Rutt earns coaching honor
Former JCC wrestler named national Coach of the Year in his first season
Former Jackson County Central wrestler Travis Rutt was named National Junior College Athletic Association and National Wrestling Coaches Association Non-Scholarship Coach of the Year during the national tournament in Council Bluffs this past week.
Rutt completed his first season as head coach at Rochester Community and Technical College.
The Yellowjackets won the non-scholarship team title.
RCTC, an NJCAA Division III, also competed with Division I and Division II schools at the tournament. The Yellowjackets finished 10th overall, 26 ahead of the runner-up non-scholarship school.
Rochester had 10 wrestlers at the national tourney, with four earning all-American status.
"The guys were excited," Rutt told the Rochester Post-Bulletin. "The goal is to obviously to try to win the whole thing, but when you compare the landscape of what the non-scholarship teams are competing against, then it looks pretty good."
Rutt was a two-time state champion at JCC, winning the Class 2A 160-pound title in 2007 and the Class 1A 171-pound crown in 2008.