Daily Sitka Sentinel

Kimber National Girls Wrestling Coach of the Year

By KLAS STOLPE

Sentinel Staff Writer

“It isn’t what I do, it’s what the kids do for me,” Mt. Edgecumbe High coach Mike Kimber said after the Lady Braves girls wrestling team won their second consecutive state title last December and Kimber was inducted into the State of Alaska Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The season of accolades and triumphs has brought still another honor to one of Alaska’s most distinguished coaches.

Last week Kimber was selected as the inaugural National Girls Coach of the Year, and Alaska Girls Coach of the Year, by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

“I was really shocked to be honest,” Kimber said. “I feel like I have been doing good work for women’s wrestling in Alaska, but it was an emotional day for sure. It was really hard to keep the smile off my face for the day. The success of our team comes from the empowerment of our female wrestlers. I do not call our program a girl’s wrestling program. It’s a women’s wrestling program.”

Kimber said he’s given girls and it’s his responsibility to help make women. 

“I chose to say women’s wrestling instead of girl’s because when we get them, they are already girls,” he said. “Our goal is to build strong young women. I feel that if we label it as “girl’s” then that is what your goal is and that is what you are going to get. Our coaching staff feels that at the end of four years of wrestling at MEHS we have helped build women who understand hard work, sacrifice and discipline that it takes to be woman in today’s world.”

Twice a week during the season he coaches practices for his women’s and men’s teams that are separated by gender. The other two days practices are separated by ability (varsity and junior varsity). On the days ability-based practices are run, the women captains are empowered to share responsibilities with the men’s captains and can be seen running warm-ups and practice as equals with the male wrestlers.

“We spend a lot of time on character development,” Kimber said.

That has included modifying the popular Coaching Boys Into Men curriculum with help from Sitkans Against Family Violence to help prevent domestic violence and sexual abuse. 

Kimber celebrated his 19th year of coaching at Mt. Edgecumbe (his alma mater, 1988) by winning the 2018-19 girls state team championship in December, qualifying 13 girls from the region tournament, seven of whom placed at the state tourney in Anchorage and one who brought home the state title.

Brystal Charlie won the state title at 135 pounds, Alaina Pete 2nd (189), Maggie Miller 2nd (235), Anya Pingayak 3rd (145), Dakota Magnuson 3rd (160), Maysa Brown placed 4th (130), and Tryston Macar 6th (235).

It was the second state title in a row for the girls team. They also won the Sportsmanship Award. And just prior to that championship night, Kimber was feted by his peers and past wrestling dignitaries as a standout coach in the state. His success and mentorship led to MEHS assistant coach Tyler Holmlund’s being recognized as assistant coach of the year last season as well.

Now Kimber is being recognized for bringing women’s wrestling to fruition in Alaska, as well as putting a national stamp on the mat for women hoping to continue that sport in college and on national and Olympics levels.

Initially, Kimber asked the Alaska School Activities Association to sanction girls wrestling in 2007 but was turned down. However, his diligent work and modifications to the proposal resulted in its adoption in 2014, and now the state has more than 300 high school girls wrestling.

Currently his former charges are competing at McKendree University, Ferrum College, Jamestown University, Menlo College, Warner Pacific University, and Umpqua Community College. His wrestlers have achieved All-American status four times, three of those in 2018.

Kimber tirelessly promotes female wrestling outside of the high school season, training grapplers in the 907 Wrestling Club to compete at national tournaments where many have reached All-American status in national tournaments in Texas and North Dakota.

Kimber also is the director of Women’s Wrestling for Alaska USA Wrestling, and helped recruit a team to compete at the 2018 Women’s Junior National Duals in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was assistant coach to national champ Michaela (Hutchinson) Schmitz.

During his tenure at MEHS Kimber has orchestrated five straight girls regional championships that included 38 state placers, of whom 12 won state titles, some against males when the sport was one classification.

In 2017-18 his daughter Sydnee Kimber won the 160-pound state championship and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. At that tournament Agatha Andrews also won a title (182), Crystal Charlie placed 2nd (132), Laura Ekada 3rd (120), Cerena Ipalook-Reich 3rd (220), and Mikayla Kameroff 4th (182).

In 2016-17 Sydnee won the state title (182), Andrews took state as well (160), Alazae Waghiyi 2nd (182), Andrea Prince 2nd (132), Sterling Magnuson 2nd (220), Ipalook-Reich 3rd (220), Ekada 3rd (120), and Pamela Beans 5th (145).

In 2015-16 Sydnee (160), Andrews (182), and Magnuson (220) won state titles, Elizabeth Castillo 3rd (113), Hayley Akerelrea 3rd (132), and Jessica Rasmus 5th (182). Sydnee Kimber was the Outstanding Wrestler in the tourney.

Sydnee Kimber won her first state title at 145 pounds in 2014-15 along with Brittany Woods-Orrison (132), Kanesha Lie (160), and Lyric Wiggins (182). Pamela Beans placed 2nd (132), Andrews 2nd (182), Royale Lowe 3rd (98), Melaine Champan 3rd (160), Areil Akerlund 3rd (220), Evelyn Evans 4th (220), and Caitlin Konahok 4th (120).

Mike Kimber was integral in getting girls wrestling their own state tournament in 2014, prior to that girls wrestled in the boys tourneys.

He sees growth as the most important thing for women’s wrestling.

“Women’s wrestling is the fastest growing high school sport in the US,” Kimber said. “Almost every month a college women’s program is added. There are 17 states with women’s wrestling sanctioned by their state associations. It should be in the low 20’s by the end of next year.” 

That growth means that Alaska high school wrestlers need to have exposure to collegiate programs. Kimber has started the Women’s College Combine at the state tournament, in which college athletes and coaches have a clinic, and is working hard on making Alaska a “must do” recruiting trip for college programs.  

“If we establish a tradition now, we will be able to keep that exposure going even after other states build their programs,” he said.

Former MEHS wrestlers that have grappled in college include, for women, Sunya Maxwell - (All-American, MEHS’s first) University of Jamestown (ND); Agatha Andrews (2X All-American) University of Jamestown (ND); Pamela Beans Umpqua Community College (OR); Sterling Magnuson - Warner Pacific College (OR); Kanesha Lie - Ferrum College; Tanesha Lie - Ferrum College; Andrea Prince - University of Jamestown (ND); Laura Ekada - Umpqua Community College (OR); Deirdre Creed - Menlo College (CA) (Returning from a skiing accident that kept her out for three years after a year at Warner Pacific (OR)); Sydnee Kimber - McKendree University (Il); Britney Woods-Orrison (All-American and first MEHS wrestler to wrestle four years in college) Menlo College (CA); and for men, Jack Carney - North Idaho College/Northern Montana University; Sam Carney - Northern Montana University; Claude Young - North Idaho College; Jesse Rogers - St. John’s University (MN); Mathew Rogers - St. John’s University (MN).

Kimber’s MEHS boys teams have also taken multiple region championships and qualified 13 for state last season, with defending state champ Haley Osborne taking runner-up for the state title at 285 and Leon Evon placing 3rd at 145.

Mt. Edgecumbe boys state placers in past seasons have included:

2017 - Osborne 1st (285), Evon 3rd (138), Arthur Freitas 3rd (220); 2016- Academic Award (3.65); 2015 - Jeremy Roberts 4th (138), Kole Lliaban 4th (138), and Freitas 6th (170); 2014 - Paul Johanson 1st (285).

State placers prior to 2014 when there was no gender distinction have included:

2013 - Johanson 1st (285), Deirdre Creed 6th (98), and Moses Jackson 6th (113); 2012 - Michael Matthew 1st (182), Johanson 2nd (220), D. Creed 5th (98), Trevor Creed 5th (113), and Gusty Akelkok 6th (285); 2011 -  Jaylin Prince 1st (285), Johanson 2nd (220), Shyler Johnson 2nd (182), and Matthew 3rd (170); 2010 - Prince 1st (285), Jesse Rogers 1st (125), Matthew Rogers 1st (152), Adam Iyapana 5th (215), and Carl Crockett 6th (160). M. Rogers was voted Outstanding Wrestler of the tourney; 2009 - Prince 1st (285), Terry Rogers 2nd (145), Daniel Villasenor 4th (119), and Zach Ivanoff 6th (152); 2008 - J. Rogers 2nd (112), T. Rogers 3rd (135), Will Riley 4th (140), Ivanoff 6th (135), and M. Rogers 6th (119); 2007 - Sportsmanship Award. Claude Young 1st (189), T. Rogers 2nd (125), Riley 2nd (130), J. Rogers 3rd (103), and M. Rogers 5th (112); 2006 - Nick Wasierski 2nd (189), Riley 2nd (119), T. Rogers 5th (119), and Joe Pete 6th (112); 2005 - Zack Klein 1st (189), Young 4th (171), and Riley 4th (103); 2004 - Max Shellabarger 1st (189), Sam Carney 3rd (152), Nick Shellabarger 4th (171), Justin Gardiner 4th (160), and Ernest Keith 5th (119); 2003 - Carney 2nd (145), Cliff Shellabarger 2nd (189), M. Shellabarger 3rd (171), and N. Shellabarger 4th (160); 2002 - Jack Carney 3rd (145),Cliff Sheehan 4th (189), Earl Alstrom 5th (103), M. Shellabarger 5th (160), C. Shellabarger 5th (171), and S. Carney 6th (140).

Poor state records were kept before 2002. State titles in 1/2/3A were won in 1986-87 by Steve Carlson (177), and in 1987-88 by Thomas Akelkok (171).

More importantly to Kimber than a trophy or medal are what he sees from his charges.

“We never judge our season by wins and losses,” Kimber said earlier this season. “There are some kids that won state championships, but if a kid comes here, and comes to our practices, they complete a season, they stay eligible, get healthy, learn some skills about life and how to discipline themselves… how to do their homework, budget their time, get along with people and take constructive criticism, how to be a good team member… that is a successful season. We have had some kids who have never won a match. I would never look back and think that they didn’t have a successful high school career. For some of our kids, just getting a take-down is a big deal.”

While Kimber understands that sports helps kids stay invested in school he also notes that at MEHS most of the kids are really geared towards graduation.  

“Part of my job as the wrestling coach is to instill a feeling that mediocrity, or “just graduating” isn’t good enough,” he said.  “I worked hard to make sure that my athletes worked just as hard or harder in the classroom as they did in the practice room. We weren’t always successful, but we gave it 100%. I’ve worked hard to build my reputation as a coach who cares as much about the classroom as the mat.”

About 15 years ago, Kimber and long-time friend and assistant coach Jayson Christner (who he attributes much of his success along with assistant coach Holmlund) questioned whether it was better to have a really tough team with 15 kids or to ease up a little and have a better than average team with 60 kids.

“We decided that we would sacrifice some of the individual success for the ability to keep as many kids out as possible,” Kimber said. “This doesn’t mean that we take it easy. We just don’t push as hard as we could have. We kept more kids. If they don’t stay out for wrestling, then we can’t really help them. We always kept the door open for kids even after they chose not to wrestle. Many of our biggest success stories are kids who quit mid-season but came out the following year, or maybe a year or two later.”