Zack Esposito Leaving Oklahoma State for USA Wrestling

After about two decades in Stillwater, Zack Esposito is moving on.

USA Wrestling announced Thursday morning that Esposito — OSU wrestling’s associate head coach — was named USA Wrestling national freestyle development and resident coach. A national champion for the Cowboys in 2005, Esposito has spent the past seven seasons as OSU’s associate head coach, and he has coached in Stillwater since 2010.

“I want to thank Coach Esposito for his many years of tremendous service to Oklahoma State, both as a coach and student-athlete,” OSU coach John Smith said. “Zack represented Cowboy Wrestling for over 20 years helping coach 10 NCAA champions and a dozen teams to Big 12 titles. As a wrestler, Zack was an individual national champion and part of four NCAA championship teams. He now has a great opportunity to represent our country and I’m excited to see what he does. He’ll always have a home in Stillwater.”

Esposito’s new role will see him coordinate U.S. Pan American and World Teams at the U15, U17 and U20 levels. He will also manage USA Wrestling’s Elite U20 Resident Program, which will train at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Esposito has coached 67 All-Americans and 10 individual champions in Stillwater.

He wrestled on four NCAA championship teams from 2003 to 2006 and won an individual title in 2005. He was a three-time Big 12 individual champion.

“I am extremely grateful and humbled to be part of USA Wrestling and play an integral role in cultivating the future stars of Team USA,” Esposito said in USA Wrestling’s release. “I look forward to becoming a positive influence for our athletes and helping them grow as individuals and wrestlers.  I have had the opportunity to coach various age-group World teams, and those experiences left an indelible mark on me.  Specifically, I coached teams, and shared the success of athletes who went on to win Olympic and World medals. To be able to follow their careers and watch their rise to World dominance is truly awesome.

“I am truly grateful for Oklahoma State and for the opportunity for the past 21 years to have been coached and mentored by John Smith, our greatest freestyle wrestler and one of the greatest minds in all of sports.”

In July, OSU wrestling announced promotions for Tyler Caldwell and Gary Wayne Harding. Caldwell, a four-time All-American at OSU, was moved to an assistant coach while Harding was moved from volunteer assistant to recruiting coordinator.