Mike Clayton enters his fifth season leading the Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team. Formerly the head assistant at the United States Military Academy, Clayton has led the Stevens wrestling program to national prominence in just four seasons. The Ducks earned their highest national team ranking in 2010-11 at 18th.
Clayton was named the 2008 NWCA Division III Rookie Coach of the Year and the 2009 Centennial Conference Coach of the Year. Clayton has accumulated an overall mark of 40-32-1 (21-7 in Centennial Conference) in four seasons as the head coach of the Ducks. He has also been named the 2011 US FILA Cadet Team Pan-Am co-Head Coach and will train and take the US Team to Campeche, Mexico in August of 2011.
In the 2010-11 season, Clayton enjoyed just as much success as the 2010 campaign. The Ducks compiled a 14-11-1 overall record (most wins in school history) and a third place finish in the Centennial Conference. The final regular season match for Stevens proved to be a huge one, as the Ducks topped NCAA Division I member Sacred Heart University, despite not having six starters for the match in a 22-18 triumph.
Under Clayton's tutelage, a pair of Ducks took home individual titles at the Centennial Conference championship meet and advanced to the NCAA Nationals in 2011. Junior Ryan Bridge took home top honors in the 141-lb. weight class placing seventh to become the Ducks first two-time All-American and sophomore Ryan Dormann advanced to the round of All-America for the second time in his career at 174.
Off the wrestling mat, Clayton witnessed a great group of student-athletes that finished third overall academically in the National Wrestling Coaches Association with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.551. The squad was narrowly beaten out by Williams College (3.573) and Johnson & Wales University (3.608).
In 2008-09, the Ducks went 6-1 in conference for the second-straight season after not winning a Centennial match for three full seasons prior. Furthermore, Clayton led his team back from a tough, 1-5 start, to go 11-3 in the second-half of the season without as many as five starters at times. Clayton helped four different wrestlers reach the 20-win plateau and two Ducks went undefeated in the conference. Clayton guided Stevens to its most-ever wins in program history, 12, besting the previous mark of 11 set back in the 1979-80 season when Stevens was coached by Bob Schwalbenberg. Freshman Ryan Dormann was also a conference champion at 174-lbs. and advanced to the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships.
The Ducks finished 2007-08 with an overall mark of 8-4 and finished the regular season second in the Centennial Conference (6-1 conference). It was their best record since wrestling returned to Hoboken in 2004-05. Clayton guided Senior Brandon MacWhinnie '08, who was named the Centennial Conference Wrestler of the Year for the second time, to a third place finish at the NCAA’s becoming Stevens’ first wrestler to earn All-American wrestling status. In addition, Stevens also earned a top 20 National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America Team ranking (19 in the country).
During his three years at Army, Clayton helped produce eight NCAA Championship qualifiers. In his first year with the team, he helped guide Phillip Simpson to his third consecutive All-America certificate and an appearance in the national finals. In 2004-05 and 2005-06, Clayton was instrumental as the Black Knights returned to the national polls. While at West Point, Clayton also helped the program develop its’ first nationally ranked recruiting class (ranked No. 22 nationally in the Wrestling USA Magazine poll).
Prior to arriving at Army, Clayton spent five years as the head coach at Newport News Apprentice School in Virginia. During his time there, Clayton mentored 30 National Collegiate Wrestling Association All-Americans and eight national champions. He also increased the team size from eight wrestlers upon his arrival in 1999 to 30 in 2003 by developing a national recruiting base. Clayton’s 2003-04 roster featured athletes from 14 different states. In addition, the team’s fortunes turned around immensely on the mat. After posting a 0-10 record his first two seasons at the helm, Clayton guided Apprentice School to a 26-11 mark over his final three years.
During those final three years at Apprentice, Clayton delivered a college curriculum in Business Operations/Leadership, Ship Construction and Microsoft Office. He also developed a partnership with the U.S. Naval Academy’s leadership department as part of his Business Operations course.
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from Navy in 1995, Clayton, a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps, was named an assistant wrestling coach for the Midshipmen. He served in that role for five months before heading to Athens, Ga., to complete the 27-week Navy Supply Corps Officers Basic Qualification School. While there, Clayton earned a spot on the All-Navy wrestling team, capturing a silver medal at the 1996 Armed Forces Championships and placing fourth at the Chattanooga, Tenn., Olympic Regionals.
From 1997-2001, Clayton served in a variety of posts. He was a Supply and Disbursing Officer on the USS Guam from 1997-98. Clayton also worked as a Hazardous Material Control and Ship’s Store Officer on the USS Nimitz and as a Logistics/Purchasing Officer at Fleet Hospital Support Office in Virginia.
During his professional career, Clayton has published a book entitled Championship Training Log for Wrestling. The book helps wrestlers self-assess their habits to ensure healthy and effective training. Clayton enjoys travelling around the country working with coaches and wrestlers through motivational wrestling clinics based on his book (www.Session6wrestling.com). He has presented his training clinics at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center and the US World Team Trials in Council, Bluffs, Iowa at the USA Wrestling Silver Coaches Clinic as well as at high school programs in over 16 states.
