Cornell University Athletics

Matt Azevedo has completed his first season with the Cornell wrestling staff as an assistant coach. This past season, Azevedo helped Cornell earn four All-America honors, five EIWA champions and eight first-team All-Ivy picks. The Big Red also enjoyed a second-place finish at the NCAA championships, the best performance in school history.

The three-time NCAA qualifier came to the Big Red after spending seven years as an assistant for Cal Poly, where he coached seven All-Americans and eight Pac-10 champions. Azevedo also helped guide Cal Poly to its highest finish in school history at the Pac-10 championships by placing second in 2004 and 2006.

Azevedo opened his collegiate career competing for two years for Arizona State, where he advanced to the NCAA tournament. For his final two seasons, Azevedo wrestled for Iowa State and qualified for the NCAAs in each campaign.

After graduating from Iowa State with a bachelor's degree in education in 2002, Azevedo continued his wrestling career and went on to be a seven-time U.S. national place winner. He won the 2008 U.S. Open National Championship, where he beat out eventual Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo and was selected Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament. The Las Vegas, Nev., native took second at the U.S. Freestyle World Team Trials in the summer of 2007. He finished second at the U.S. Freestyle Nationals in 2005 and 2006, and also placed third at the World Team Trials in 2006.

Azevedo and his wife Brooke reside in Ithaca. He is the nephew of Cal Poly head coach John Azevedo.