CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The NJCAA has announced two honorees to be inducted into the NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame. One of the honorees will be Jamestown Community College wrestling head coach Kris Schimek as a student-athlete.

“I’m very honored,” Schimek said when he first found out about the news. “There is a 10 year wait before you can be inducted when you graduate. There were a lot of guys who had to wait much longer than me to get in that definitely deserved it as well. I’m just honored.”

Schimek attended Niagara County Community College where he was captain of the Thunderwolves' wrestling team for two years. During his time at N-Trip, Schimek earned numerous accolades including being named a two-time NJCAA All-American and a two-time NJCAA Region 3 Champion.

During Schimek's freshman campaign, the Cherry Creek, NY, native finished as the national runner-up in the 165-pound weight class.  As a sophomore, Schimek earned a fourth-place finish at the 2013 NJCAA Wrestling Championships.  

Schimek concluded his career at the two-year level by setting program records for most near falls in a season, and most points in a career, and ranks second in all-time program wins.  

The induction is a special honor, but coach Schimek is putting that on the backburner as he prepares his team for competition this weekend.

“These guys know that I am not here for myself but for them,” said Schimek. “A lot of these guys are from out of the area and came back because they have that belief in me to get them where they need to go. We are going to battle with one another, and I am fortunate to be the one to lead them into battle.”

Schimek continued his collegiate career at Ithaca College where he earned NCAA All-American honors in 2014 with a 35-4 record.  Schimek is currently a Sargent for the Jamestown Police force and serves as the head of the Jamestown Police Swat team.  Schimek has served as the head coach here at JCC since 2017. 

Schimek will be honored on Saturday night prior to the championship finals of the 2023 NJCAA Wrestling National Championships.