Luke Pletcher, a two-time All-American and the 2020 Big Ten Champion at 141 pounds is moving on from Ohio State after the cancellation of winter sport championships cut his senior season short of title contention.
Pittsburgh announced on Wednesday that Pletcher would be serving as a volunteer coach for its wrestling program in 2020. He’ll also be signing with the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club Training Center, which means that he won’t be staying with the Ohio RTC as he pursues Olympic and freestyle goals past college.
“We couldn’t be more excited about Luke joining our staff,” head coach Keith Gavin said. “He is obviously a very skilled and accomplished wrestler, but on top of that, I have always respected him for his approach to the sport, the way he competes and his character. Luke is from Western Pennsylvania and is a great overall fit for us. He will have an immediate impact here.”
For Pletcher, this marks a return home for the Latrobe, Pa. native that grew up just about an hour away from Pittsburgh.
“I’m really excited to join the team and start working with the guys,” Pletcher said. “Getting a chance to come back home to chase my Olympic dreams and help the guys on the team attain their goals was something that I couldn’t pass up.”
Pletcher leaves Ohio State as one of its most decorated wrestlers of the last decade. He put together a 108-21 career record, and was on his way to a third straight All-American mention this postseason. After winning the Big Ten Championship, Pletcher secured the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Championships and was considered a favorite to secure his first national title. He qualified for the championships in all four of his seasons with the Buckeyes.
Ohio State assistant coach J Jaggers hopped on Twitter to congratulate Pletcher on the new job.
Congrats to @LukePletcher on the job at Pitt. 1 of the easiest guys I’ve ever had the luxury of coaching. He’ll be a great one for @keithgavin84
Also though @LukePletcher …. pic.twitter.com/N6WcDyV8Ig
— J Jaggers (@jjaggers2x) April 8, 2020
Pletcher will join the staff once he graduates from Ohio State this spring.
