Northwest didn’t have to search too far before finding their next wrestling coach. Northwest High School announced that Chad Vollmecke will lead the wrestling program after being the head coach at Waukee High School for the previous 17 years.

“I love new opportunities to face challenges and grow from them,” Vollmecke said. “I’m also excited to create more wrestling opportunities for this community that will come from having two high school programs.”

During his tenure at Waukee, Vollmecke led two teams to second-place finishes, which is the highest placement a Waukee team has reached. He also sent the team to multiple state dual tournaments, placing as high as second back in 2018. Three individuals also claimed state championships during his time.

Vollmecke knows results will come over time, but he has plenty of goals right away for the new program.

“Build large numbers. Advance girls wrestling. Improve individual performances so they transfer into team victories,” Vollmecke said. “We focus on performance rather than the end result.  If the performance is high quality, then the wins will come. It’s the only way to compete without internal pressure.”

Vollmecke knows it will be a challenge stepping into this role. But one he is fairly familiar with during his time at Waukee. Although he knows this will be a challenge, he expects the Warriors to make an impact right away.

“You can expect that the Northwest Wrestling Program will be immediately relevant in the state of Iowa,” Vollmecke said. “You can expect fierce competitors who wrestle hard, train with passion, and treat those around them with dignity and respect.”

Vollmecke heads to Northwest high school after a second-place finish in the traditional tournament with a school-record four finalists this past season.