Honors & Accomplishments
• NWCA National Coach of the Year (2005)
• Dan Gable National Coach of the Year (2005)
• EIWA Coach of the Year (2007, 2010, 2011, 2017)
• Ivy League Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
• New York State Coach of the Year (1995, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010, 2012)
• Cornell and Ivy League's all-time winningest wrestling coach (317-101-5)
• Most Ivy League dual meet wins in conference history (125-9-1)
• Longest conference winning streak in team sports history (92 matches)
By The Numbers (entering 2020-21)
• 1 Hodge Award Winner
• 1 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler
• 9 EIWA Freshmen of the Year
• 11 EIWA Wrestlers of the Year
• 11 EIWA championships
• 12 New York State Intercollegiate Championships
• 13 Ivy League Rookies of the Year
• 15 top 10 NCAA team finishes
• 15 Ivy League Wrestlers of the Year
• 16 individual NCAA champions
• 20 Ivy League titles
• 23 individual NCAA finalists
• 66 individual EIWA champions
• 71 NCAA All-Americans
• 70 individual New York State Intercollegiate champions
• 113 first-team All-Ivy League selections
• 177 individual NCAA qualifiers
Coaching Experience
• Head Coach, Cornell University (1993-present)
• Assistant Coach, Cornell University (1989-93)
• Graduate Assistant, University of North Carolia (1988-89)
Education
• B.S., Communications, North Carolina (1989)
At Cornell
Rob Koll, the David R. Dunlop ’59 Head Coach of Wrestling, enters his 28th season as the mentor of the Cornell wrestling program. Koll, himself a former NCAA champion, has developed the Big Red into one of the elite programs in all of college wrestling.
Under Koll’s direction, the Big Red has captured 20 Ivy League and 11 EIWA titles, crowned 16 NCAA champions and achieved 71 All-Americans, 177 NCAA qualifiers and 66 individual EIWA champions. In the first 63 seasons of the NCAA tournament, the Big Red program had 82 total NCAA qualifiers, 16 All-Americans and five national champions. In nearly 90 years of Big Red wrestling prior to Koll, Cornell had 14 EIWA team titles and 96 EIWA champs.
Koll is not only Cornell’s all-time wins leader, but he also is the standard-bearer in Ivy League history with his 317-101-5 (.755) career record, including 145-34-1 (.808) over the last 12 years. His 125-9-1 record (.929) in Ivy League dual meets is also unmatched. He surpassed Jimmy Miller’s mark of 203 dual meet victories in 2011 when Cornell blanked Princeton 44-0 and later became the eighth Cornell coach to surpass 300 wins in any sport.
Over the last 16 seasons in particular, Cornell has shown without question that it is one of the nation’s dominant programs with 60 All-Americans, 14 national champions, nine top five team finishes at the NCAAs and 11 EIWA titles. In addition, the Big Red won 17 consecutive Ivy crowns – the longest streak by any school in any sport in conference history - and ended the streak during the 2019-20 season having won 92 straight Ivy matches. Koll’s teams have also captured 12 New York State Intercollegiate titles during his tenure.
The team’s national success has been impressive, crowning at least one individual NCAA champion in a Big Red singlet in 10 of the last 12 years of the NCAA Championships and having a finalist every year over that span. Cornell has twice finished as team runner-up at NCAAs and has eight top five finishes. Cornell and Iowa are the only schools in the country to finish in the top 10 nationally every year since 2008. The Big Red also won the 2010-11 NWCA National Duals – a feat accomplished by only the sport’s elite programs – Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Iowa, Penn State, Cornell, Iowa State and Missouri.
For 17 straight seasons, at least three Big Red wrestlers have reached the All-America podium. Koll has qualified at least one wrestler to the NCAA championships in each of his 27 seasons, including sending a school-record nine to the national meet in 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016.
The Big Red has parlayed that success on to the international scene as well, as Kyle Dake '13 won a World title in freestyle at 79 kg in 2018 and 2019. Dake finished third (2012) and second (2016) at the U.S. Olympic Trials and was part of the national team that won the 2018 World Cup, the first team crown since 2003. A number of wrestlers, including Nahshon Garrett (2016), Mack Lewnes and Frank Perrelli (2012) and Clint Wattenberg (2008) have also earned a spot to wrestle at the Trials.
Koll came to Cornell as an assistant coach under Jack Spates prior to the 1989-90 season. While an assistant coach under Spates, the Big Red claimed four Ivy League titles, a pair of EIWA crowns and sent 18 wrestlers to the national championships. Cornell finished 10th in 1992-93, Spates’ final season on the East Hill.
In addition to serving as a member of the Cornell coaching staff, Koll has also been the coordinator of the Cornell wrestling camp and has served as a member of the physical education staff.
National Champions Under Rob Koll
•
Steve Bosak '13 - A three-time All-American, Bosak won a national title at 184 pounds as a junior in 2012 and placed third as a senior.The four-time NCAA qualifier won an Eastern title in 2013, the last of three consecutive years in which he reached the finals. Bosak was a four-time All-Ivy pick, including a first-teamer in each of his final three seasons. He claimed the EIWA's Sheridan Award in 2011. Bosak closed his career with a record of 131-30 and ranked among the school's career leaders in wins, winning percentage, falls and major decisions.
•
Kyle Dake '13 - Dake became the first NCAA wrestler to win national titles in four different weight classes, the first to win four national titles without taking a redshirt season and just the third athlete to claim four national titles overall. The 2013 Hodge Award winner as the national Wrestler of the Year was a three-time EIWA Wrestler of the Year. The Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA tournament in 2013, he wrapped up his amazing career with a 137-4 record, including winning his final 79 collegiate matches. Dake was named the Charles H. Moore Senior co-Athlete of the Year at Cornell, the Sports Illustrated Male College Athlete of the Year and was an ESPY finalist for Best Male College Athlete in 2013. The four-time NCAA All-American was elected to the EIWA Hall of Fame in 2014.
•
Gabe Dean '17 - A two-time NCAA champion at 184 pounds, he was a four-time All-American, a four-time EIWA champ and a four-time first-team All-Ivy League selection. The 2015 and 2017 Ivy League and EIWA Wrestler of the Year, he compiled a school-record 152 wins (152-7).
•
Yianni Diakomihalis '21 - A two-time NCAA champion, Diakomihalis became just the second Cornell freshman to claim an NCAA championship when he did so at 141 pounds in 2018, wrestling his final two-and-a-half matches on a torn ACL. In the process, he defeated the two-time defending NCAA champ at the weight in the quarters, avenged his lone collegiate loss in the semifinals and topped the No. 1 seed in the finals with a comeback in the final 30 seconds. He came back the following year with an undefeated, 29-0 campaign to repeat at 141.
•
Nahshon Garrett '16 - A four-time NCAA All-American, Garrett won the 2016 national championship at 133 pounds after finishing third, second and fifth, respectively, in his first three seasons at 125 pounds. The 2014 EIWA and 2014 and 2016 Ivy League Wrestler of the Year, Garrett was a four-time Eastern champ and first-team All-Ivy League pick who sported a 149-12 career record.
•
Travis Lee '05 - A two-time NCAA champion, he was twice named Ivy League Wrestler of the Year. Lee became the first Ivy wrestler to earn All-America honors four times. Lee won EIWA titles all four years and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler twice. He posted an unbeaten season en route to a national title at 125 pounds as a sophomore, and then recorded a 37-1 record as a senior, avenging his only loss of the year in the NCAA finals at 133 pounds to capture the 2005 title.
•
Jordan Leen '09 - Leen, a four-time NCAA qualifier and 2008 national champion at 157 pounds, wrapped up his impressive wrestling career for the Big Red with a 118. The three-time All-American finished his career as a three-time first-team All-Ivy honoree.
•
Troy Nickerson '10 - Nickerson was an NCAA champion as a junior, a two-time NCAA finalist and four-year All-American and a member of four Ivy championship teams. The three-time EIWA champion finished with a 97-8 career record. A four-time first-team All-Ivy pick, he earned EIWA Wrestler of the Year accolades in 2009.
•
Cam Simaz '12 - The two-time Ivy League Wrestler of the Year won an NCAA title as a senior at 197 pounds. Simaz won four EIWA titles and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler as a senior. He was named first-team All-Ivy four times, helping the Big Red to four Ivy League and EIWA team titles and top six finishes at the NCAAs each year, including national runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011.
Prior to Cornell
Koll graduated in 1989 from North Carolina with a degree in communications. He set the standard for excellence at Chapel Hill, winning a national championship at 158 pounds in 1988. Koll graduated as the winningest wrestler in school and Atlantic Coast Conference history, posting a 150-20-1 record. He was North Carolina’s first four-time All-American and second wrestler in Tar Heel history to win a national title. Koll was the 1988 recipient of the Patterson Medal, given to the most outstanding senior athlete at North Carolina.
A three-time ACC champion, Koll helped the Tar Heels claim three team titles during his career. He was twice selected to participate in the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic, showcasing the top collegiate talent in the nation, winning both times. He also traveled to Italy as part of the NWCA All-Star team in 1988. After graduation, Koll served as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater for the 1988-89 season.
International Career
Continuing his competitive career after graduation, Koll competed in the 1990 and 1993 World Cup, winning his weight class on both occasions. He was also an alternate on the 1992 U.S. Olympic team. A 1992 World Cup Grand Prix champion, Koll placed fifth at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo and was the 1989 Pan-Am Games champion. He won national freestyle championships in 1990 and 1991 and was the runner-up at the 1989 Olympic Festival in Oklahoma City.
Personal
Koll and his wife, Rachel, live in Lansing and have two sons, William and Daniel. Both sons have been members of the Big Red wrestling team. A native of State College, Pa., Koll was a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association champion at State College Area HS. His father, the late Bill Koll, was a three-time NCAA champion at Iowa State Teachers’ College (Northern Iowa) and was twice named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. Bill Koll was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1977.
| Year |
W |
L |
T |
Ivy Record |
Ivy Finish |
EIWA Finish |
EIWA Champs |
NCAA Finish |
All-Americans |
NCAA Champs |
| 1993-94 |
14 |
6 |
0 |
4-1 |
2nd |
4th |
1 |
t-17th |
1 |
1 |
| 1994-95 |
15 |
5 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
4th |
2 |
t-56th |
0 |
0 |
| 1995-96 |
14 |
3 |
0 |
4-1 |
2nd |
3rd |
2 |
t-42nd |
0 |
0 |
| 1996-97 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
3-2 |
3rd |
4th |
1 |
t-41st |
1 |
0 |
| 1997-98 |
11 |
5 |
2 |
4-1 |
2nd |
3rd |
1 |
t-67th |
0 |
0 |
| 1998-99 |
16 |
2 |
1 |
4-0-1 |
t-1st |
2nd |
2 |
t-33rd |
0 |
0 |
| 1999-00 |
11 |
4 |
0 |
4-1 |
2nd |
3rd |
1 |
t-34th |
0 |
0 |
| 2000-01 |
8 |
4 |
1 |
4-1 |
t-1st |
4th |
0 |
t-28th |
1 |
0 |
| 2001-02 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
4-1 |
2nd |
3rd |
2 |
t-18th |
2 |
0 |
| 2002-03 |
13 |
5 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
2nd |
1 |
10th |
3 |
1 |
| 2003-04 |
11 |
6 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
3rd |
2 |
11th |
3 |
0 |
| 2004-05 |
12 |
4 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
2nd |
3 |
4th |
4 |
1 |
| 2005-06 |
10 |
4 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
2nd |
1 |
5th |
4 |
0 |
| 2006-07 |
9 |
5 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
2 |
12th |
4 |
0 |
| 2007-08 |
9 |
5 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
1 |
9th |
4 |
1 |
| 2008-09 |
12 |
2 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
4 |
6th |
4 |
1 |
| 2009-10 |
9 |
4 |
1 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
5 |
2nd |
4 |
1 |
| 2010-11 |
13 |
1 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
4 |
2nd |
5 |
1 |
| 2011-12 |
11 |
1 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
3 |
4th |
5 |
3 |
| 2012-13 |
14 |
4 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
3 |
5th |
4 |
1 |
| 2013-14 |
13 |
1 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
4 |
7th |
3 |
0 |
| 2014-15 |
17 |
2 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
5 |
5th |
4 |
1 |
| 2015-16 |
6 |
5 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
4 |
7th |
3 |
2 |
| 2016-17 |
13 |
2 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
1st |
4 |
8th |
4 |
0 |
| 2017-18 |
13 |
2 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
2nd |
3 |
7th |
4 |
1 |
| 2018-19 |
13 |
3 |
0 |
5-0 |
1st |
2nd |
3 |
7th |
4 |
1 |
| 2019-20 |
11 |
7 |
0 |
4-1 |
2nd |
2nd |
2 |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
| TOTALS |
317 |
101 |
5 |
125-9-1 |
20 titles |
11 titles |
66 |
15 top 10 finishes |
71 |
16 |
* Updated March 2020
