Collin Boyles

UNCBears.com

GREELEY – Northern Colorado Athletics announced the resignation of head wrestling coach Ben Cherrington on Tuesday, who will pursue other interests outside of coaching.

“We want to thank Ben for his leadership of the program and building a foundation for future success over his five years as head coach,” Director of Athletics Darren Dunn said. “We appreciate his dedication to Collegiate Wrestling and wish him luck in his future endeavors.”

“I would like to thank all the people that have supported me during my tenure at UNC. I made a lot of friends and was fortunate enough to coach some great young men along the way,” Cherrington said. “My time at UNC has been a good time. It has not been without its challenges, but I feel like we have made some great strides in setting a foundation that the wrestling program can build on.

“Stepping away has been one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make, but for many reasons I feel like it is the right time to allow someone else to lead this program. I am confident that Darren and Ayo will make a great decision in choosing a new head coach and that UNC Wrestling will continue to achieve new heights.”

Cherrington had at least one wrestler advance to the NCAA Championships in each of his first three seasons as the Bears head coach, including coaching Justin Gaethje to Division I All-American status. The All-American student-athlete was the first ever in the 40-year history of the program.

Cherrington finished with a career record of 16-52 in duals action after initially taking over as interim head coach during the 2009-10 season and being named the full-time head coach after the season.

A national search for Cherrington’s successor will begin immediately. No further comments will be made until the hiring process is complete.