FULTON, Mo. -- Bringing on board renowned names in the mid-Missouri wrestling community, William Woods University (WWU) officially announced today the hiring of Mike Eierman and Tony Eierman as head women's and men's wrestling coaches, respectively.

"I first want to thank our former coach, Jacob Lorentz, for launching the William Woods University wrestling programs over the last two years," said Brian Spielbauer, Vice President of Athletics at William Woods. "He's accepted a great new role in Kentucky, and we wish him the best. But now it's time for us to split the men's and women's teams and have two head coaches to lead the respective programs going forward."

"Mike brings a wealth of free-style experience, which makes him the ideal person to lead our women's program. Tony will continue to grow our men's program as we seek to compete at the highest levels of the NAIA for years to come," Spielbauer said. "The Eierman name is well known in the national and even global wrestling community, and certainly in the mid-Missouri area through their Eierman Elite wrestling program. I love the energy and passion both men have for wrestling, but even more important, for developing student-athletes, regardless of their initial skill development, into highly successful William Woods University graduates."

Before joining WWU, Mike Eierman and Tony Eierman helped launch Westminster College's women's and men's wrestling programs in 2017, the first at the NCAA Division III level in Missouri. The brothers led the Blue Jays from the start through the recent 2024-25 campaign.

Mike Eierman comes to The Woods as a dedicated and accomplished wrestling coach with a proven track record of developing athletes to their full potential, using elite, innovative technique and a strong focus on mindset training, objectives he will bring to the Owls women's wrestling team.

While at Westminster, Mike Eierman provided strategic leadership to the wrestling program, overseeing all aspects of training, competition and athlete development. He also mentored and guided student-athletes in both their academic and athletic pursuits, developed and implemented training programs to enhance athletes' skills and performance and fostered a positive team culture that emphasized discipline, sportsmanship and growth.

Currently, Mike Eierman runs Eierman Elite Wrestling in Fulton, a successful wrestling club he founded and established in 2006, which caters to athletes of all ages and skill levels. Mike designs and executes comprehensive training programs focused on technical skill development, physical conditioning and mental toughness; mentors and trains athletes who have achieved success at local, regional and national levels and cultivates a supportive and motivating training environment that encourages individual and collective achievement.

From 2019-20, Mike Eierman was a Regional Training Center (RTC) coach at New England RTC (Harvard/Brown) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. In that role, he collaborated with elite collegiate wrestlers to enhance their freestyle wrestling skills and prepare for international competition. He also designed personalized training regimens to address individual strengths and areas of improvement and contributed to the growth and reputation of the RTC within the wrestling community.

Back in Missouri, Mike Eierman served that same role from 2014-17 for the University of Missouri in Columbia. During those three years, he played a pivotal role in the development of top-tier athletes for national and international competitions, coached J'den Cox to represent Team USA in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, created practice plans, conducted training sessions, provided technical guidance to athletes and coached Jaydin Eierman and others during freestyle competition seasons.

Ten years prior to beginning his most recent job for Mizzou, Mike Eierman started his first job with the university as a volunteer assistant coach, a position he held from 2004-06. Mike assisted in coaching Division I wrestlers, contributing to their skill enhancement and performance improvement, coached Ben Askren and others at NCAA championships and participated in team practices, drills and match analysis sessions.

Not only does Mike Eierman have extensive experience in developing grapplers, he also does so as a wrestler himself. From 2000-03, Mike resided at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, achieving multiple medals in International Freestyle Tournaments. Additionally, he was an NCAA All-American in 1993 while wrestling for the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and voted as the Most Exciting Nebraska Wrestler during that '93 season.

"I am excited to announce that I have accepted a position as head wrestling coach at William Woods University, and to bring with me a proven history of coaching success at every level, including the Olympics, in the sport of wrestling," said Mike Eierman. "We are ready to get to work and create a team that will dominate and take William Woods to the next level."

Educationally, Mike Eierman studied human development and family resources at Nebraska from 1992-97.

Taking the helm of Owls men's wrestling, Tony Eierman joins William Woods as a dedicated and accomplished wrestling coach with over 23 years of experience coaching at all levels - from youth clubs to high school and collegiate programs (NAIA and NCAA Division III). He has a demonstrated resume of building and leading competitive teams, mentoring athletes and fostering a culture of discipline, teamwork and excellence, along with strong leadership, communication and organizational skills with a deep knowledge of wrestling techniques, training safety and athlete development.

When he was the head wrestling coach for Westminster, Tony Eierman managed all aspects of the wrestling program, including practice planning, equipment procurement, safety compliance and travel coordination. Tony was also responsible for recruiting, admissions coordination, scheduling, budgeting and equipment distribution. He led efforts in student-athlete retention and fundraising initiatives and secured match officials, scorekeepers and statisticians. Key accomplishments during Tony's eight-year stint with the Blue Jays were coaching five NCAA Scholar All-Americans, producing eight NCAA men's national qualifiers and one women's national qualifier and guiding one Division III All-American.

Tony Eierman not only kick-started Westminster's wrestling teams, but he also established Father Tolton High School's (Columbia, Missouri) boys wrestling program in 2011 and was the Trailblazers' head coach from 2011-15. In that period, Tony's Tolton squad had a freshman state champion (undefeated) and a top-26 team finish at state in 2011; a sophomore two-time state champion (undefeated); freshman fifth-place state finisher and a top-17 finish of 57 teams at state in '12; a junior three-time state champion (undefeated) and a top-12 state team finish in '13, and a senior four-time state champion (undefeated; 158-0 - Missouri record, second in state history) and a top-four state team finish in '14.

Assisting brother Mike Eierman's Eierman Elite Wrestling, Tony Eierman has been a full-time assistant wrestling coach since 2014 and was a part-time assistant from 2006 to 2010. Between his active and previous positions, Tony has trained over 350 youth state qualifiers and 250 state medalists, produced multiple national champions and All-Americans, 45 youth state champions, numerous high school and college champions, coached one Olympic bronze medalist and a world champion and earned accolades such as a Roller Outstanding Wrestler, Roller All-Star and Trinity Award winner.

Tony Eierman's first full-time wrestling coaching position was at fellow Heart of America Athletic Conference school Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri, where he was an assistant from 2007 to 2010. With the Vikings, Tony helped lead them to three team national placements: fifth place (first year), third place (second year) and fourth place (third year). On top of his wrestling duties, Tony was a residential hall director, managing the hall which primarily housed football players, led bi-weekly leadership meetings and handled administrative reporting.

"I'm pleased to announce I've accepted the position as the new men's head wrestling coach at William Woods University," Tony Eierman said. "I bring a solid track record of success at every level, and I'm focused on building a strong, competitive program to continue building the success of the men's wrestling program."

Academically, Tony Eierman earned his Bachelor of Science in History from Missouri Valley in 2010. He grappled for a couple of college wrestling programs, the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg (enrolled Spring 1999) and Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri (enrolled Fall 1995).