American University

Ganbayar Sanjaa, a two-time All-American for the Eagles, returned as an assistant coach starting in the 2019-20 season and finished his sixth season with the program in 2025-2026. He previously served in similar roles at the University of Maryland and the University of Oklahoma, helping the Sooners to a top-10 team finish at the NCAA Championships where they produced four All-Americans and a National Champion.

Sanjaa has been a part of AU’s resurgence under head coach Jason Borrelli, helping the Eagles to four straight seasons of at least eight dual wins, while totaling 28 EIWA placewinners, two EIWA champions, one All-American, and 24 NWCA Academic All-Americans. In 2025-26, he helped send three wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament, the most in program history since 2020: graduate senior Maximilian Leete (133), redshirt junior Caleb Campos (184), and redshirt sophomore Emmanuel Ulrich (HWT).

In the 2019-20 season, four Eagles had qualified for the NCAA Championships before they were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationally ranked Kizhan Clarke and Tanner Harvey were both named NWCA Honorable Mention All-Americans for their body of work throughout the year. 

Recently, Sanjaa has added international coaching assignments to his repertoire. He was helped for the Mongolian Men’s, Women’s Freestyle Team that competed at the World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. He followed that in the winter Men’s Freestyle and Women’s Freestyle at the 2022 World Cup in Coralville, Iowa.

Sanjaa joined the American staff after spending three seasons as an assistant at the University of Maryland. During his tenure at Maryland, nine wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships, and one earned All-American.

Sanjaa placed sixth at the NCAA Championships for AU in 2012 after a season that saw him
go 25-6 at 157 pounds. He placed second at the Midlands Championships, and participated in the NWCA All-Star Classic In 2011, Sanjaa took fourth in the NCAA Championships after a 26-8 mark. Sanjaa also earned Academic All-American honors from the NWCA.

Before becoming an Eagle, Sanjaa competed at Colby Community College, where he was an NJCAA national champion and two-time national finalist, while earning the Sportsmanship Award. Sanjaa continued his wrestling career at the international level and wrestled for the Mongolian National Team and NYAC where he placed second in Nationals and he placed second at the 2018 World Team Trials. He is also a 2018 World Cup member, 2018 Grand Prix of Spain Champion, 2018 City of Sassari International Tournament Champion, and took second at the 2018 Canada Cup. Sanjaa is a four-time Mongolian Junior National Champion and Cadet National Champion, and he placed third at the Asian Junior Championships in 2005. 

Sanjaa graduated from American in 2012.