Another Division I head coaching position has been filled. South Dakota State has tapped Damion Hahn as its new head coach.
Hahn leaves the Cornell Big Red program after over a decade in Ithaca, NY. Hahn had been an assistant coach since 2006 and the associate head coach since the 2013-14 season, working primarily with Cornell’s middle and upper weights.
Forty-eight CU wrestlers reached All-American status under Hahn’s tutelage. Furthermore, Cornell wrestlers reached the NCAA podium 20 times at 174, 184, and 197 pounds during his tenure. Three Big Red upper weights have been crowned NCAA champ with Hahn’s help: Steve Bosak, Cam Simaz, and most recently Gabe Dean in 2015 and 2016.
While Hahn has been on the staff, Cornell as a team has won every single Ivy League championship and every EIWA championship except one when the Big Red finished as runners-up this past season.
At South Dakota State, Hahn’s job will be to keep the momentum going that former head coach Chris Bono had built in Brookings. Bono left the Jackrabbits program less than a month ago for the University of Wisconsin, taking over the reins from Barry Davis, who retired after 15 years at the helm.
South Dakota State is coming off its best season in program history. Seth Gross won the 133-pound NCAA championship and the team finished in 12th place overall.
Before establishing himself as a DI coach, Hahn was a four-time All-American and two-time national champion at the University of Minnesota. Hahn was also a three-time New Jersey state champ wrestling out of Lakewood High School.
Courtesty of Flo Wrestling