North Dakota State hires Obenson Blanc as new wrestling head coach

Former Lock Haven and Oklahoma State wrestler Obenson Blanc was named the newest wrestling head coach at North Dakota State.

Following the departure of Roger Kish to Oklahoma, Blanc was promoted from within to serve as the newest leader of the program. Blanc is a former All-American wrestler and served as an assistant coach at North Dakota State over the last four years, including the last two as the associate head coach.

Blanc talked about his newest job in a statement released by the program.

“It is an honor to be named the head coach at North Dakota State and I’m excited to continue to add to a program with such a rich history and strong presence in Fargo and within the wrestling community,” Blanc said. “I am grateful for the opportunity that Matt Larsen, Jack Maughan and the administration have provided.

“NDSU and the Fargo community have had a positive impact on me and my family, and I look forward to continuing to cultivate the relationships I have built with the student-athletes, alumni, and supporters. I’d also like to thank my wife, my family, and all the individuals who have had a big part in my development as a person and professional.”

Athletic director Matt Larsen also released a statement on the hire of Blanc.

“I’m incredibly excited to keep Obe and his family in Fargo as the new leader of the Bison wrestling program,” Larsen said. “Some of our best seasons and recruiting classes in the Division I era have coincided with his time at NDSU. His leadership coupled with our returning nucleus of wrestlers and incoming recruiting class will keep the momentum of our program moving forward.”

Before coming to Fargo, Blanc was an assistant coach at North Carolina State and helped coach two NCAA champions, 10 All-Americans and 10 ACC Champions. At North Dakota State, he helped coach two All-Americans and all three of the school’s Big 12 champions.

As a wrestler, Blanc had a great freestyle career on the international level. He made five-straight US National Teams (2009-13), was a three-time Pan-American finalist, two-time US Open and US World Team Trials champion in 2010 and ‘13 and was an alternate at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Blanc was an All-American at Lock Haven in 2007 when he finished sixth at 125 pounds. When he finished his career at Oklahoma State, he qualified for his fourth straight NCAA Championships and finished with a 118-41 career record.

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