Kevin Ward

Biography

Kevin Ward returns to his alma mater as an assistant coach for his first season after impressive stints at Army and Ouachita Baptist. In 11 seasons at Army West Point, Ward led the Black Knights to a 59-53 dual record and coached 54 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. In his first year, his team defeated Navy to snap a 17-year winless drought. His tenure at Army also included seven wins over Navy and four-consecutive Star Series victories over the Midshipmen from 2016-17 to 2019-20, as he became the first coach in program history to accomplish that feat. Last season, Ward’s Army team sent seven wrestlers to the NCAA Championships to mark the most for the program since 2021 and the second-most in program history. Ward’s coaching accolades include being named the 2014 NCAA Div. II Coach of the Year, the 2019 EIWA Coach of the Year and a finalist for the 2019 NWCA National Coach of the Year. Ward, who turned a wrestling program built from scratch at Ouachita Baptist University into a national contender, led the Tigers to top-15 finishes at the NCAA Championships in each of the program’s first three seasons. Ward coached 10 All-Americans and two NCAA finalists. An accomplished wrestler at Oklahoma State, Ward started his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Cowboys during the 2006-07 season, while earning his master’s degree in health and human performance. He assisted legendary head coach John Smith with drill sessions and preparing the team for competitions, as wel