American University

With a national title to his name on the mat, and a reputation as a builder of a national-level wrestling program focused on the whole student-athlete, Teague Moore will enter his 10th season as head coach at American in 2020-21.

Moore has developed a culture for AU Wrestling that combines outstanding coaching on the mat with an eye toward producing national champions and All-Americans, a focus that supports academic achievement in an institution with an international reputation and an environment that creates personal growth for each individual as they mature through their collegiate experience.

In his first nine seasons at American, Moore has coached five All-Americans, 32 NCAA qualifiers and 47 place-winners at the EIWA Championships.

For the past two seasons, American has earned more NCAA invitations than in any season since 2012, getting five in 2017-18 and four in 2019-20.  

Recently, Moore has added international coaching assignments to his repertoire. He was selected as the head coach for the U.S. Men’s Freestyle Team that competed at the 2017 U-23 World Championships in Poland. He followed that in the fall of 2018 by leading Team USA to a second-place team finish in men’s freestyle at the 2018 Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia.

Collectively, AU earned a 3.55 grade-point average in 2019-20, second only to Drexel among all NCAA Division I wrestling teams. It marked the second year in a row that the Eagles ranked second in the nation for Division I Team GPA, and the 14th time in the last 15 seasons that the Eagles have been among the top 10 GPAs nationally.

In 2017, the Eagles had all 10 of their starters earn Academic All-Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association recognition, leading the league in the number of honorees, including some Ivy League institutions. AU tied for the team lead in total honorees with eight in 2019 and seven in 2018.

Moore’s team received NCAA Public Recognition as being one of the top 10 percent of wrestling programs nationally in terms of APR, and was AU’s top men’s team in GPA in 2015-16 and 2019-20. His student-athletes have been honored 24 times by the National Wrestling Coaches Association for academic awards.

The 2019-20 season saw AU face an unbeatable opponent, COVID-19, with the pandemic leading to the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Championships. Four Eagles had qualified after a strong season, but lost their chance to compete. Nationally ranked Kizhan Clarke and Tanner Harvey were both named NWCA Honorable Mention All-Americans for their body of work throughout the year.

In 2016, Moore coached his third student-athlete to All-America status as David Terao placed fourth at 125 pounds. Terao’s wrestling style and personality captured the Madison Square Garden crowd and resulted in a pair of standing ovations for the senior. The national accomplishments and an academic effort that placed four wrestlers as NWCA All-Academic Team members earned Moore the AU Coaching Excellence Award.

The Eagles placed third in the EIWA in 2012, with co-captains Ryan Flores and Matt Mariacher earning individual titles. Flores and Ganbayar Sanjaa each reached All-America status at nationals that year.

Prior to arriving at American, Moore was the head coach at Clarion (Pa.) University for five seasons. He led the Golden Eagles to a fourth-place finish at the 2011 Eastern Wrestling League Championships and the program’s first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship since 1994. He was named the 2011 PSAC Coach of the Year.

Moore sent eight student-athletes to the NCAA Division I Championships in five years at Clarion. Sophomore James Fleming won the 157-pound title at the EWL Championships and was named the Outstanding Wrestler, marking Clarion’s first EWL Champion since 2005 and first Outstanding Wrestler since 1980. Moore’s squad also boasted a PSAC Outstanding Wrestler in 197-pound sophomore Alex Thomas and three PSAC Champions. 

Clarion saw significant improvement in its academic performance during Moore’s tenure. When he first took over the program, Clarion’s APR was 872. When he left the program in 2011, the APR had risen to 950. Moore also mentored four national All-Academic Team honorees at Clarion.

Moore was a four-year starter at Oklahoma State under Head Coach John Smith, winning the 1998 NCAA Championship at 118 pounds with a pin of Michigan State’s Dave Morgan in the finals. A three-time All-American, he also placed third in 1999, fourth in 1997 and qualified for Nationals as a freshman. Moore was a two-time Big-12 Champion and runner-up as a senior, and currently ranks 18th in Cowboy history with a career record of 118-25.

Moore continued his wrestling career at the international level following his graduation from Oklahoma State, placing third at the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials and winning the 2000 University World Freestyle Championship and 2002 U.S. Open National Championship. 

He was a three-time member of the National Team, earning a silver medal at the 2003 World Cup and placing second at the 2002 World Team Trials. He also took third place at the 2003 World Team Trials, 2003 U.S. Open National Championships and 2004 U.S. Open National Championships.

Prior to being named head coach at Clarion, Moore spent the 2005-06 season as an assistant at Harvard. In 2003-04, he was the director of film and facilities for the Oklahoma State program which won the 2004 NCAA Team Championship, Big-12 Championship and National Duals Championship.

He also spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma, helping the Sooners to a third-place finish at the 2003 NCAA Championships, after beginning his career as an assistant at Pittsburgh. Moore pursued coaching on the international level in 2006 and 2007 with the NWCA All-Star Tour. During that time, he oversaw training in Ukraine and Bulgaria. 

Moore was inducted into the Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008. 

Wrestling for North Allegheny High School in Pittsburgh, he was a three-time Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association place-winner and 1995 State Champion. He was also a three-time Pennsylvania State Freestyle Champion, three-time Junior National Freestyle Champion and National High School Champion in 1995.

Moore is a 1999 graduate of Oklahoma State with a bachelor’s in history. He and his wife, Mary Alice, have three daughters and one son. 

The Teague Moore File