University of Sioux Falls Athletics

Matt Meuleners enters his third season as the head coach of USF Men’s Wrestling.

During the 2024-2025 season, the Cougars improved to 6-11 with wins over Newman University, Concordia-Moorhead, Belmont Abbey, Drury, Ouachita Baptist, and Southwest Minnesota State. In the classroom, the Cougars saw 7 student-athletes named as NWCA All-Americans.

During the inaugural NCAA Division II season, the Cougars sent #10 Beau Klingensmith-133 to the NCAA National Championships as it's first NCAA Qualifier in program history. In dual settings, USF went 2-12 with wins over Minnesota West Community & Technical College and Ouachita Baptist.

Throughout the 2023-24 season, Coach Meuleners was inducted into the Northen State Athletic Hall of Fame followed by the NSIC Hall of Fame and the NWCA Jim Koch Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Prior to USF, he was the head assistant wrestling coach at California State University – Bakersfield. Meuleners also served as head assistant coach at Brown University. While at Brown, he helped lead his team to a 2^nd place finish in the Ivy League which was the school’s highest finish since 1997. He also coached 7 NCAA Qualifiers while signing eight of the top prospects in the country during his time with the Bears.

Prior to Brown University, Meuleners spent four seasons with the Huskers under the leadership of Mark Manning as a volunteer assistant. While with Nebraska, he coached 12 All-Americans and 33 NCAA Qualifiers while helping lead the Huskers to a 49-13 dual record over his tenure.

Before entering the coaching realm, Meuleners was a four-time NCAA All-American wrestler for Northern State University earning two NCAA DII National Championships in 2011 and 2012. Meuleners had a career record of 145-32 while etching his name in the record books for the most career wins in Northern State history. His decorated career included four All-Conference team selections, two academic All-American designations and was selected as the 2012 NSIC Wrestler of the Year. Meuleners went on to qualify for the US World Team Trials in 2013 & 2014 while being named a US Open Senior Freestyle All-American in 2013, 2014 & 2015. In 2016, he qualified for the US Olympic Trials to round out his wrestling career.

Meuleners earned his bachelors in human performance and fitness and a minor in coaching from Northern State in 2013. Then in 2019, he graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a masters in kinesiology – sports management.

Originally from Young America, Minnesota, he attended Central High School and earned two top-five state finishes. Matt and his wife Jessica, reside in Sioux Falls with their daughter, Zoey.