FERRUM, VA, March 16, 2026 — Blake Roulo, head wrestling coach and assistant athletic director at Ferrum College, has been named 2026 National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) Mid-Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Panthers to a standout performance at the conference championships and a strong showing on the national stage.
In his first season at Ferrum, Roulo guided the Panthers to qualify 14 wrestlers for the 2026 NCWA Nationals, including 11 automatic qualifiers and three wildcards, highlighting the rapid progress of the program under his leadership.
Roulo joined Ferrum in July 2025 and has quickly begun building momentum for the Panthers during a pivotal time for the college’s wrestling program.
“I’m extremely happy for Coach Roulo and the men’s wrestling team,” said Cleive Adams, Director of Athletics at Ferrum College. “We are beginning to see the results of the hard work and perseverance demonstrated by the coaching staff and our wrestlers throughout the year. Coach Roulo has worked tirelessly to maintain and build upon the proud standard of Ferrum Wrestling, committing to compete in the NCWA Division to ensure our student-athletes had a meaningful postseason opportunity. That decision is already generating positive momentum for our program as we continue our transition into NCAA Division II.”
Ferrum College President Mirta M. Martin praised Roulo’s early impact on the program and the Ferrum College community.
“Coach Roulo’s recognition as Mid-Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year reflects both his exceptional leadership and the determination of our student-athletes,” Martin said. “His commitment to building a competitive NCAA Division II program while developing young men of character exemplifies the mission and spirit of Ferrum College. We are proud to celebrate this achievement and excited about the future of Panther wrestling.”
Roulo arrived at Ferrum following six seasons as head wrestling coach at Averett University, where he led the Cougars to five consecutive winning seasons and compiled 96 career dual meet victories, including 21 wins over NCAA Division II programs and two over Division I opponents. His teams posted standout records of 23–6 in 2021–22 and 20–7 in 2023–24.
Throughout his coaching career, Roulo has mentored 20 NCAA qualifiers, 10 All-Americans, 12 National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-Americans, 38 regional placewinners, and 14 conference champions. His wrestlers have earned 38 national rankings from the NWCA and d3wrestle.com, including one athlete who held the No. 1 national ranking for two consecutive years.
Before entering the coaching ranks, Roulo competed as an NCAA Division I wrestler at George Mason University and University at Buffalo. He qualified for the 2013 NCAA Tournament and was a four-time all-conference wrestler, finishing second at the conference championships in both 2012 and 2013.
Roulo earned a bachelor’s degree in history from George Mason University in 2016 and a Master of Business Administration from Averett University in 2019.
With Roulo at the helm, Ferrum wrestling is building strong momentum as the program continues its transition into NCAA Division II competition.
