OREM, Utah -- Former four-time state wrestling champion Jade Rauser of Townsend will join the Utah Valley University wrestling staff, the Wolverines announced this week. Rauser will serve as the program's director of operations.
"Jade will be great in this role as he already has strong relationships with our coaches and administration. He has a clear understanding of our vision and how he can help through this position," said Utah Valley head wrestling coach Greg Williams in a release. "We are excited to have Jade with us."
"I'm looking forward to being a part of the team again and helping build the program in any way that I can. I'm excited to bring my knowledge and experience that I had while wrestling at UVU and sharing that with the guys," Rauser said in the release.
Rauser wrestled for UVU from 2011-16, earning all-American accolades at the 2016 NCAA Championships with an eighth-place finish. He was a four-time national qualifier for the Wolverines, the first athlete in program history to do so, and tallied three 20-win seasons. His 77 career wins at Utah Valley ranked fifth in program history.
Rauser was one of Montana's most-decorated prep wrestlers, capping his Townsend Bulldog career with a perfect mark of 175 wins and no losses, with four Class B/C individual state titles. He added a gold medal at the Pan Am Games in Nicaragua and was the first wrestler in history to capture an elusive triple crown -- winning national championships in freestyle, folkstyle and Greco-Roman.
After graduating from Utah Valley, Rauser served as a youth development coach for USA Wrestling Utah. His twin brother, Val, won three Montana high school championships, while their younger brother, Kameron, was a four-time placer, finishing sixth, third, second and fourth, respectively, during his career.
