Jake Calhoun: “I’m incredibly excited to be leading the Lakeland program”
PLYMOUTH, W.I. – – Lakeland University’s Director of Athletics April Arvan announced the addition of Jake Calhoun as head men’s and women’s wrestling coach. Arvan said the amount of interest in the position resulted in an extended hiring process, but they wanted to ensure their due diligence best positioned the Muskie program for ongoing success.
Coach Calhoun’s wealth of experience has prepared him for the opportunity—he’s bringing eleven years of a coaching background at the NCAA Division III level with him. He said coaching at other smaller private liberal arts schools fits well with expectations for the position at Lakeland, and he has confidence in his ability to bring success to the program.
Arvan said, “From an administrative standpoint, it feels like we’ve turned over a lot of stones and landed on the ideal candidate . . . Even beyond the wrestling component, Jake’s enthusiasm for Lakeland and his drive to be integrated on campus just shows us how thrilled he is . . . it’s really fun to see a new coach embrace Lakeland the way we do.”
We talked with Coach Calhoun: “I’m incredibly excited to be leading the Lakeland program . . . Lakeland has a special community . . . I love the small school atmosphere, that people know your name, the tight-knit family feel . . . it fits perfectly.”
Calhoun was most recently an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for three years. While he is prepared to coach women, he never imagined he’d be coaching them at the collegiate level. It came into view for him when UWSP announced plans to start a women’s program for the 2019-20 season. “At the end of the day, wrestlers are wrestlers . . . I am here to coach them to the best of my ability to achieve their highest potential.” Calhoun said he’s ready to embrace the differences between coaching women and men.
The Muskie programs wrestle different styles—men folkstyle and women freestyle. When asked about handling both programs plus switching coaching hats between styles, Calhoun said the transition feels natural—he’s been around both styles his whole life. He noted that the ability to run practices separately allows both programs to benefit from the necessary concentration on style differences.
He said the biggest differences between the programs are actually the little things, like timing—the women’s season starts earlier, has national championships earlier, etc.
The Muskie roster is young and in its building stages. Calhoun says this is a perfect time to establish the culture needed for success. He’ll be focused on the athletes on campus and bringing in the type of student-athletes that want what a small liberal arts school has to offer, including a tight knit community that allows for individual development.
He said, “It’s great still being in Wisconsin . . . “I get to stay close to family, friends and my alma mater where I coached.” Lakeland is less than a two-hour drive from UWSP—a proximity close enough to nurture rivalries between the schools. Calhoun said, “The rivalry is going to help elevate both programs . . . as long as we embrace the challenges of recruiting from the same pool, it will bring both of our programs up.”
Jake Calhoun is a Stevens Point native and graduate from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. During his time in college, Calhoun wrestled at the NCAA National Championships in 2007 and 2008. He was a three-time All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honoree and 125-pound champion in 2007. Calhoun’s coaching experience include stops at Messiah College, Muhlenberg College, State University of New York-Cortland and Gettysburg College.
“I’m honored to be coaching at a school with the level of integrity as Lakeland. I’m thrilled to be here and embracing this opportunity to bring the program to a new level. To be able to build a new legacy as I lead the musky program is a dream come true. I was brought in here to develop and build champions on the mat and in life and that’s what I’m going to do.”
*cover photo courtesy of Lakeland athletics*
