Two-time All-American and 2007 Missouri graduate Matt Pell returned to his alma mater in 2009 and begins his third year as an assistant coach on the Tiger wrestling staff.
After receiving his bachelor's degree in May of 2007, Pell left the Midwest and worked as an assistant coach for the University of Virginia (UVA) wrestling squad. In his two years on staff, Pell helped coach five Cavaliers to Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship titles, and one grappler, Chris Henrich, to UVA's first All-America honor in five years.
The Cavaliers notched one of their best seasons in school history in 2007-08, recording an 18-win campaign and second place showing at the ACC Championships. Finishing two points shy of first at the 2008 Conference Championships, the showing was UVA's best finish since 2004. In 2009, the Cavaliers repeated as second-place finishers, with three UVA grapplers earning titles and 197 pound competitor Brent Jones named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.
As an assistant, Pell was responsible for bringing in back-to-back top 15 recruiting classes with the 2008 squad ranked 14th and 2009 newcomers ranked sixth.
A four year starter on Missouri's wrestling squad, Pell first earned All-American honors as a sophomore in 2005 while competing at 184 pounds. The Tiger team captain became just the third Missouri wrestler in program history to earn All-American accolades in more than one weight class, managing a third place finish at the 2007 Championships in the 165 pound weight class. In addition to his second top-eight NCAA finish, Pell was presented with the Gorarrian Award after recording the most pins in the least amount of time at the NCAA Championships held in St. Louis. Pell's third place finish helped Missouri to its best squad showing in program history, third.
The four-time NCAA qualifier completed his career with 122 wins, good enough for sixth best in program history.
Pell was three-time state champion at Luxemburg-Casco High School in Luxemburg, Wis. Under the leadership of Head Coach Bob Beceau, Pell led his team to three state titles. While a Spartan, Pell was ranked the 10th best wrestler in Wisconsin and the eighth-best 145-pounder by Intermat.
