LAKELAND, Fla.—The Southeastern University athletic department announced today that Fire wrestling coach Javier Maldonado has resigned as head coach. He has accepted a position as an NCAA Division I assistant coach.
Maldonado was the first head coach in program history, guiding the program to a 41-31 dual meet record over the past four seasons. The Kissimmee native helped bring college wrestling back to his home state for the first time in nearly 30 years.
“SEU took a chance on me and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and do life with everyone there,” said Maldonado.
Over the past four seasons, the Fire have had 18 national qualifiers with six All-America honors.
The team has also made great strides academically, leading the Mid-South Conference in scholar-athlete honorees, and finished 12th in the 2019 National Wrestling Coaches’ Association Scholar All-American rankings, posting a 3.145 GPA among their starting lineup.
“Javier took a team that didn’t exist and built it into a nationally recognized program in a short amount of time,” said Southeastern University Director of Athletics Drew Watson. “His work ethic, adaptability, and relatability with his student-athletes will help make him successful moving forward. We’re thankful for his time with the Fire Family and wish him the very best.”
An announcement will be forthcoming regarding his successor.