Shane Brown enters his fourth season as the Wheeling University Head Wrestling Coach during the 2025-2026 season. He came to Wheeling from Akron University, where he served as Head Club Wrestling Coach.
Brown took the Cardinals to new heights during the 2024-25 season. During the 2025 Mountain East Conference (MEC) Championships, the program had it's highest team finish and the program's highest finish at fourth overall. The Cardinals would send their biggest roster since the 2019 regional championship, with nine wrestlers competing at the event. As they went through the day, the Cardinals would send three wrestlers to placement matches, with one wrestling for a chance to get to the National Championships. Under Brown's watch, redshirt sophomore Gavin Harper would be named an All-MEC Honoree in the 285 pound weight class. Harper took fifth overall in the conference championship with a record of 4-2 on the day and with a 22-13 overall season record. The Cardinals would send their biggest roster since the 2019 regional championship, with nine wrestlers competing at the event.
During the 2023-24 season, Brown grew the Wheeling Program both on the mat and in the classroom. The team featured their biggest roster since the program was shutdown in 2019, and had three different wrestlers place at the 2024 MEC Championships. Under his watch, 285 pounder Jake Powell took fourth in his weight class, and finished with 23 wins to put him in the top 10 all-time in wins by a sophomore. Caden Canning (141) and Brian Crevar (165) each took home fifth place finishes in their respective matches as well. Along with success on the mat, Brown helped coach two Academic All-Americans with Powell and Canning taking home the awards.
In his first season in 2022-23, Brown helped grow the program and saw two of his wrestlers excel. Freshman Caden Canning took home fourth place in the 141-pound weight class while Zach Kuneff took home the same placing in the 285 pound weight class. Canning led the group with 11 wins in his inaugural season with the team and Mason Kuneff added a winning record prior to his injury.
Prior to joining the Cardinals, Brown spent the past three seasons as the Head Wrestling Coach at the University of Akron, where he helped build the program. During his tenure with the Zips, Brown coached seven All-American wrestlers, including a National Finalist. Under his leadership, the Akron wrestling team took home the Regional Championship during the 2020 season. Along with his success on the mat, Brown was able to bring in a group of State Qualifiers, Placers, and Finalists during his time to help build a sustainable winning program for Akron that can survive for years to come.
Growing up in nearby Manchester, Ohio, Brown is familiar with the strong wrestling tradition of the Ohio Valley. He looks to build off that tradition while helping Wheeling Wrestling build back up to the winning tradition it has been known for.
“I’m very excited to join the Cardinal’s family,” said Brown. “Being able to join Wheeling University, that has such a successful history in wrestling is an amazing opportunity.”
Along with his coaching experience, Brown has been around wrestling since he was young. He wrestled collegiately at The University of Akron, where he took home many awards and accolades during his three years. He was a Regional Runner-up during his sophomore season in 2016 and would develop into a two-time Regional Champion in 2017 and 2018. During that 2018 season, he was a National Runner-up, posting an impressive 31-1 record and finishing runner-up at the D2 National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) Tournament. Overall, Brown had a record of 76-8 over his three seasons. Prior to Akron, he spent two seasons at NCAA Division III Mount Union and one season at NAIA Cumberland University.
Athletic Director Carrie Hanna is excited to bring Brown into the Wheeling University Athletic family to help grow the wrestling program. She is excited about his extensive knowledge of the sport and can’t wait for him to help build the Wheeling Wrestling program.
“Coach Shane Brown’s experience and knowledge to build a foundation for unlimited growth and potential is exactly what our Wheeling University Wrestling program needs right now,” said Hanna. “We are excited to see where his coaching and leadership will take our current and future Cardinals.”
Brown graduated in 2018 with his bachelor's degree in Business Management from The University of Akron. Shane and his wife Amber reside in Manchester, Ohio with their kids Nola (4) and Noa (2).
