Apr 12, 2024 By Jonathan Guth 3 min read

When Kyle Szewczyk made the decision to resign as head wrestling coach at Waynesburg, he didn’t leave his shoes on the mat, or as a coach, let his tie fall to the ground.

The North Star graduate, who won a state title in 1997 before continuing his wrestling and academic careers at West Liberty University, spoke to Waynesburg athletic director Chris Minerd on Wednesday regarding his decision.

“I didn’t want to make a public display about it,” Szewczyk said. “That has never been my style. Even when I competed, I just walked off the mat no matter what the outcome was. I had to take some time after the state tournament to assess everything. I spoke with my wife and family about it, and made the decision to retire, and I say that because I am not going to be looking for a coaching job elsewhere.”

Minerd said Szewczyk’s resignation request will be brought before the school board Tuesday, and once it is accepted, the job will be posted internally for five days. If there isn’t any interest after the five days, an external search will be conducted.

“I am sorry to see him go, but it’s his choice and I understand,” Minerd said. “He made my job as an athletic director easier, and I thank him for his commitment to the program. We really hope to hire someone as soon as possible because athletes, especially wrestlers, put in so much time during the offseason. There is definitely tradition on the side of the program.”

Szewczyk stepped into the wrestling room at Waynesburg as an assistant to John Yates in the 2003-04 season. In 2011, Szewczyk was asked by Joe Throckmorton, whom he succeeded in 2022, to run the youth program as head coach while continuing as an assistant.

“I have been blessed to coach state and national champions, and I got to see kids develop from youth to when they graduated,” Szewczyk said. “I went through two generations of kids and have had an understanding wife and family. The parental support has also been there, plus the kids came to practice and worked hard to improve.”

Szewczyk was treated like family when he started coaching in Waynesburg at age 25, even though he had a strong resume as a competitor.

“You never know how people are going to treat you as the new guy, but John Yates, Joe Throckmorton and Ron Headlee took me in as one of their own,” Szewczyk said. “During my first year, Coleman Scott was a senior, so I have really come full circle.”

Szewczyk’s last match in the corner came at the state tournament as he watched his son fall just short of placing in Class 3A at 127 pounds.

Despite the heartbreaking loss in Hershey, Szewczyk can watch his son, Ky, wrestle in college, as he will compete next season at Ohio University.

“I’m not going to be in the trenches anymore, so I can just sit back and be a dad,” Szewczyk said. “This is really bittersweet for me, but I know it’s time. The program at Waynesburg had 10 straight years of hammer teams and now they are in a bit of a rebuilding process, but it runs in cycles and I know the program will be in good hands.”