By Steven Heath

Grand Canyon Sports Information

Grand Canyon University announced the hiring of Jon Sioredas (pronounced suh-REE-duss) as its head wrestling coach today.

“I am very excited about Coach Sioredas coming to GCU to head our developing wrestling program,” said GCU president Brian Mueller. “His years of experience in the NCAA Division I wrestling environment as both a student-athlete and coach is a great addition to our staff. He is also committed to embracing our institutional and athletic mission which will stretch his influence beyond the wrestling program and into the campus and greater community.”

Sioredas has been an assistant coach at Chattanooga and Old Dominion prior to becoming the Antelopes second head coach in the program’s history.

“Grand Canyon is a perfect fit for me,” said Sioredas. “I think GCU is a hidden gem in the West and in two or three years it will be a household name as a school and athletic department.”

A 2005 NCAA All-American, Sioredas finished fifth in the 165-class in the 2005 NCAA Championships. He was a two-time Southern Conference Champion and 2005 SoCon Wrestler of the Year and Tournament MVP.

He spent five seasons as an assistant at Old Dominion – helping coach four All-Americans and an NCAA national finalist – before returning to his alma mater in 2012, where he helped guide the Mocs to a 2013 SoCon team championship. Old Dominion was a top 25 program three of his five seasons and had 10 Academic All-NWCA individual honors as well as being ranked in the Top 10 in the nation in grade-point average in 2011.

He was recently inducted into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame.

Sioredas graduated in 2005 with a degree in Sociology & Anthropology. He earned his Master’s in Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University in 2009.

A native of Chesapeake, Va., and a 2000 Great Bridge High School graduate, Sioredas was a Virginia state champion, All-American and National Champion. He amassed a 181-13 career record, becoming the fourth winningest wrestler in Virginia High School history. He and his wife, Michele, have a two-year-old son, Braden.