The Wabash College athletics department welcomes two new assistant coaches to its ranks. Mitchell Kessler joins the Little Giants as a track and field assistant coach working with the throwing events. Riley Kauzlaric will serve as an assistant coach with the Wabash wrestling program.
 
Kessler comes to Wabash from Hanover College, where he worked with the cross country and track and field programs. He coached seven Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference champions, two NCAA Division III national qualifiers, and one All-American in the discus as an assistant with the Panthers.
 
Kessler earned a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Louisville in 2019 and a master's in business administration from Harding University in 2021. He also competed as a Louisville track and field team member, earning All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors and qualifying for NCAA DI regional competition. Kessler completed his career at Louisville on the program's top-10 record board. He also competed at Harding, where he was a four-time Great American Conference champion, earning All-GAC honors twice in shot put and once each in weight and hammer throws. He set new Harding school records in the weight and hammer throws.
 
"I am incredibly excited about Mitchell Kessler joining our track and field staff," Wabash head track and field coach Clyde Morgan said. "He is a student-centered man and a phenomenal throws coach. He will fit right in with the culture of our team and Wabash. Coach Kessler understands the importance of developing scholar-athletes in life and athletics."
 
"Wabash has established the track and field program as a powerhouse in Indiana and the North Coast Athletic Conference," Kessler said. "I've been throwing since sixth grade and coaching for two seasons. I feel I will bring a wealth of knowledge to the program and can build on an already well-established group of student-athletes who are on the cusp of earning berths to the national championship meets and can compete to become All-Americans."
 
Kessler began his duties on September 23.
 
Kauzlaric coached most recently at Thomas More University, working with five national qualifiers, three All-Americans, and six Scholar All-Americans in the Saints' wrestling program. He spent one season as an assistant coach at Wilmington College, where he helped the Quakers produce the school's first two regional placers in the young program's history. Kauzlaric graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2020 with a bachelor of arts degree. He competed for the Warhawks wrestling team, earning All-America honors in 2019 by finishing in third place at 197 pounds at the NCAA Division III National Championship tournament. Kauzlaric received Scholar All-America honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association in 2018 and 2019. He was named the Illinois High School Wrestling Scholar of the Year in 2016 and won the state title at 195 pounds in the same season.
 
"I'm excited to have Riley join our staff," Wabash head wrestling coach Jake Fredricksen said. "We worked with the same head coach at Whitewater. I followed his career with the Warhawks, and his style and approach match well with our goals and approach with the Wabash program."
 
"Wabash is a school that values academics and athletics," Kauzlaric said. "That was important to me as a student-athlete and remains important now as a coach. I wanted to find a place where my values aligned with the institution's values, and I found that with this opportunity. I will have the chance to work with young men who care about earning a degree and competing at the highest levels in NCAA Division III wrestling."
 
Kauzlaric started his position at Wabash on October 2.