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Oney selected as head wrestling coach at WPI
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Sports Information
6/15/2018

WORCESTER -- WPI Director of Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics Dana L. Harmon announced the hiring of Matt Oney '90 as the head wrestling coach. He takes over the program from fellow alumnus Steve Hall '87, who retired following the program's best season since the Phil Grebinar era.

Oney returns to Boynton Hill following a two-year stop at Kansas Wesleyan where he boasted three NAIA national qualifiers, five KCAC Champions, two KCAC Most Outstanding Wrestlers, and the program's first All-America. His debut campaign, as well as the program's first full season, yielded the school's first national qualifier and 2016-17 KCAC Coach of the Year accolades. Academically, Oney touted the program's first NAIA All-American and NWCA All-Academic honoree. Prior to leading the Coyotes, Oney served as an assistant men's and women's coach at Wayland Baptist for two years.

Matt Oney"We welcome back Matt Oney '90 to the WPI Athletics Family," said Harmon. "Matt has distinguished himself at the high school, college, national and international levels of coaching and we are excited to have him lead our very successful wrestling program now and into the future. Matt brings a wealth of knowledge and experiences to the position that will help our student-athletes reach their full potential not only in competition, but also more importantly in the classroom and in the community."

Before making the move to the collegiate ranks, Oney was a math and physics teacher at Punahou School, a top-tier ethnically diverse college preparatory school, in Honolulu, HI for over two decades. As head coach, he guided the boys' team to six consecutive state titles and the girls' team to three in-a-row while collecting numerous league and state accolades along the way.

"I am very excited about having Matt take the helm of the WPI Wrestling program," remarked Hall. "He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will help lead the program to even greater heights."

Off campus, the USA Wrestling GOLD Certified Coach is well traveled, having been to Turkey and Russia as part of the organization's Coaches Apprentice Program in 2009 and 2010. He was later on the women's freestyle staff for the Pan-Am Cadet Championships from 2012 to 2015 and the Pan-Am Junior Championships in 2017. The 2013 team claimed the title while the 2012, 2015 and 2017 lineups placed second, and the 2014 team earned bronze. Oney was also involved at the state level from 2003-2012.

"I would like to thank Dana Harmon and the entire search committee for the time and energy they put in on behalf of the WPI Wrestling Family and it's student-athletes throughout the process," commented Oney. "As an alum, I am truly grateful to be able to give back to the program and school in this way, and am excited for the opportunity to lead these young men moving forward."

The electrical engineering major posted a dual meet record of 21-10 (.667) with 12 pins - without being pinned himself - and was third in the region at 142 as a sophomore and as a senior. Both All-New England performances led to NWCA Scholar All-America honors while 1989-90 co-captain also helped the team to a second-place showing regionally and No. 15 nationally.

The Oney Era begins Saturday, November 10 at Ursinus while his home debut is a week later versus Norwich and Stevens in a super quad at the Sports & Recreation Center.

Last edited by smokeycabin; 06/15/18 11:27 PM.
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ONEY LEAVING KWU TO RETURN TO ALMA MATER
Wrestling - Fri, Jun. 15, 2018 at 10:05 AM Bookmark and Share
Kansas Wesleyan Wrestling coach Matt Oney has resigned his position at Kansas Wesleyan to take a similar position at his alma mater, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worchester, Mass., according to KWU director of athletics Mike Hermann.

In two seasons, Oney established a strong culture in the wrestling program at Kansas Wesleyan. He served as the program's coach in its first two seasons of competitive wrestling.


In 2017-18, Oney saw two grapplers earn berths in the NAIA National Championships. Taylor Moeder (JR/Shawnee, Kan.) won the KCAC Championship at 141 pounds and Tanner O'Donnell (SR/Salina, Kan.) won the 184 pound bracket in the KCAC Championships to advance to the NAIA National Championships. Moeder was named the KCAC Most Outstanding Wrestler, the second season a KWU mat-man has earned that title. Moeder reached the National Semifinals, eventually finishing in fourth earning KWU's first-ever NAIA Wrestling All-American honor, finishing with a 30-3 record. O'Donnell would also earn a spot on the NWCA NAIA All-Academic Team. On November 29, 2017, the wrestling program picked up its first-ever dual match victory, defeating conference foe Ottawa 26-24.


In 2016-17, Oney coached the Coyotes in the program's first full season of competition. The Coyotes finished third in the first-ever KCAC Wrestling Invitational hosted by KWU on February 4. Oney was selected as the KCAC Coach of the Year. Ty Wilson, Stefan Johnson, Tanner O'Donnell all picked up first place finishes in their weight classes. O'Donnell was selected as the KCAC Most Outstanding Wrestler at the event. Ty Wilson became KWU's first-ever NAIA National Championship Qualifier, finishing second in the 157-pound weight class at the NAIA Regional Qualifier.


"I appreciate Matt's good work building a foundation for our program," Hermann said. "He's recruited outstanding men to be the first Coyote wrestlers. We are sad for Matt and Kim to be leaving our community, but understand the emotional connection of one's alma mater."


Prior to KWU, Oney spent two seasons as an assistant at Wayland Baptist (Texas), helped the Pioneer women finish eighth in the WCWA (Women's College Wrestling Association) with four All-Americans and one Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete and the team was recognized as a scholar team. The Wayland men finished 11th at the NAIA National Championships with five NAIA All-Americans and one scholar athlete.


Oney also has coached with USA Wrestling, coaching the elite US wrestlers that includes four Cadet PanAmerican Championships and one junior and one senior world championship. He also coached Team Hawaii, the all-star team that represents the state in national competitions. He is a USAW Gold Certified coach.


Oney taught math and coached wrestling for 21 years at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, coaching nine state championship teams, including a six-year run by the boys and a three-year run by the girls. He coached nearly 40 state champions and earned a combined 33 folkstyle All-American awards with five National Champions, 15 Fargo All-Americans with two National Champions and 20 NHSCA Academic All-Americans including the first-ever high school female to be recognized as such.


Oney wrestled collegiately at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, helping the team to a 59-6 record and a No. 15 national ranking during his time. He was a four-time letterwinner and team captain in his senior season. He was twice named to the NECCWA All-New England team and was a two-time NCAA Division III Scholar All-American. He is a member of the WPI Wrestling Ring of Honor. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from WPI.


A national search for Oney's replacement will be conducted.


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