The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) convention has concluded, leaving us with several key takeaways. Based on interviews conducted by FloWrestling’s Andy Hamilton (full interview videos below) with head women’s coaches Joe Norton (North Central - NCAA Division III), Ashley Flavin (Life - NAIA), and Paul Rademacher (Indiana Tech - NAIA), here is what we learned.
Ashley Flavin, Life (Marietta, Georgia)
One Life To Live
Life University established itself as the top NAIA women’s wrestling program by winning its first national team title in 2025 and repeating in 2026. Earning the first title takes the figurative monkey off the back, but repeating poses new challenges.
“It’s easy to get complacent,” Flavin said. “I found myself getting complacent at times. I reminded myself that this is the first time and last time we will ever win with this team. It keeps things fresh and new. We have a whole new team next year, and we’ve never done it with this team. It’s a new adventure.”
Fighting Back Tears
Life University’s athletic director Jayme Pendergast is resigning on September 4, leaving a legacy that includes championships in men’s and women’s wrestling.
“Jayme means everything to me personally and to our program,” Flavin said. “We wouldn’t be where we are without Jayme. Her vision of setting high standards for the student-athlete experience propelled us forward. She’s one of my closest friends. I’m excited about what comes next for her but sad for myself. It hurts to have her go.”
Balancing Act
Few programs in any sport have a wife-husband coaching combination. Ashley is the head coach and her husband, Christian, is the associate head coach. That presents unique opportunities and challenges as they coach, live, and raise their three-year-old son, Kit, together.
“It’s a new adventure every day,” Flavin said. It’s being flexible and open to each other is the biggest thing.
“Until the past year, we were in the same office so we were bumping elbows. It’s nice to have two different personalities because some kids on the team are mine and some girls on the team are his. We don’t have egos about it.”
Looking Beyond The Label
The proliferation of NCAA schools has led to unique recruiting battles for NAIA programs. Flavin admits to battling the public perception that the NCAA brand is all that matters, but continues to focus on the content inside her program.
“If someone says they want to go to an NCAA school, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Flavin said. “I know that our product, our team, our program is still great. If someone wants a program to grow, hopefully they can look beyond the label, but it’s definitely tough. It makes it an uphill battle for sure.”
Joe Norton, North Central (Naperville, Illinois)
Moving Forward
NCAA Division III schools, which do not offer athletic scholarships, will host a separate championship during the 2027-28 season. This change puts Norton and North Central in an unusual position, as the Cardinals have previously competed successfully against top scholarship programs, including a 2026 NWCA National Duals title.
Norton has explored the multidivisional classification rule that would allow North Central to compete against D2 and D1 programs at the national championships. It would be a special exemption waiver for his school to move from D3 to D1.
“It’s not something our administration wants to do,” Norton said. “What we know is we are together for the 2027 NCAA Championships. We’re focusing on the Hawkeyes and the Bearcats and the Lakers and the Lehighs and the teams that are in front of us right now — and we will have those conversations when the time comes.
“Me, personally, in my own selfish world, we want to keep doing what we have been doing and swinging the bat against the big dogs — scholarships or not. I don’t know if this is a world where it’s realistic for that to happen.
Norton will schedule top competition as long as his team can be competitive. North Central will compete in the top division at the 2027 NWCA National Duals; however, he’s unsure if the NWCA will provide that option when Division III schools host a separate championship.
“We’ll continue to swing the bat with the best recruits in the country,” Norton said. “We still put more girls on senior national teams and age-level World Teams, and the Olympic Trials that past two cycles than any other college program for women. We intend to keep doing that whether we are Division III or not.”
Stop Negative Recruiting!
Norton got on his soapbox at the leadership academy about negative recruiting. Because of North Central’s success across all divisions, some coaches are using the team’s Division III designation to recruit against Norton.
“Talk about your school, your program, and why this girl should come to your program,” Norton said. “Don’t spend your time talking about why they shouldn’t go somewhere else. We don’t do that; others do, and we don’t love it when they do.
“We get those questions from a kid, and it’s always when they look at a certain couple of other schools that I seem to get that question. That’s an indication that those schools are maybe using that against us.”
Click here to learn more about Norton’s coaching philosophy.
Five-For-Five
The new five-for-five eligibility rules apply to Division I schools. Where does that leave North Central and other D3 programs?
Norton indicated that D2 and NAIA programs will likely move in a similar direction, but doesn’t have a timeline. Redshirting for Division III was on the table but got turned down in January.
“I don’t think five-for-five is something Division III is going to explore,” Norton said.
Poolside With Gary Mayabb
Norton disclosed details of a late-night conversation he had with Iowa associate head coach Gary Mayabb during the 2024 NWCA convention in Florida. It was the first time the rival coaches conversed other than the handshake line after a dual.
Mayabb is now at the top of Norton’s list of favorite opposing coaches despite the Iowa-North Central rivalry. The two analyzed the 2024 NWCA National Duals final won by Iowa 21-20.
“We’ve been able to have a great relationship despite how heated the rivalry gets any time we’re across the mat from each other,” Norton said. “He’s salt of the earth. You’re not going to meet someone who knows Gary that has bad things to say about him.”
Paul Rademacher, Indiana Tech (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Mr. President, We Salute You
Rademacher is the first women’s coach to be president-elect of the NWCA. The position has typically been held by D1 men’s coaches, so this is an important step for women’s college wrestling.
“It’s getting a different set of eyes, where our job is to be enrollment-driven,” Rademacher said. “It will be a different perspective from D1 men’s coaches worrying about what D1 men’s coaches worry about.”
President-elect Rademacher loves seeing new women’s college wrestling programs getting added, leading to new coaching opportunities. The challenges are coaches understanding what it means to be a college coach (paperwork, administration, recruiting, enrollment, etc.).
Fight Fire With Water
Rademacher was a wildland firefighter before his role at Indiana Tech, providing a unique perspective. He fought wildland fires through college and for 12 years after.
He worked and coached before transitioning full-time to coaching in 2015. Rademacher led a high school team before coaching at Southern Oregon in 2017 and Indiana Tech in 2019.
“I love my job and what I get to do every day,” Rademacher said. “It’s the challenge of helping an athlete figure it out.”
Patience Is A Virtue
Rademacher will likely have his best team entering the 2027 season, and the Warriors will be in contention for a national team title. Rademacher returns five All-Americans and two national finalists, but it took time to get there.
“I think we are in a really good place,” Rademacher said. “We brought in new talent that will be impactful for our team. We’re trying to get our brand out there so everybody knows who we are and what we’re doing. I look forward to building the team the right way.”
Friends, Family, and Rivalries
Indiana Tech and Life are conference rivals, but Rademacher was in the Flavins’ wedding. At 42, Kit was the first baby Rademacher held. Balancing friendship and rivalry isn’t as difficult as you might think, at least for Rademacher.
“Be people first,” Rademacher said. “When it comes down to it, we all want to win. I want to win as bad as anybody else. If I’m a person first and see them as a person, then we can battle and be done and be friends afterward. That’s true with the Flavins; that’s true with Coach Norton.
“There was a time when I thought Coach Norton at North Central was an arrogant a**hole, and I’ve told him that, but I’ve also told him that we’re great friends now because he’s better at the things that I want to be good at, and we see it the same way. It’s easy to be friends with people who see things the same way you do and are willing to be people on and off the mats.”
President Paul Rademacher To Mat One
Rademacher wrestled at the 2018 Senior U.S. Open (not veterans, the actual U.S. Open). Unfortunately, his competitive days are likely over.
“I don’t foresee myself in a singlet again,” Rademacher said. “Right now, no, but never say never.”
There is demand for a Paul Rademacher vs Christian Flavin showdown, possibly during halftime of a Life vs Indiana Tech dual or at the NWCA National Duals, so let’s hope he reconsiders.
“In a wrestling match, it’s probably Christian because he’s bigger,” Rademacher said. “I’ve never been successful over 86 kilos with anybody ever. I weigh significantly more than that now, and that’s a problem. His muscle mass would definitely take me out.”
