Central’s Van Kley named to NCAA wrestling committee
Central College
PELLA — Eric Van Kley, Central College’s athletics director and head wrestling coach, was appointed to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Committee.
Effective September 1, Van Kley will serve a four-year committee as one of four regional representatives. Also serving are David Kemmy, athletics director at Roger Williams University (R.I.), Nathan Shearer, wrestling coach at Washington and Lee University (Va.) and Roger Crebs, wrestling coach at Lycoming College (Pa.).
Among the committee’s responsibilities is administering the Division III championship tournament in March each year.
Last September Van Kley was named Division III president-elect for the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) and is serving a two-year term as vice president.
Van Kley took over as Central’s head wrestling coach in 2007 and became athletics director in 2011. He’s restoring the wrestling program to national prominence. Last year the Dutch finished 29th at the NCAA Division III Championships, highlighted by two Central wrestlers earning All-America status. It was Central’s highest finish since 2003. He also propelled the Dutch into the NCAA Division III rankings for the first time in 20 years. Central has sent at least one wrestler to the NCAA Division III national tournament each of the last five years.
Van Kley was named the co-winner of the league coach of the year award in 2009-10 after piloting Central to its first winning season since 2000-01. Inheriting a squad with as many as five open weights, Van Kley’s recruiting efforts have expanded the roster to more than 30 wrestlers.
A Rock Valley, Iowa native, Van Kley started the wrestling program at the University of Great Falls (Mont.) in 2004 and turned it into an NAIA title contender. He compiled a 28-13 dual meet record over three seasons and wrestlers earned NAIA all-America distinction 13 times with three top-10 national team finishes. In 2006-07 the Argos won the West Region championship and finished sixth at the NAIA national tournament. Van Kley was named the NAIA West Region coach of the year. His 2005-06 team received NAIA Top 10 academic distinction. Van Kley also served as the Great Falls athletics director in 2006-07, overseeing an 11-sport program, and was named the university’s staff employee of the year.
Earlier, Van Kley served three seasons as an assistant wrestling coach at The Dalles High School in Oregon before he spent a year as assistant coach for Division I Millersville University ( Pa.) while also serving as Leadership Program Coordinator for the National Wrestling Coaches Association. He worked with a Millersville squad that won the Eastern Regional dual meet title and placed second at the Virginia Duals.
An honors graduate of Minnesota State-Mankato, Van Kley was a three-time letterwinner for the NCAA Division II program. He served as captain for the 2000 team which placed sixth at the national meet and was a two-time ScholarAll-America honoree, while receiving the team’s Maverick Achievement Award. Van Kley earned a master’s degree from Duquesne University (Pa.).
Van Kley is also heavily involved in the U.S. Cadet & Junior National Greco-Roman tournament. He served as head coach of the Iowa team in 2010-11, guiding the squad to a sixth-place finish, after previously serving as an assistant. He’s coached in the tourney for seven years, including his time as a team director in Montana.
Van Kley and his wife Sarah are the parents of two sons and a daughter.
