Start Date: August 2018
Head Coaching Record
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: 56-58 Overall | 36-16 SoCon
Notable Entering 2025-26 Season
- One SoCon Regular Season Title (2019)
- 10 SoCon Individual Champs
- 23 NCAA Qualifiers
All-Time 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.
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
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)
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
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
SoCon All-Freshman
2019: Tanner Smith, Ryan Resnick, Drew Nicholson
2024: Isaiah Powe, Sergio Desiante
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)
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
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.
- Only 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.
