Drew Guttentag is the new wrestling head coach at Lincoln Academy. (Mic LeBel photo)
A former college wrestler has been named the new wrestling head coach at Lincoln Academy. Drew Guttentag, of Newcastle, will kick off the season and his high school coaching career with the Eagles wrestling team at their first practice on Monday, Nov. 17.
Guttentag believes his experience as a high school wrestler at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Md. and as a college wrestler and student coach at Wesleyan University will help him guide the Eagles squad to a successful season.
“I’ve been wrestling my whole life,” Guttentag said. “I haven’t coached a high school team before, but in particular I think my experience at Wesleyan University over the past year will be beneficial.”
Guttentag is new to Lincoln Academy but not to the area. He has spent a lot of time over the years with his family in South Bristol and has three summers of experience working on the Damariscotta River.
“I knew I would be moving to the area to pursue a graduate degree at the Darling Marine Center and intended to reach out and see if there would be an assistant wrestling coach opportunity at Lincoln,” Guttentag said. “After talking to a few people, I learned about the head coach opening and applied.”
Guttentag is a graduate researcher studying estuarine crab ecology. His research focuses on the range expansion of the blue crab in the Gulf of Maine, examining how thermal conditions shape the species’ northward movement and establishment. Prior to joining the Brady Lab at the Darling Marine Center, he studied biology at Wesleyan University.
Although Guttentag has done some research about the team he will be coaching, he has not met any of the athletes yet and is looking forward to that and getting the process started.
“I had the opportunity to call the former head coach (Shawn St. Cyr) and he gave me a lot of helpful background information,” Guttentag said. “Coming from out of state I am not too familiar with Maine wrestling and the current team, but I know that there are multiple successful wrestlers on the team who are looking to grow from last season.”
Guttentag will be joined by new assistant coach Aiden Coleman, who Guttentag said wrestled in high school in Massachusetts and also competed for the club team at the University of Maine. The two new coaches have similar career interests, as Coleman is a University of Maine master’s student studying bay scallop aquaculture.
Guttentag said his coaching priority will be to focus on the basics and fast-paced wrestling, but that he also has personal development for the athletes in mind.
“I am most excited to help the athletes grow and improve as wrestlers, students and people,” Guttentag said. “Being a first year head coach, I am definitely looking to develop a specific team style I bring with me the knowledge and philosophies from my previous coaches and will be drawing on that as I go forward. Being new to the Maine wrestling landscape it’s hard to define specific goals to begin the season, but broadly my goal is to develop a strong team culture and to improve through the season.”
