University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Wrestling
Moreno, Michael
Michael Moreno
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- michael.moreno@unco.edu
- Phone:
- 970.351.1764
Former two-time All-American Mike Moreno joined the Northern Colorado wrestling staff in 2017.
He has been integral in the program's success on and off the mat. Moreno has helped qualify 16 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships and 13 NWCA Scholar All-America selections. He has also on the staff that has brought in two top 15 recruiting classes since 2019.
The 2020-21 season was a historic season for Northern Colorado. He helped the team earn their first NWCA ranking in 51 years. The Bears qualified four wrestlers for the NCAA Championships and earned a program-best finish at the Big 12 Championships. UNC also had success in the classroom during the 2020-21 season with a record 14 Academic All-Big 12 members and five NWCA Scholar All-America honorees. Moreno was busy on the recruiting trail as well, helping sign the program’s second top 15 class in three years.
The Bears qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Championships in 2020, including a pair of freshmen in Mosha Schwartz and Andrew Alirez. That duo along with Dalton Robertson was named NWCA All-America honorable mentions. For the second time with Moreno on the staff, UNC earned the distinction of NWCAÂ Top Scholar All-America team coming in ranked at No. 26.
In his second season with the Bears, he helped guide Rico Montoya, Chris Sandoval and Jacob Seely to the NCAA Championships. Montoya and Seely were also NWCA Scholar All-America selections. Montona went on to earn the Big 12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a CoSIDA Academic All-American.
During the 2017-18 season, Moreno helped guide UNC to a tie for 38th at NCAA Championships, the highest team finish since the program returned to the Division I ranks. The Bears qualified four for the NCAAs in Rico Montoya, Keilan Torres, Dylan Gabel and Jacob Seely.
A highlight in Moreno's first season in Greeley came against his alma mater Iowa State. UNC earned its first dual win over a traditional Big 12 conference team 22-20.
Moreno has also assisted in the program's success in the classroom. UNC finished ranked 15th with the best cumulative GPA by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. It is the best performance in program history. The Bears also had eight wrestlers on the Academic All-Big 12 first team and two more on the second team.
Moreno came to Northern Colorado from Iowa State, where he previously served as an interim assistant coach and graduate assistant for the Cyclones.
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As a student-athlete, Moreno compiled a career record of 91-37 while at Iowa State, including a dual mark of 40-19. In 2014, he became the 38th two time All-American in ISU Wrestling history. He was a consistent member of the Academic All-Big 12 first team.
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Moreno grabbed All-American honors his sophomore and junior seasons, placing sixth and fifth in the NCAA Tournament at 165 pounds.
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He graduated from Iowa State in 2014 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology.
He has been integral in the program's success on and off the mat. Moreno has helped qualify 16 wrestlers for the NCAA Championships and 13 NWCA Scholar All-America selections. He has also on the staff that has brought in two top 15 recruiting classes since 2019.
The 2020-21 season was a historic season for Northern Colorado. He helped the team earn their first NWCA ranking in 51 years. The Bears qualified four wrestlers for the NCAA Championships and earned a program-best finish at the Big 12 Championships. UNC also had success in the classroom during the 2020-21 season with a record 14 Academic All-Big 12 members and five NWCA Scholar All-America honorees. Moreno was busy on the recruiting trail as well, helping sign the program’s second top 15 class in three years.
The Bears qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Championships in 2020, including a pair of freshmen in Mosha Schwartz and Andrew Alirez. That duo along with Dalton Robertson was named NWCA All-America honorable mentions. For the second time with Moreno on the staff, UNC earned the distinction of NWCAÂ Top Scholar All-America team coming in ranked at No. 26.
In his second season with the Bears, he helped guide Rico Montoya, Chris Sandoval and Jacob Seely to the NCAA Championships. Montoya and Seely were also NWCA Scholar All-America selections. Montona went on to earn the Big 12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a CoSIDA Academic All-American.
During the 2017-18 season, Moreno helped guide UNC to a tie for 38th at NCAA Championships, the highest team finish since the program returned to the Division I ranks. The Bears qualified four for the NCAAs in Rico Montoya, Keilan Torres, Dylan Gabel and Jacob Seely.
A highlight in Moreno's first season in Greeley came against his alma mater Iowa State. UNC earned its first dual win over a traditional Big 12 conference team 22-20.
Moreno has also assisted in the program's success in the classroom. UNC finished ranked 15th with the best cumulative GPA by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. It is the best performance in program history. The Bears also had eight wrestlers on the Academic All-Big 12 first team and two more on the second team.
Moreno came to Northern Colorado from Iowa State, where he previously served as an interim assistant coach and graduate assistant for the Cyclones.
Â
As a student-athlete, Moreno compiled a career record of 91-37 while at Iowa State, including a dual mark of 40-19. In 2014, he became the 38th two time All-American in ISU Wrestling history. He was a consistent member of the Academic All-Big 12 first team.
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Moreno grabbed All-American honors his sophomore and junior seasons, placing sixth and fifth in the NCAA Tournament at 165 pounds.
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He graduated from Iowa State in 2014 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology.
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