College wrestling’s coaching carousel continues to spin following Rob Koll’s departure from Stanford University. Koll’s two-season tenure at Stanford ended when he accepted the North Carolina job on August 31. 

FloWrestling has learned that Princeton coach Chris Ayres will lead the Cardinal following 18 seasons with the Tigers. Ayres revitalized the program, producing 10 place winners at the NCAA Championships and four top-25 team finishes. 

Princeton was 13th at the 2023 NCAA Championships — the highest national finish during Ayres’s tenure and the second-highest finish in program history. Ayres may have had his best teams during the 2020 and 2021 seasons but a global pandemic derailed what Princeton had built.

The 2020 NCAA Championships were canceled due to COVID-19, while Ivy League schools were not allowed to compete in 2021. 

Pat Glory won the 125-pound title at the 2023 NCAA Championships, becoming the first Princeton national champion since heavyweight Brad Glass won a title in 1951. Glory and Quincy Monday (157 pounds) reached the 2022 NCAA tournament finals — the first time the program produced multiple finalists in the same season. 

Ayres was a four-time NCAA tournament qualifier for Lehigh (1996-99) and a sixth-place finisher at the 1999 NCAA Championships. 

Top 25 finishes under Ayres

National place winners under Ayres