Sammie Henson No Longer Coach Of West Virginia

Sammie Henson No Longer Coach Of West Virginia

Sammie Henson will no longer be the coach of the West Virginia wrestling program. A nationwide search for his replacement is under way.

Mar 28, 2018 by Andrew Spey
Sammie Henson No Longer Coach Of West Virginia

The off-season coaching carousel just got busier. Multiple sources have confirmed to FloWrestling that after four years at the helm, Sammie Henson will no longer be the head coach of the West Virginia wrestling program. A nationwide search for his replacement is underway. 

Henson was named the eighth head coach of the Mountaineers in May of 2014. In the ensuing four seasons Henson shepherded 13 wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. The only All-American honors earned in that time were rising redshirt senior Zeke Moisey, who was a runner-up in 2015 and placed eighth in the most recent tournament in Cleveland. 

West Virginia wrestling has struggled in the Big 12 since joining the conference at start of the 2012 athletic season. Those difficulties continued under Henson's reign, with the Mountaineers winning their first Big 12 dual as a member last year with a victory over Iowa State. This year the Mountaineers notched four Big 12 wins, though only one was over an original member, that being Oklahoma. 

West Virginia Athletic Director Shane Lyons had this to say about the decision not to renew Henson's contract:

I want to thank Coach Henson for his time here leading our wrestling program. We will immediately begin a national search to identify our next wrestling coach. I firmly believe WVU can excel in wrestling, and I look forward to our future success.

A press release from the school can be found here