Troy Nickerson (born January 7, 1987) is a former

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

and

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

champion out of

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

. He is the current head wrestling coach at the Army West Point.

High school career

Nickerson attended Chenango Forks High School in

Chenango Forks, New York Chenango Forks is a hamlet located in Broome County, New York, United States. The community is situated partly in the town of Chenango and partly in the town of Barker. Chenango Forks is approximately north of Binghamton on Route 12 and is at ...

. At Chenango Forks, Nickerson became the first five-time high school state champion of

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

and amassed a record of 217-6, while winning several Junior National championships. Intermat wrestling named him the ninth best high school wrestler for the entire 20-year period ending in 2005. Nickerson was also named the Junior Hodge Trophy winner in 2005. At the Fargo tournament, a national championship tournament in the U.S. for

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott Laboritories Media * '' FreeStyle'', ...

and

Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), or classic wrestling (Euro-English) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been i ...

, he captured five titles in six tries.

College career

After graduating from high school Nickerson attended

, where he won three

EIWA The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) is an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling conference. It held its first championship tournament in 1905, making it the oldest wrestling conference in the NCAA. The EIWA's charter members we ...

wrestling titles and was a rare four-time NCAA

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

. In his junior year, Nickerson won the 2009 NCAA wrestling title at 125 pounds. He finished 2nd as a true freshman, 3rd as a sophomore, and 4th as a senior with a total career record of 97-8. He served as captain during his senior year and was also a member of the

Quill and Dagger Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University, founded in 1893. In 1929, ''The New York Times'' stated that election into Quill and Dagger and similar societies constituted "the highest non-scholastic honor within reach of unde ...

society.

Coaching career

In September 2010, Nickerson accepted a position as an assistant coach for the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club of New York, which focuses on promoting all levels of wrestling in New York State. In 2011 and 2012, Nickerson competed in freestyle wrestling on the senior level, with his goal of making the U.S. Olympic team. He would not make the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials and afterwards would turn his full attention to coaching. In 2012, he was hired as an assistant coach at

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

. In 2014, Nickerson was named head coach of the

University of Northern Colorado The University of Northern Colorado (UNCO or UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado, United States. It was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has offi ...

wrestling program. Nickerson was named the head coach at Army West Point on June 9, 2025.

References

External links

Career Stats

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nickerson, Troy Living people American wrestlers Cornell University alumni American wrestling coaches Sportspeople from Binghamton, New York 1987 births