Arkansas Wrestle (All images via lyonscots.com)
BATESVILLE, Ark. – Lyon College is pleased to welcome Shawn Contos as the Scots women’s wrestling head coach.
The news about Contos was announced by Lyon College Athletic Director Kevin Jenkins on Friday, August 5, 2022.
Contos, who comes to Batesville from Mt. Pleasant, Iowa where he worked as head wrestling coach for Iowa Wesleyan University. He is credited with beginning the women’s wrestling program at the IWU, including recruiting, running practices and individual sessions, implementing a strength program, assisted with social media releases, coordinated scheduling, oversaw work study students and worked fundraisers.
Before Iowa Wesleyan, Contos was the head wrestling/strength coach/director of athletic inventory while at St. John’s High School and Academy. In one year, he expanded his team from 12 wrestlers to 27, while also coordinating practices, workouts and training cycles, as well as recruiting.
Contos served as wrestling coach and camp coordinator for Legends of Gold for one year after coaching at Pennsylvania State University as head strength and conditioning coach for five years. While at Penn State, he was involved with four NCAA National Wrestling Championships.
Contos was the assistant wrestling coach at Iowa State University, a camp clinician and counselor for Cael Sanderson wrestling camps, assistant wrestling coach at Eastwood High School, founder and director/head coach of Mat Rat Wrestling Club, was a peer mentor at Iowa Central Community College, head assistant coach at Neosho Community College in Kansas, and was King of the Mat Wrestling camps coordinator.
His education includes Briar Cliff University, University of Michigan and St. John’s Jesuit High School and Academy in Toledo, Ohio. Contos is certified as a Bronze Level coach and a USA Wrestling Level One Cross-fit coach, as well as a certifications in level one Olympic weightlifting and in kettle bell training.
