ADRIAN, Mich. – Siena Heights University Director of Athletics Sue Syljebeck announced the hiring of Dominic Adams as the first head coach of the SHU women's wrestling program that will begin competition in the 2022-23 academic year.
"We are pleased to have Dominic join the Saints family," said Syljebeck. "His experience working within the sport of women's wrestling at various levels from high school, college, and the Ohio and Michigan national teams will greatly benefit the future student-athletes at Siena Heights. His familiarity with the area during his time at Lourdes and Adrian College is a valuable tool for starting this program."
Before coming to Siena Heights, Adams was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Lourdes University since 2020. During his stint with the Gray Wolves, Adams coached two NAIA All-Americans, three scholar All-Americans, and one student-athlete who was a double All-American for USA Wrestling Junior and U23 world team trials. Adams also helped Lourdes finish 18th at the NAIA National Invitational during the first season of the program—including third and fifth-place individual finishes.
"I'd like to thank Sue Syljebeck and the search committee for this tremendous opportunity and for having faith and confidence in me to grow this program into one that our campus community, the city of Adrian, Lenawee County, and the entire state of Michigan will be proud of," Adams said. "This is an exciting day in the longstanding and rich tradition of Siena Heights University. Our program represents another opportunity and a new pathway to college for female athletes. We aim to attract young women who want to win in the classroom, on the mat, and have a desire to live our program values."
Coach Adams spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant at Adrian College. While with the Bulldogs, Adams was responsible for recruiting and coaching the team. He was also in charge of overseeing the social media and website content for the women's and men's wrestling teams.
As a team, Adrian College finished 10th at the 2019-20 Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association National Tournament, the highest finish for the program at that time.
Along with his collegiate coaching experience, Adams is a member of the USA Wrestling-Ohio girl's national team coaching staff that had one national champion, one runner-up, and eight All-Americans. He was also a Michigan USA Wrestling Women's National Team Coach, where he helped wrestlers win two National Championships while also coaching two finalists and 26 All-Americans. In addition, the team placed third at the USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle duals in 2019.
At the high school level, Adams was the assistant coach at Fenton High School in Michigan. During his time there, the team produced ten state qualifiers, with two girls winning state championships.
Adams is a 2006 graduate of Central Michigan University with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He has been married to his wife Erin since 2012, and they have an adult daughter and three dogs.
