Coaching Staff and Leadership


St Paul Wrestling Academy was chartered in 2020 under Minnesota Statue 317A with File Number 117583600029.


 

Coaching Staff:


Matt Mincey
Co-Head Coaching Coordinator, St Paul Wrestling Academy

Coach Mincey was an All-American for Minnesota State where he finished Third at the NCAA Division II National Championships.

Mincey garnered a 28-3 record while wrestling for the Mavericks that also included First Team All-NSIC and NSIC Wrestler of the Week Honors.

Prior to joining the Mavericks, Mincey was a member of the University of Minnesota Wrestling program. As a Gopher, Mincey collected a record of 43-23, and was a three-time letterwinner. Mincey was a three-time MSHSL State Champion while wrestling for Apple Valley High School.



Hayden Zillmer

Assistant Coaching Coordinator, St Paul Wrestling 
Academy

Coach Zillmer nicknamed "Jack Pine Savage" won the US 125 kg title this past June and just represented USA Freestyle team at the Worlds in Belgrade, Serbia.  Zillmer is the most decorated wrestler to come out of Crosby-Ironton High School and later one of the most decorated wrestlers to graduate from North Dakota State. Zillmer was a 3X Minnesota State Champion and holds the school's all-time wins record including a 43-1 record as a senior en route to his third straight Minnesota State Crown. As a high schooler he went on to win the Cadet National Triple Crown in 2007 by winning National Titles in folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman and is one of only eight wrestlers to achieve this feat.

While at North Dakota State Coach Zillmer qualified for 3 NCAA Wrestling Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2016 with his best finish of 6th place at 184 lbs in 2015.  In 2016 Zillmer finished 2nd in the Big 12 Wrestling Championships, Named Big 12 Wrestler of the Week and for the second time made both the Big 12 Conference Academic Wrestling team and the National Wrestling Coaches Association All Academic Team respectively.

Coach Zillmer has still not hung up his singlet as a member of the Storm Wrestling Team at the Minnesota Regional Training Center.  Zillmer is a 2X Freestyle United States National Team member and 2X National Greco-Roman team member.  In 2019 he won the United States National Freestyle Championship and now as a Olympic Team Qualifier training for the United States Trials with the winner advancing to the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.   Plus Coach Zillmer is entering his fifth season as Saint Thomas Academy Assistant Wrestling Coach.

 



Leadership:

Chad Kraft
President / 4-Time All American Wrestler at the University of Minnesota

Scott Solliday
Vice President

Steve Draxler
Treasurer

Mike Flanagan
Secretary

Paul Schmidt
Fundraising / Recruiting
paulfschmidt1@gmail.com