Start Date: August 2018

Head Coaching Record
2025-26: 10-5 Overall | 7-1 SoCon (T1st) | 2nd SoCon T'ment | T57th NCAA Champ.
2024-25: 6-10 Overall | 5-3 SoCon (T4th) | 4th SoCon T'ment | T48th NCAA Champ.
2023-24: 10-7 Overall | 4-4 SoCon (T4th) | 3rd SoCon T'ment | T53rd NCAA Champ.
2022-23: 9-11 Overall | 6-2 SoCon (3rd) | 3rd SoCon T'ment | T44th NCAA Champ.
2021-22: 9-10 Overall | 6-2 SoCon (3rd) | 3rd SoCon T'ment | T56th NCAA Champ.
2020-21: 8-4 Overall | 6-2 SoCon (3rd) | 3rd SoCon T'ment | T56th NCAA Champ.
2019-20: 7-9 Overall | 4-2 SoCon (3rd) | 3rd SoCon T'ment | Cancelled (COVID)
2018-19: 7-7 Overall | 5-1 SoCon (T1st) | 3rd SoCon T'ment | T56th NCAA Champ.
Total: 66-63 Overall | 43-17 SoCon

Notable Entering 2026-27 Season
- Two SoCon Regular Season Titles (2019, 2026)
- 12 SoCon Individual Champs
- 25 NCAA Qualifiers

NCAA Qualifers
2019: Alonzo Allen, Tanner Smith, Chris Debien, Rodney Jones
2020: Alonzo Allen, Tanner Smith, Matthew Waddell
2021: Fabian Gutierrez, Drew Nicholson, Matthew Waddell, Logan Andrew
2022: Fabian Gutierrez, Brayden Palmer, Drew Nicholson, Matthew Waddell
2023: Brayden Palmer, Rocky Jordan, Matthew Waddell
2024: Brayden Palmer, Isaiah Powe
2025: Blake Boarman, Noah Castillo, Sergio Desiante
2026: Cooper Flynn, Kade Rule

SoCon Champions
2019: Chris Debien (141)
2021: Andrew Nicholson (165)
2022: Fabian Gutierrez (125), Matthew Waddell (197)
2023: Brayden Palmer (133), Rocky Jordan (174)
2024: Brayden Palmer (125), Isaiah Powe (141)
2025: Noah Castillo (157), Sergio Desiante (174)
2026: Cooper Flynn (125), Kade Rule (197)

SoCon Wrestler of the Year
2019: Tanner Smith
2024: Isaiah Powe

SoCon Freshman of the Year
2019: Tanner Smith
2021: Weston Wichman
2022: Noah Castillo
2024: Isaiah Powe
2026: Kade Rule

SoCon Champ. Most Outstanding Wrestler
2021: Drew Nicholson
2023: Brayden Palmer

All-SoCon
2019: Alonzo Allen, Chris Debien
2020: Fabian Gutierrez, Rodney Jones
2021: Franco Valdes
2022: Fabian Gutierrez, Brayden Palmer, Drew Nicholson
2023: Rocky Jordan
2024: Isaiah Powe
2025: Noah Castillo
2026: Cooper Flynn, Hunter Mason, Kamdyn Munro, Kade Rule

SoCon All-Freshman
2019: Tanner Smith, Ryan Resnick, Drew Nicholson
2024: Isaiah Powe, Sergio Desiante
2026: Cavarius Liddie, Ethan Uhorchuk, Landon Jones, Kade Rule

Southern Scuffle Placers
2019: Alonzo Allen (5th), Chris Debien (6th)
2020: Matthew Waddell (4th), Tanner Smith (5th)
2021: Cancelled
2022: Brayden Palmer (3rd)
2023: Brayden Palmer (2nd)
2024: Isaiah Powe (3rd), Blake Boarman (4th), Noah Castillo (4th), Austin Paradice (7th)
2025: Sergio Desiante (1st), Blake Boarman (5th), Jackson Hurst (6th), Bryce Luna (8th)
2026: Cooper Flynn (3rd), Landon Jones (6th), Kamdyn Munro (7th), Ty Tice (8th)

NWCA Scholar All-Americans
2020: Tanner Smith
2021: Drew Nicholson, Franco Valdes, Weston Wichman
2022: Lincoln Heck, Drew Nicholson, Weston Wichman
2023: Logan Ashton, Jake Boyd, Rocky Jordan, Franco Valdes, Weston Wichman
2024: Jackson Hurst, Kaleb Snodgrass
2025: Jackson Hurst, Ty Tice
2026: Will Anderson, Cooper Flynn, Mason Reiniche, Kade Rule

Previous Coaching Positions
Chattanooga, Assistant Coach, June-July 2018
- Elevated to interim head coach following Heath Eslinger's resignation before securing the full-time leadership of the program.

Wisconsin, Assistant Coach, 2011-18
- Helped five Badgers earn seven All-American honors.
- Four times in his tenure, Wisconsin finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Tournament.
- Best finish was a 13th-place showing in 2013.
- Helped Isaac Jordan to two Big Ten Championships and earn four All-American honors. Jordan's win in 2015 was the program's first conference champ since Trevor Brandvold in 2011.
- Coached Evan Wick to a third-place finish at NCAAs in 2018.
- All-Americans Ryan Taylor and Connor Medbery in 2015 were tutored by Ruschell.
- In 2017, the Badgers sent nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, marking the program's highest number of qualifiers since 2007.

Personal
Wife: Allie (Johnson)
Children: Otto & Bear
Hometown: Crittendon, Ky.
- In the fight to "Save Olympic Wrestling", Ruschell was asked to be a representative for the sport at the Kentucky state capital as they passed a state bylaw to keep wrestling in the Olympics.
- Pan American Champion in 2017 at 74kg..
- Made the U.S. National Team in 2014. He placed third in the U.S. Open and third in Phase II of the World Team Trials after beating 2-time national champion Kellen Russell from Michigan and national team member Frank Mollinaro, who was a national champion for Penn State.

Collegiate Career
Alma Mater: Wisconsin '10
Sports Played: Wrestling
- 4-time NCAA Qualifier.
- 1st 2-time collegiate All-American from the state of Kentucky & the state's highest placer ever in NCAA DI Championships.
- 4-year letter winner serving as captain in his junior and senior campaigns.
- 123-36 all-time record for the Badgers.
- Big Ten finalist as a senior...placed all four years: 2nd, 3rd, 5th & 6th.

Name	Title	Email Address	Phone
Kyle Ruschell	Head Coach	kyle-ruschell@utc.edu	423-425-4287
Kyle Massey	Assistant Coach	kyle-massey@utc.edu	423-425-4287
Devin Skatzka	Assistant Coach	devin-skatzka@utc.edu	423-425-4287
Noah Castillo	Dir. of Operations

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Blue-Gold Match on Oct 17, 2026 at 6:30 PM

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Southeast Open on Nov 1, 2026 at All Day

Upcoming Event: Wrestling at Princeton on Nov 14, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Ohio on Nov 14, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Duke on Nov 14, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Little Rock on Nov 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Wrestling at Purdue on Dec 12, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Central Michigan on Dec 12, 2026 at TBA

Results

Completed Event: Wrestling versus NCAA Championships - Day 2 on March 20, 2026 , , T57th (1.0 pts)

Completed Event: Wrestling versus NCAA Championships - Day 1 on March 19, 2026 , , T59 (0.5 pts)

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Southern Conference Championships - Finals on March 7, 2026 , , 2nd (93.0 pts)2 Champs, 7 Podium

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Southern Conference Championships - Day 1 on March 6, 2026 , , 2nd (63.0 points)4 finalists

Completed Event: Wrestling at Bellarmine on February 22, 2026 , Win , 26, to, 9

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Appalachian State on February 15, 2026 , Win , 20, to, 13

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Presbyterian on February 8, 2026 , Win , 52, to, 0

Completed Event: Wrestling at Campbell on February 8, 2026 , Win , 47, to, 0

2026-27 Wrestling Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff

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