all recruiting, compliance and travel aspects as well as the daily practice training routines.

            Cantrell wrestled for the Naval Academy from 1987 to 1991 and still ranks 19th on the all-time list with 88 career victories. He was a four-time NCAA Division I national qualifier and a three-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) runner-up. While enlisted with the Marines, Cantrell wrestled internationally in both greco roman and freestyle.

             Cantrell is no stranger to the area or Delaware Valley College as he has been a Doylestown resident since 2007. He has worked in the business world during that time, serving most recently as the president of Spartan Consulting Group, LLC., and joined the college as an adjunct faculty member for both undergraduate and graduate classes this year.

            “We are excited that we were able to hire a quality individual such as Steve Cantrell to take over as head coach of our wrestling program,” Delaware Valley College athletic director Frank Wolfgang said. “Steve possesses strong leadership skills and has worked with some of the top coaches in the wrestling world so we are confident that he will continue our success.”

            Cantrell received his bachelor of science degree from the Naval Academy in 1991 and earned his Master’s in business administration from National University (San Diego, CA) three years later. He then earned his PhD. ABD in environmental economics from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 2004. He and his wife Clare have two daughters: Olivia (12) and Charlotte (9).

            Delaware Valley opens the season on Saturday, November 12 when it competes at the East Stroudsburg University Open.