Western Reserve Academy is thrilled to announce the newest addition to the athletic department and head of our wrestling program, new Varsity Wrestling Coach Ian Miller.

Miller hails most recently from Appalachian State University, where he has co-led their impressive wrestling program as Head Assistant Coach and seen the team to tremendous success, including a 2021 school record of seven NCAA Championships qualifiers, five of whom earned a top-20 seed and one named All-American. That year, the Mountaineers secured five conference champions and tied NC State and Arizona State for the lead in Division I wrestling.

This will be Miller's debut as Head Coach, and he is more than ready to forge his own path, formed by years of exceptional partnership and mentorship with colleagues and former coaches. He describes his coaching style as malleable and one that pulls from many powerful influences, such as his former college coach at Kent State University, the head coach at Oregon State University (where he first began his coaching career), App State's head wrestling coach and, of course, his father — a former wrestler for The Ohio State University.

"Every time I've been mentored by someone, I take a little bit from them and create my own philosophy," said Miller. "Whether it's a colleague or the earlier years my dad spent coaching me, I listen and try to learn and absorb as much as I can. I just finished my seventh year coaching, and I'm super excited to take over my own program and do my own thing."

You could say that wrestling is in Miller's blood. With a father and three uncles all with respective wrestling experiences, he was pushed to jump into the sport and take it seriously — and the results show. After graduating from KSU with a Bachelor of Science in Human Movement and a minor in Athletic Coaching, Miller officially finished a truly elite wrestling career. With three top-six NCAA finishes, Miller earned All-American recognition three times while wrestling at Kent State from 2011-16. He was also a University Nationals freestyle champion in both 2012 and 2014, when he was named the event's most outstanding wrestler.

Looking back, he feels a great deal of gratitude for his family and particularly his father, who encouraged him from start to finish.

"I think wrestling is a really unique sport," he said. "You'll get out of it as much as you'll put into it, and if you buy into this — then great things will happen. I like to say that you need to work hard and believe every day that you're going to get better, and this sport will treat you well. And that's what I love about wrestling. It teaches you discipline, work ethic, setting goals and working towards them — and those are skills that you'll take with you, long after you stop competing."

When you review all that Miller was able to accomplish as a competitive athlete, you might assume that his proudest accomplishment would be one of those many titles and accolades, but when you ask him, he points to his years as a coach as the moments and experiences that stand out the most.

"I really fell in love with coaching, and I'll be honest, I didn't expect to," he shared. "I had a lot of great success in college and I thought it would be hard to give up competing, but it was incredible how quickly I became much more passionate about coaching. Seeing my athletes reach their goals are now my proudest moments. Seeing them stand on those podiums are the moments that are now my favorite."

A native of Oak Harbor, Ohio, Miller is looking forward to moving back to the Buckeye State with his wife, Emily, and their cat, Tucker. He has already reached out to the team to introduce himself and was struck by how many of the WRA wrestlers responded promptly, excited to meet him and for a great season ahead. "What a great group," he added.

"A champion at multiple levels, Ian's excellence within the sport of wrestling speaks for itself," shared Director of Athletics Pete Hutchins. "That experience, combined with his passion, humble approach, and staunch commitment to the student-athlete experience will position our students to maximize their potential on and off the mat. I'm excited to welcome Ian back to Ohio and to the WRA community."

Please join us in welcoming Coach Miller to Western Reserve Academy. We look forward to his leadership and cheering our wrestlers on as they achieve greatness, both on and off the mat. 

Go Pios