Longtime Southeast Polk wrestling coach Jason Christenson announces retirement

One of Iowa's most successful high school wrestling coaches is calling it a career.

Jason Christenson, the longtime coach at Southeast Polk, informed the Des Moines Register on Friday that he will retire after 19 years as the Ram's head coach. Jake Agnitsch, a Wartburg grad who's spent the past couple of years coaching alongside Christenson, will take over as Southeast Polk's head coach.

"I will cherish the relationships forged over the past 29 years and appreciate all who have been supportive at each stop along the way," Christenson said in a statement announcing his retirement. "I have been going to wrestling practice for 45 years and am excited to spend some time with family and pursue other interests."

In doing so, Christenson puts a cap on a hall-of-fame coaching tenure — with stops at Collins-Maxwell-Baxter and Oskaloosa before spending the past 19 years at Southeast Polk — that includes a level of success few in Iowa can match.

In that span, Christenson produced a 482-106-6 career dual mark, good for the fifth-most dual wins in state history. His winning percentage (81%) ranks among the top 10 all-time among coaches with at least 300 career dual wins.

Christenson's most successful coaching run came during his time at Southeast Polk, where he guided the Rams to state five state duals titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020) and four more traditional state titles (2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017).

"It's been an honor to coach with and under Coach C," Agnitsch told the Register. "He's been an amazing mentor who has helped me build the skills I will need to keep this train rolling. I can't say enough good things about my past three seasons with Coach C and the coaching staff he has built.

"I think the future is bright for the SEP wrestling program, and I'm looking forward to doing what it takes to continue the success here."

In all, the Central College alum coached his teams to 22 top-four finishes at the Iowa state wrestling championships. The Rams' second-place effort in 2012 was the first team trophy in program history. He also coached 127 state medalists and 25 state champions.

Even more, Christenson's wrestlers proved to be formidable on the national stage. As a program, Southeast Polk finished among the top 50 in the national rankings nine times. Under his tutelage, his wrestlers earned a combined 103 All-American honors and won 23 individual national titles. 

Many went on to wrestle collegiately. Three (Cory Clark, Willie Miklus and Alex Meyer, all 2012 Southeast Polk graduates) combined for nine All-American finishes at the Division I NCAA Championships. Clark and Miklus were both four-time All-Americans, and Clark, a four-time state champ, won an NCAA title for Iowa at 133 pounds in 2017.

"Coach C was more than just a coach," Miklus, a two-time state champ for the Rams before becoming a four-time All-American for Missouri and Iowa State, told the Register. "At times, he was a second father. All the way throughout my high school and college career, he was a huge supporter regardless of the school I was representing.

"He was always there when I called for advice and to tell me when I was being boneheaded, which was a lot. Coach C left a huge imprint on my life outside the wrestling room and is somebody I will continue to look up to as a coach, mentor and friend."

Christenson's involvement in wrestling extended beyond central Iowa. He's served as Iowa USA Wrestling's coaches' director since 2014 and plans to continue in that role. He was previously the head coach of Iowa's Junior and Cadet national teams. Christenson was also a past president of the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association.

He's worked extensively with USA Wrestling — as the head coach Cadet Greco-Roman at the 2015 Pan-American Championships in Mexico, and as the team leader of the 2013 Junior World Team that competed in Bulgaria. He also served as a coach with the Viking Wrestling Club, based out of Grand View in Des Moines, from 2015-19.

He's earned a laundry list of awards along the way: the NWCA national high school coach of the year in 2019; the Iowa USA Wrestling coach of the year in 2001, 2010 and 2012; and the Des Moines Register's All-Iowa Wrestling coach of the year in 2016.

"Coach Christenson made a huge impact on my life and my career," said Lance Runyon, a 2019 state champ for Southeast Polk and current Northern Iowa wrestler. "Anytime he spoke, you knew to listen because it's not as often as you would think. He has so many lessons and stories that he would share day in and day out.

"He was always dedicated to getting to know his athletes and took time to help everybody in the room. It was an honor to wrestle under such a humble and selfless coach. I will carry his philosophy with me throughout the rest of my life."

In 2013, Christenson was awarded the Bob Siddens High School Coaching Excellence Award by the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa. It should not be too much longer before he is honored there again — this time, as an inductee.

"I look forward to watching the progression of the SEP Wrestling program under the direction of Jake Agnitsch," he said. "The cupboards are full and there are some new trophy cases to fill."

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.

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