MARSHALL — A day after Southwest Minnesota State University Director of Athletics Chris Hmielewski announced his resignation after 15 years as AD and 25 years at SMSU, Mustangs wrestling coach Jesse Nelson announced his resignation Thursday after 14 seasons and will pursue an outside professional opportunity.

“I want to thank Chris for taking a chance and hiring me in 2007,” Nelson said in a press release. “A big thank you to the rest of the of the SMSU Athletics Department for all of their friendship and mentorship over the past 14 years. The opportunity has been great and has been an amazing ride. I would also like to thank the alumni and my coaching staff for their dedication and passion to Mustang wrestling. Thank you as well to all of the parents and student-athletes that put their faith in me to lead them.”

Nelson added, “”Last but not least I want to thank my family, Julie (wife), Blake (son) and Brooklyn (daughter) for their continued love, support and sacrifices they have made to allow me to live my passion. Southwest Minnesota State University will always hold a special place in my heart.”

Nelson had several coaching positions prior to his arrival at SMSU, including stops at Ridgewater College in Willmar, Greenbush-Middle River/Badger High School in Badger and Minnesota USA wrestling where he coached freestyle and Minnesota Junior National Greco-Roman wrestling. He also coached softball and junior high and VFW baseball in the Montevideo School District.

Nelson was also a two-sport standout athlete at Ridgewater, competing in wrestling and football. In wrestling, he was a National Junior College Athletics Association national qualifier in 1995 and 1996, earning Male Athlete of the Year honors in ’96. In football, he played two seasons and was a team captain and earned All-Conference honors. After spending a year at St. Cloud State University on the wrestling team, Nelson graduated from SCSU in 1999 with a degree in physical education before later getting his master’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato in sports administration.

Nelson returned to Ridgewater in 2002 and led the Warriors to Top 5 finishes at the national level each of his five seasons at the helm, including winning a national championship in 2004-05 and earning second place in 2003-04. Individually, Nelson coached 13 All-Americans, four national finalists and one champion and was named the Minnesota Community College Conference Coach of the Year each season as well as winning NJCAA Region XIII Coach of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons in 2003 and 2004.

Then, in 2007, Nelson got the call from Hmielewski and SMSU and became the fourth coach in program history.

In his first season with the Mustangs, Nelson had only 15 wrestlers on the roster and SMSU struggled, finishing 0-11 as a team but saw individual success with Tyler Johnson qualifying for nationals. The following two seasons saw improvement, with SMSU earning its first conference win in two years and five combined individuals qualifying for the NCAA Championships, including three in 2009-10, the highest mark in the program since 2003.

SMSU then recorded its first winning season since 2002-03 in the 2010-11 season with an 8-4-1 record and a tie for fourth place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and had one qualifier for nationals. The Mustangs would get 10 dual victories in 2011-12, with Justin Reinsma finishing in seventh at nationals and earning All-American honors before seeing its third consecutive winning season with a 13-6 record (5th place in NSIC, most wins since 1989-90) and have four wrestlers compete in the NCAA Championships.

The 2013-14 season was another step in the right direction, as SMSU placed third in the NSIC (6-2 overall) and got another wrestler to nationals. In 2013-14, Nelson won NSIC Coach of the Year honors and SMSU had four wresters earn All-Conference honors in a 12-5 finish.

SMSU fell under the .500 mark the next two seasons, winning eight dual matches each year and having two wrestlers compete at nationals, with Jacob Begin and Cole Wilson both getting fourth place.

In 2017-18, the Mustangs had seven dual victories a national qualifier in Cortez Arredondo, who went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships. Arredondo would make it back to nationals the next season, along with teammate Griffin Osing. Last year, SMSU won four duals and had Jackson Ryan qualify for the NCAA Championships before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the remainder of the season.

This past season, SMSU went 1-4 in dual matches, placed seventh at the NCAA Super Regional and had Caden Steffen place fifth and Ryan place sixth and earn All-American honors at the NCAA Championships in March.

In addition to having 23 wrestlers qualify for nationals, SMSU has had a lot of success off of the mat. During Nelson’s tenure, the Mustangs wrestling program was ranked in the Top 20 in grade point average multiple times and had the ninth-highest GPA in Division II after 2011-12. SMSU has also had four wrestlers earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, including Academic All-American honors for Wilson in 2016.

“We are very thankful for the hard work and dedication Coach Nelson has provided our Mustang wrestling program during his tenure,” Hmielewski said. “Over the last 14 years, Coach Nelson has enhanced every aspect of the SMSU wrestling program. His leadership has helped our wrestling program compete and be recognized regionally and nationally for our student-athletes academic and athletic achievements. He has recruited a very talented group of student-athletes to SMSU who continue to raise the level of expectations in the classroom, on the mat, and in our community. Coach Nelson has been a valued educator and head coach at SMSU. We wish him the very best as he moves on in his professional career.”

A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.