Donny Pritzlaff, who has served as the associate head coach for Rutgers wrestling since 2014, has been appointed as the head coach at Columbia, as announced by the university earlier this week. During his decade-long tenure with the Scarlet Knights, Pritzlaff played a crucial role in elevating the program to national prominence.
“We owe Donny a tremendous debt of gratitude for his contributions over the past ten years,” said head coach Scott Goodale. “He has significantly advanced Rutgers wrestling, and Columbia is fortunate to have secured one of the nation’s top coaches. Donny will always remain a cherished member of our family, and we wish him the best on this new journey. We are now conducting a national search for his successor.”
Under Pritzlaff’s guidance, Rutgers wrestling achieved remarkable success, including two individual NCAA champions, five Big Ten individual titles, 18 All-Americans, 66 NCAA qualifiers, and 44 Big Ten place winners. The Scarlet Knights accumulated 110 dual meet victories, including 34 in the Big Ten Conference during his time in Piscataway.
Pritzlaff coached athletes in three NCAA Championship matches and celebrated two NCAA title wins with Anthony Ashnault (149) and Nick Suriano (133) in 2019, marking the first individual NCAA titles in Rutgers’ history. Additionally, RU consistently produced multiple All-Americans at the NCAAs for seven consecutive seasons.
Most recently, Pritzlaff helped secure the No. 4 rated recruiting class for Rutgers in the 2024 cycle, the highest since 2008 according to Intermat.
Reflecting on his departure, Pritzlaff said, “Over the last 10 years at Rutgers University, my family and I have formed lasting relationships. While it’s hard to leave my team, I am very grateful and excited for the opportunity to lead Columbia Wrestling. I extend my thanks to the Rutgers community for their friendship and support. It has been an honor to work with the best students and coaches in the country. Red Team, Upstream!”
Pritzlaff, a two-time national champion at Wisconsin, joined Rutgers after serving three seasons as an assistant coach at Michigan (2011-13) and five seasons as the associate head coach at his alma mater, Wisconsin (2007-11). He also gained coaching experience at Hofstra before coming to Rutgers.
As a wrestler, Pritzlaff was a standout at Wisconsin, winning three consecutive Big Ten Conference 165-pound titles (1999-2001) and amassing a career record of 135-15. His .894 career winning percentage ranks third in Badgers history. Pritzlaff was inducted into the University of Wisconsin Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
In his final year at Rutgers, Pritzlaff helped the team achieve a No. 14 finish in the NWCA Coaches Poll, with multiple All-Americans for the eighth time in nine seasons under Goodale. Dylan Shawver (133) and Yaraslau Slavikouski (HWT) each placed seventh at the 2024 NCAA Wrestling Championships, contributing to Rutgers’ streak of producing at least one All-American in 10 of the past 11 years. Eight Scarlet Knights qualified for nationals, the most since 2016. RU also achieved a sixth-place finish at the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, with Shawver winning an individual title and the team scoring its highest points since 2016.
Rutgers concluded the dual season with a 12-5 record and a No. 14 ranking in the final NWCA Coaches Poll, marking its 12th top-25 finish under Goodale. The Scarlet Knights also ranked among the top six in national home attendance, averaging over 4,000 spectators per home dual in 2023-24. Additionally, twelve student-athletes earned Winter Academic All-Big Ten honors, with three individuals being named NWCA Scholar All-Americans.
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