Graceland University wrestling coach Zack Mullins is leaving no stone unturned as he builds the program. The Lamoni school offered wrestling for the first time since 1982 this past season and Mullins has gone coast to coast to build the talent base. “There’s talent everywhere and I have been kind of bound and determined to go out and find it. We’ve got kids from Alaska to Delaware to right here in our own back yard with Missouri and Iowa,” Mullins says.
Mullins expects the program to make big strides in year number two. “It doesn’t happen overnight and that’s what I’ve been preaching to the guys who are returning,” Mullins says. He says he tells the team they have to work hard to get to where they want to be.
Mullins says his second recruiting class will add a lot of depth and increase the competition in the wrestling room. The first year he brought in 13 kids and was down to 7 after some left and there were injuries. Mullins has 21 to 22 commitments this year which will up the numbers and create more competition.
The school was without a wrestling program for more than three decades but the sport has a storied history. Mullins says they had 22 straight conference wrestling titles in the past and bringing back the team has excited fans.