Iowa State men’s wrestling has added another assistant coach.
Javier Maldonado was announced as the Cyclones’ newest assistant coach on Tuesday, May 12. He most recently served as Little Rock’s associate head coach, where he helped start the program. Maldonado spent seven seasons with the Trojans, serving as associate head coach since 2022.
“My primary goal when building out this coaching staff was to find good people who will develop well-rounded young men, and I believe Javier fits that mold perfectly,” Iowa State head coach Brent Metcalf said in a release. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience at multiple levels of wrestling and his ability to recruit and develop athletes is top notch. I’m excited for him to get to Ames and help us reach the next level.”
Maldonado helped Little Rock win the program’s first Pac-12 team title in 2025 and saw 14 Trojans qualify for NCAA Championships. Of those 14, five of them became All-Americans. Little Rock has had at least one All-American in three straight seasons and Maldonado has coached 11 Pac-12 champions.
“I am honored to be named an assistant coach at Iowa State University,” Maldonado said in a release. “I look forward to serving such a storied wrestling program and supporting coach Brent Metcalf in any way I can.
“My family and I are excited to join the Iowa State family and continue building on the foundation Kevin Dresser established,” he added. “I believe strongly in the vision Coach Metcalf and Coach St. John have for this program, and I am confident we will help take Cyclone Wrestling to the next level.”
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State wrestling adds Javier Maldonado as assistant coach
Reporting by Register staff report, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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