Thiel College Athletics

Mark Vennis was vital in turning Thiel wrestling into a perennial powerhouse among the Division III ranks for nearly two decades. In his 19-year tenure as head wrestling coach, Vennis saw 15 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-Americans, 19 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-Americans and 45 NCAA national qualifiers pass through his program. In 2001, Vennis coached the school’s first two threetime NWCA Scholar-Americans, seniors Sean Clark and Dustin Wilkinson. In addition to his longtime stint as head wrestling coach, Vennis also had stints as a head coach and assistant coach of several other Thiel teams. Vennis was nominated three times for the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year award and won PAC Coach of the Year honors an astounding 11 times. He led the Tomcats to nine PAC titles. He also saw three of his teams win NCAA Regional Championships. Eight Vennis-led Thiel teams earned top-20 honors at the NCAA Division III National Championships. While building a top-notch Division III wrestling program, Vennis managed to compile an outstanding 148-56-2 dual meet record. His teams won 21 tournament championships over the years and finished as runners-up 17 times. Besides his accomplishments with the Thiel wrestling program, Vennis was also an integral member of the NWCA. He served as a member of the NWCA Board of Directors and as the president of the Division III NWCA. For his efforts, the NWCA awarded him with the 25 Year Service Award in 1998. In 2004, Vennis was selected as a member of the NWCA Division III Hall of Fame. After retiring from coaching following the 2000-01 season, Vennis taught physical education courses and was instrumental in starting the coaching minor at Thiel College. He retired from teaching in December of 2011.