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Rob Koll- Head Coach

Rob Koll, a 1988 national champion wrestler at the University of North Carolina who has coached 74 All-Americas, was been named the head coach of Carolina's wrestling program on Aug. 31, 2023. Koll becomes the seventh head coach in team history and returns to his alma mater after spending the last two seasons at Stanford and the previous 28 as the head coach at Cornell.  

"Rob is a proven winner both on the mat and as a coach, and he has an outstanding track record of recruiting great student-athletes dedicated to their sport, the classroom and the community,'' said UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. "He is a strong leader who loves his alma mater and will be a terrific role model for students. Rob also will be a great ambassador for the program with fans, alumni and fellow coaches. We are happy to welcome him back to Carolina." 

The program's first four-time All-America from 1985-88, Koll graduated with a career record of 155-20-1, the most wins in program and Atlantic Coast Conference history. Koll was a three-time ACC champion at 158 pounds and capped off his Carolina career with the program's second ever individual national championship in 1988.  

"Ever since Coach (Bill) Lam brought me to campus for the first time in 1984, I've been preparing for this opportunity," Koll said. "There's no school in the country that offers Carolina's combination of academic and athletic dominance, along with the outstanding campus and community that Chapel Hill has to offer. I'm grateful to the Board of Trustees, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham giving me the opportunity to return home to my alma mater. I'm excited to get to work every day with our outstanding student-athletes, as we strive to achieve success in the ACC and on a national level." 

Koll began his coaching career at Cornell, where he served as an assistant for four seasons, before being named the head coach at Cornell in 1993. While in Ithaca, Koll collected a dual record of 317-101-5, including a 125-9-1 mark in Ivy League dual action. Koll's teams won 20 Ivy League championships while producing 177 NCAA Championship qualifiers, 71 All-Americas, and 16 NCAA individual national championships.  

For 17 straight seasons, at least three Cornell wrestlers reached the All-America podium under Koll, including one NCAA champion in 10 of the last 12 years he was at Cornell.  

Koll's success at Cornell expanded much more than his student-athletes' success on the mat and in the classroom. While leading the Big Red, Koll played an instrumental part in the opening of The Friedman Wrestling Center in 2002, the nation's only stand-alone collegiate wrestling facility.  

In May of 2021, Koll was named the 31st head coach in program history at Stanford. During his two years with the Cardinal, Koll mentored three All-Americas and three Pac-12 champions. In his first season out west, Koll helped Stanford to a top-20 finish at the 2022 NCAA Championships, as the program posted multiple All-Americas for the first time since 2016.  

In addition to the success of Koll's wrestlers on the mat, Stanford wrestlers earned 11 National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America honors during his two seasons.  

Koll and his wife Rachel have two sons, William and Daniel, who both wrestled for him at Cornell. A native of State College, Pa., Koll is the son of the late Bill Koll, a three-time NCAA champion and the head coach at Penn State from 1965-78.  

Koll's Coaching Career By The Numbers 
- 1 Hodge Trophy winner 
- 15 Top-10 NCAA team finishes 
- 16 NCAA individual national champions 
- 20 Ivy League championships 
- 24 NCAA finalists 
- 74 All-Americas 
- 185 NCAA qualifiers

Tony Ramos- Associate Head Coach

Tony Ramos joined the UNC coaching staff in 2016 as a volunteer assistant and was promoted to assistant coach in 2018. In November 2019, he was promoted to associate head coach. He is a 2014 graduate of the University of Iowa.

In 2023, Ramos helped North Carolina secure its seventh individual National Champion, as Austin O'Connor was victorious at 157-pounds, the second individual title of his career. O'Connor's finish made him the first wrestler in program history to garner All-America honors five times, with Lachlan McNeil and Gavin Kane adding podium finishes for UNC's best team finish since 1995. 

A native of Carol Stream, Illinois, Ramos was a three-time state champion at Glenbard North before embarking upon a decorated college stint at Iowa. Ramos was a three-time All-American for the Hawkeyes, capping his NCAA career by winning the 2014 NCAA title at 133 pounds. He was Iowa's Male Athlete of the Year, leaving Iowa City with a career record of 120-14.

On the international stage, Ramos placed fifth at the Junior World Championships in 2009 and has been a staple on USA Wrestling teams over the last several years. A two-time U.S. World Team Trials champion, Ramos officially retired from competition in May 2019.

Ramos is married to the former Megan Eskew, a volleyball team captain while at Iowa, and the couple has two sons, A.J. and Lincoln, and two daughters, Calla and Molly.

 

Dr. Enock Francois- Assistant Coach

Enock Francois joined the Carolina Wrestling coaching staff in October 2023. 

A familiar face on the sidelines with head coach Rob Koll, Francois spent the past two seasons at Stanford as an assistant coach (2021-22) and the Patricia Miranda Associate Head Coach (2022-23).
 
In his two seasons with the Cardinal, Francois mentored three All-America wrestlers and three Pac-12 champions. With Francois on staff, Stanford was able to secure multiple top-10 recruiting classes, as well as a top-20 finish at the NCAA Championships both seasons.
 
Francois, a distinguished member of the United States' Senior National Greco Team, joined the staff at Stanford after serving as the Buffalo Stampeders Wrestling Club Director, and Special Services Coordinator at The Villages Charter School.
 
After completing his undergrad degree in psychology with a concentration in social work from California Baptist, Francois completed his master's degree in special education and Ph.D. in education leadership from the University of the Cumberlands.
 

Ben Darmstadt- Assistant Coach

Ben Darmstadt joined the Carolina Wrestling coaching staff in October 2023. 

A former wrestler under head coach Rob Koll at Cornell, Darmstadt was a two-time All-America honoree during his time with the Big Red. A two-time EIWA Champion and two-time All-Ivy League First-Time honoree, the Elyria, Ohio native graduated from Cornell with his bachelor's degree in marketing.
 
Prior to arriving in Chapel Hill, Darmstadt was a coach at the Cardinal Wrestling Club regional training center. 

Andrew Dunn- Assistant Coach

Andrew Dunn joined the Carolina Wrestling staff in October 2023. 

Dunn arrived in Chapel Hill after spending the past year as an assistant coach and operations assistant with the California Regional Training Center and Cardinal Wrestling Club.
 
The 2019 NCAA Division II National Champion at 285-pounds, Dunn was a three-time All-America wrestler at Kutztown, also qualifying for the title bout in 2022. During his time at Kutztown, Dunn was a two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year honoree, as well as being named Kutztown's Male Athlete of the Year three times.
 
Prior to arriving at Kutztown, Dunn began his collegiate career at fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member, Virginia Tech, qualifying for the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.
 
The Bethlehem, Pa. native is a two-time graduate of Kutztown, graduating in 2020 with his undergrad degree in business management and a master's degree in public administration in 2022.