Van Dusen (right) honors senior Melanie McKinney at a dual meet Jan 14, 2012.
Atherton, CA – Menlo College head women’s wrestling coach Marcie Van Dusen will step down from the helm of the program at the end of the 2012 wrestling season. Sighting personal reasons, Van Dusen will leave a program that has been on the rise since her hiring two years ago. Van Dusen will continue in her role as California USA Women’s Wrestling Director and as coach for the California USA Wrestling women’s team through the summer.
Van Dusen will eventually move to Hawaii and stated she would most likely stay involved in the sport in Hawaii at the high school level.
Writing in a California wrestling forum, Van Dusen left a message reading, “It’s with a heavy heart that I am submitting my notice of resignation from Menlo College following the end of the WCWA College National Tournament. The past few months have been a difficult time for me as I deliberated the direction of my career and my personal life. My decision to resign was finalized after long and careful consideration of several factors. The Menlo College women’s wrestling team and Menlo College facility and staff have been more than wonderful. I have truly enjoyed coaching the athletes at Menlo College. They have all left a positive impact on me and I hope I was able to do the same for them. I will truly miss them. I thank them for allowing me the opportunity to teach and guide them. My hope is that they continue to work hard and achieve the goals we set forth. Menlo College has begun the search for a strong replacement and I am confident that the college will continue to have the best interest of the athletes in mind. I will continue to finish up current projects and create a plan to ensure an easy transition for the new coach.”
Van Dusen coaches Jasmine Yanes during a break in action from a recent dual meet.
Van Dusen is one of the most recognized US women wrestlers of all time, with a career that culminated in a 9th place finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. During her time on the U.S. National Team, VanDusen was a 2004 World University champion and 2008 World Cup gold medalist, and also represented the U.S. as a member of the 2007 World Team. She is a two-time national champion. Van Dusen attended Rim of the World High School where she was a member of the varsity men’s wrestling team.
Click this link to see photos from a recent Menlo vs U Cumberland dual meet at Menlo College.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.