As a student-athlete and assistant coach, Tom Meester has been a key contributor to the success of Augustana’s wrestling program.
Meester has been a part of the wrestling coaching staff since 2006-07. First as a Graduate Assistant, then as an Assistant Coach and now as the Associate Head Coach.
Meester twice won national championships while competing for Augustana and head coach Jason Reitmeier. Now, as Reitmeier’s top assistant, Meester works primarily with wrestlers in the upper weight classes and has an equal share of the recruiting responsibilities.
In the 2017-18 season, Meester helped Augustana tie for second in the NSIC with a conference record of 6-2 and had an overall record of 11-4. The Vikings also finished sixth in the region and and two national qualifiers.
Aero Amo made his third straight trip to Nationals and Lukas Poloncic became a first time qualifier. Amo became the 19th two-time All-American in Augustana history with a seventh place finish and the 33rd Viking with multiple All-American honors.
In 2016-17, Meester helped the Vikings qualify five wrestlers for the NCAA Championships. Meester specifically helped Aero Amo, Ben Goodwin and Michael Lowman reach the national tournament.
Meester helped lead Michael Lowman (4th) and Aero Amo (5th) to All-American honors and assisted the team to an 11th place finish.
Meester had a hand in helping Amo and Goodwin earn regional championships at 184 pounds and 197 pounds, respectively, and Lowman earning runner-up honors at heavyweight. As a team, the Vikings finished fourth at the Super Region 3 Championships.
Meester helped guide the Vikings to a successful team campaign going 12-7 in duals on the season and earning a NSIC dual record of 6-2, good for third in the conference.
During the 2015-16 season, his eighth season as an assistant coach at Augustana, Meester helped guide the Vikings to an 18-win season, the programs second straight 18-win season.
Meester helped lead Amo to his second straight All-NSIC honor, first as a first team member. During the week of February 1, Amo also earned NSIC Wrestler of the week honors. He was the first wrestle in program history to earn Regional Wrestler of the Week and national wrestler of the week. Meester also helped Amo earn Academic All-NSIC honors and Division II All-Academic First Team honors.
Tom helped the Viking program to a ninth place finish in the NCAA Super Region 3 tournament held in Sioux Falls. Amo was the only athlete to advance to the national championship after winning the 184 pound weight class. At the national championships Amo went 1-2, winning his first match of the tournament.
Three other Vikings joined Amo in earning Academic All-NSIC honors under Meester in 2015-16: Mason Bender, Brandon Charbonneau and David Potratz.
A native of Rock Rapids, Iowa, Meester compiled a 137-18 collegiate career record at Augustana and was a three-time All-American with three appearances in national competition. He claimed back-to-back national championships at 184 pounds as a junior and senior, becoming just the second two-time national champion in the history of the program. In addition, he was Augustana’s first national champion since Reitmeier won the 142-pound crown in 1997.
Meester was named the outstanding wrestler at the 2005 national championships by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). He was voted the North Central Conference (NCC) Wrestler of the Year for 2004-05, and earned the Outstanding Wrestler award at the 2005 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals. He was the NCC 184-pound champion in 2004 and 2005 and helped the Vikings to the conference championship in 2005. In three years of competition he did not lose to a Division II opponent.
In postgraduate competition, Meester finished fifth in the 185-pound class at the 2009 Las Vegas/ASICS US National Championships. He advanced to the 2009 World Team Trials, where he finished in the top six. In 2008, he was a University Freestyle All-American at 84 kgs.
Meester, who also serves as an assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Meester resides in Sioux Falls with his wife Rachel and their son Tucker.
