West Liberty Wrestling Camps

Coaching Staff

Assistant Wrestling Coach Mike Carpenter

A fixture on the WLU campus and in the Hilltopper wrestling room for more than a decade, Mike Carpenter is back for his seventh year as an assistant coach with the West Liberty wrestling program.

The Lester, W.Va. native was a four-year letterman at heavyweight for the Black and Gold from 2010-13. He finished his career with a sparkling 56-24 record, saving his best for last when he went 31-5 and was a regional title as a senior for a nationally-ranked Hilltopper squad.

Carpenter rose as high as No. 6 in the nation at 285 pounds during the latter portion of the 2013 season and won the 285-pound title at the Super Region One championships. That punched his ticket to the NCAA Division II nationals where he battled back from an upset loss in the opening round only to come up just one point shy of earning All-America honors in his final match.

A 2013 graduate of West Liberty University with a degree in Exercise Physiology, Carpenter resides in Wheeling with his wife, Riley.

COACH IRWIN SAYS: “Coach Carpenter has lived and breathed Hilltopper wrestling. That was evident from day one that I met him and I feel fortunate we were able to retain him on our coaching staff. He has already built strong relationships throughout the program and his care for the team is in the forefront of all his actions.”

Assistant Wrestling Coach Kyle Hatch

Four-time NCAA Division III All-American Kyle Hatch begins his first season as a graduate assistant coach with the nationally-ranked West Liberty University wrestling program.
Hatch comes to the hilltop following a stellar career at Wabash (Ind.) University. The veteran middleweight helped lead the Little Giants to a runner-up finish at the 2022 NCAA Division III Nationals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with a runner-up finish in the 165-pound weight class.

The No. 3 seed in the bracket, Hatch pinned his way through the tournament before coming up short in the championship match against top-seeded Bradan Birt of Millikin. One of only two four-time All-Americans in the history of the Wabash wrestling program, Hatch posted a sparkling 31-2 record during his senior season with 19 of his wins by fall.

A native of Pierceton, Ind. who won 168 matches in four years at Warsaw High School, the Wabash College graduate is pursuing his master's degree at West Liberty.

Assistant Wrestling Coach Christian Rivera

Graduate Assistant Strength & Conditioning | Marcus Jean-Baptiste