Ohio State's star-studded wrestling program is coached by a star-studded staff, a member of which is about to become a certified Hall of Famer. Second-year assistant Tervel Dlagnev, a two-time NCAA Champion and former Olympian, will be inducted into the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame March 8, on the eve of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Dlagnev, a native of Bulgaria who spent his formative years in Texas, became one of the most decorated athletes in University of Nebraska-Kearney history. A four-time All-American and a two-time national champion, Dlagnev holds UNK records for wins in a career (167) and season (49).
He capped his collegiate career with a second national title which allowed the Lopers to edge Minnesota State, 109.5-108.0, for the program's first national title. Winning his last 65 collegiate matches, he was subsequently named the inaugural Division II Wrestler of the Year.
Currently an assistant coach at Ohio State, Dlagnev placed fifth in the 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio) Summer Olympic Games. A two-time World Wrestling Championships bronze medalist, Dlagnev won a variety of major international tournaments after graduating from UNK in 2008.
Dlagnev came to Columbus after his collegiate career to train under former OSU associate head coach Lou Rosselli at the Ohio Regional Training Center (RTC).
“This is a great day for the Buckeyes,” head coach Tom Ryan said at the time of Dlagnev's hiring in 2016. “Tervel Dlagnev was far and away the top choice for us to bring in as a coach. More than the credentials he has on the mat, he brings a cerebral approach. He’s an amazing teacher, a great father, a great friend. Our guys really gravitate to him.”
Indeed, that cerebral approach has been credited with part of the mental development of reigning Olympic, World and NCAA champion Kyle Snyder, and three-time All American Bo Jordan. From a 2015 FloWrestling profile:
Tervel has been instrumental in helping Bo take the focus off of winning and fulfilling expectations and rather, as Bo puts it, “Go out there have fun and just think about hitting some cool moves.
"Tervel Dlagnev actually has helped me out with it incredibly. If it wasn’t for him I would be probably struggling right now with a lot of expectations.”
Because of his talks with Tervel, Bo now approaches the sport differently. He’s wrestling for the love of the sport instead of trying to win all the time because he is supposed to.
He says his approach now is, “Focus on having fun and say, ‘Hey can I beat this guy today? Can I beat him? Will my leg attacks work on him?’ It makes it a lot more fun and I enjoy it. Tervel’s talked with me a lot and put that in my head and instilled it in my mind before each match. Instead of thinking, ‘If I lose I fail’.
The NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame enshrinement is March 8 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
