Head Wrestling Coach · Cal Poly

JonSioredas

  • Two-Time Pac-12 Coach of the Year
  • President, National Wrestling Coaches Association

He took over a program that had just finished last in the NCAA and built it into a national Top 25 fixture. Now he brings that standard to your athletes, your coaches and your program.

The Turnaround

Last Placeto Top 25

When Jon arrived in San Luis Obispo before the 2016-17 season, Cal Poly had just finished last in the NCAA and had no NCAA qualifiers. On his first day he wrote down a single goal: a Top 25 program within five years.

The Mustangs lost every dual in his second and third seasons. Instead of chasing quick fixes, he rebuilt the foundation: launching the Mustang Wrestling Foundation, overhauling fundraising and anchoring the program to a set of core values.

  1. 2016Day OneLast in the NCAA. No NCAA qualifiers. One goal: Top 25 in five years.
  2. 2018The FoundationThe Mustang Wrestling Foundation launches and the rebuild takes root.
  3. 2021Goal Reached25th in the nation. The Mustangs have not left the Top 25 since.
  4. 2022Top 10Into the national top 10 for the first time in 39 years.
  5. 2023Conference ChampionsA 5-0 run to the first Pac-12 dual title in program history and Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
  6. 2025NCAA PodiumThird place at the NCAA Championships at 133 pounds and a Top 15 national ranking.
  7. 2026Record SeasonThree Pac-12 champions, a second Coach of the Year award and the NWCA presidency.

2025-26

The Most Decorated Season of the Modern Era

And all of it after losing a 2025 All-American to a season-ending injury in December.

  • 3Pac-12 champions, a program record, crowned on Cal Poly's home mat
  • 4thAt the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, a program best with a record six placers
  • 6NWCA Scholar All-Americans, a program record
  • 4NCAA qualifiers for the fifth straight season, a run matched only once in program history

At a Glance

Built theRight Way

Winning is one line on the résumé. The program Jon built also sets records in the classroom, raises more private support than at any point in its 78-year history and gives Cal Poly a seat at the head of the table as college wrestling navigates a period of unprecedented change.

Download the Full Bio

National Leadership

  • President, National Wrestling Coaches Association (2026-28)
  • NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Rules Subcommittee (2026-30)
  • Pac-12 representative, NWCA Division I Leadership Group
  • Panelist, NWCA National Convention

On the Mat

  • Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2023 and 2026, the only coach in program history to earn it
  • National Top 25 six straight seasons, including Top 10 in 2022
  • Six All-Americans since 2020
  • First Pac-12 dual title in program history (2023)

In the Classroom

  • Program-record six NWCA Scholar All-Americans (2026)
  • Highest team GPA in program history (2025-26)
  • Half the roster at a 3.5 GPA or better (winter 2026)
  • NCAA APR top 10 nationally (2017-19) and a perfect APR (2023)

Recruiting

  • Eleven Top 100 recruits (2019-26)
  • Seven nationally ranked transfers (2020-25)
  • Top 25 recruiting class (2019)
  • Seven Top 25 recruiting classes across his career

Fundraising

  • Record fundraising in 2025-26, up 20 percent year over year
  • Most individual donors in program history
  • Mustang Wrestling Foundation partnership (est. 2018) funding staff, scholarships, revenue sharing, operations and the Central Coast RTC

Program Leadership

  • Contract extended through 2029-30
  • Directs Mustang Wrestling Camp, bringing hundreds of young wrestlers to SLO each summer
  • Added Iowa All-American Nelson Brands to the staff (2026)
  • Mental-performance training built into the program
Jon Sioredas embracing a Cal Poly wrestler at the NCAA Championships
Photo: Tony Rotundo / WrestlersAreWarriors.com

The Philosophy

PurposeOver Outcome

“Our purpose is to create remarkable men for life after wrestling. Winning wrestling matches is the secondary benefit.”

Jon Sioredas

Every Mustang is measured against four core values, and the standard is the same for the staff. Jon lifts and trains alongside his athletes, meets with his student-athlete leadership group every week and has built mental-performance training into the program.

  1. 01Attitude
  2. 02Effort
  3. 03Growth
  4. 04Respect

In the Classroom

3.5+

GPA or better for half the roster in winter 2026.

Plus the highest team GPA in program history in 2025-26 and a program-record six NWCA Scholar All-Americans.

The Template

From Walk-On to Two-Time Champion

Trevor Tinker was a lightly recruited walk-on who joined the room as a practice partner. He left Cal Poly as the first two-time Pac-12 heavyweight champion in program history, a four-time NCAA qualifier, a three-time Scholar All-American and with a postgraduate certificate in fire protection engineering.

  • Pac-12 Champion
  • NCAA Qualifier
  • Scholar All-American

For Young Wrestlers

Mustang Wrestling Camp

Hundreds of young wrestlers train in San Luis Obispo each summer at the camp Jon directs on the Cal Poly campus.

Visit the Camp Site

Work With Jon

Raise the Standard

Every engagement is built around one idea: raise the standard in the room and leave your athletes and coaches with tools they will actually use.

In Their Words

What Hosts, Coaches & Parents Say

Clinic Host

We have brought in a lot of clinicians. Jon is the first one our kids still quote. He ran our room like a Division I practice, knew every wrestler's name by lunch and left my staff with a system we still use every week.

Camp Parent

Our son went to Mustang Wrestling Camp hoping to get better on his feet. He came home talking about attitude and effort, setting his own alarm for morning runs and counting the days until next summer.

Keynote Host

Jon closed our coaches' banquet with no notes and no filler, and the room was locked in the whole time. Our coaches used what he taught the very next morning. We asked him back before he reached the parking lot.

How Booking Works

  1. 01

    Tell us about your group

    Ages, levels, numbers and what you are building toward.

  2. 02

    We build the session

    Technique, culture, leadership or all three, shaped around your goals.

  3. 03

    Lock in the date

    Expect a reply within 48 hours with availability and options.

Start a Request
Jon Sioredas, head wrestling coach at Cal Poly

About Jon

A CompetitorFirst

Before he built programs, Jon won at every level.

At Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, he was a state champion, national champion and All-American who went 181-13, the fourth-most wins in Virginia high school history. At Chattanooga he placed fifth at 165 pounds at the 2005 NCAA Championships to become an All-American, won two Southern Conference titles and was named SoCon Wrestler of the Year and tournament MVP. He was later inducted into the UTC Athletics Hall of Fame.

In 20 seasons of college coaching, 12 of them as a head coach, he has been part of 11 nationally ranked teams and has coached 10 NCAA All-Americans, 70 NCAA qualifiers and 24 Academic All-Americans, while recruiting seven Top 25 classes.

Coaching Career

Cal PolyHead Coach, 2016–PresentTwo-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year and a national Top 25 program six straight seasons
Grand CanyonHead CoachGuided the move from Division II to Division I and signed a nationally ranked class with three Top 100 recruits in two seasons
ChattanoogaAssistant Coach, Two SeasonsA No. 19 national ranking and a sweep of the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament titles
Old DominionAssistant Coach, Six SeasonsTop 25 four times, with four All-Americans and an NCAA finalist

Education

CornellPostgraduate Certificate in Performance Leadership2023
Nova SoutheasternMBA2009
ChattanoogaSociology and Anthropology2005

Get on the Calendar

Bring Jon toYour Room

Dates fill around the college season. Tell us what you are building and we will follow up within 48 hours with availability and options.

  • Youth clubs, high school programs and RTCs
  • Single-day clinics through multi-day camps
  • Keynotes, banquets and coaches' sessions
  • Travel nationwide from California's Central Coast
Parents of young wrestlers

Looking for summer camp? Mustang Wrestling Camp has dates and registration details.

Send an Inquiry

Your info goes straight to Jon. No lists, no spam.

Inquiry Sent

Thanks for reaching out. Jon will follow up within 48 hours with availability and options.