(Avoca) AHSTW wrestling has made a big name hire. Four time NAIA National Champion Evan Hansen will lead the Vikings.
The two-time state for Exira-EHK went on to a record setting college career at national power Grand View. He plans to bring that championship lifestyle to AHSTW. “It’s one step at a time. It’s not going to be something that happens over night. You have to start from day one in terms of the high school and let them know your standards. ‘This is what I’m going to hold you guys to, this is what I’m going to hold myself to, and this is what I’m holding the rest of the coaching staff to and I expect nothing less.'”
Hansen intends to build things from the ground up. “If we’re talking 10-15 years from now that’s all about the little kids program. That’s the future of the club. That comes from getting involved with the little kids, going in there and making sure they are having fun and enjoying it, but also learning and getting something out of practice each and every day. After they get into high school they know what to expect out of me and I know what to expect out of them. They know that you have their best interests at heart. You can build that relationship more and get more out of them.”
His goals are lofty to say the least. “I think at the high school level I’ll have a good opportunity to build a program that can rival your big name programs like Lisbon and Alburnett. I want to teach them what I learned at Grand View, that championship lifestyle and living your life the best way you can in every aspect.”
He feels that AHSTW’s administration and fan base will allow him to flourish. “They have a good backing.” Hansen says he went into the interview and said, “Hey this is what I want to do and this is what I need to do that.” He hoped the administration would be on board with that and they were. “That was a big thing for me. I had certain things that I wanted to make sure were a top priority and #1 on that list was not necessarily being a championship team, it was making championship people, and hopefully the championships come after that.”
Hansen comments on the mindset and approach he’ll look to bring to AHSTW. “I don’t like losing. I hate losing as much as the next person, but at the end of the day it is a sport and it’s not about winning or losing. It’s about helping these kids reach their goals on and off the mat and helping direct them so they can take the lessons that they learned from my program and use them in the real world when they go out and coach or do whatever job it is that they are going to do when they are older.”
Hansen has spent the past three years coaching in college, including last season as an assistant at Grand View. He’ll replace Evan McCarthy
AHSTW coach Evan Hansen:
