PRESS RELEASE

Northern State University head wrestling coach Rocky Burkett announced Thursday that he has accepted a position with the Northern State University Foundation and will be stepping down as the leader of the Wolves after ten seasons at the helm. Burkett will join the NSU Foundation as a development officer, building relationships and raising funds for the academic and athletic programs at the institution. He was named the eighth head coach in program history in April of 2015, leading the program’s charge and accent in the NSIC and at the national level.

“The past ten years leading this program have been an awesome experience for me and my family,” noted Burkett. “This is a bittersweet moment for me because of the Aberdeen and wrestling communities, but more importantly because of the former and current student-athletes I was given the privilege to work with each day. I’m excited to continue my connection with the Wolves, helping both the athletic department and other entities on campus as a member of the NSU Foundation.”

“Rocky Burkett has been the foundation of Northern State wrestling for the past decade,” explained Nate Davis, NSU Director of Athletics. “Under his leadership the Wolves have become one of the most respected and successful programs within Division II. The results and accolades speak for themselves but what you won’t see in the numbers, is the tremendous impact Rocky has had on the countless young men involved in the program. He has poured into these guys and does so much behind the scenes that prepares them for life beyond wrestling. I am very grateful to Rocky for what he has done for the wrestling program and appreciate the opportunity I’ve had to work with him at Northern. I know that this next phase is a terrific opportunity for him on both a professional and personal level. I look forward to his continued connection with the sport and the Northern State program.”

Burkett exits as the fourth winningest head coach in Northern State wrestling history. In his tenure the Wolves won the NSIC Championship in 2021 and recorded four top-5 league finishes. Individually, 14 student-athletes were honored on the NSIC All-Conference teams and Burkett was named the NWCA Region Coach of the Year following the 2021 campaign. A total of 17 Wolves qualified for the NCAA Championships with eight bringing home All-American accolades. He led two Wolves to 100-win careers in Joe Gomez and Wyatt Turnquist. Northern finished top-20 at the NCAA National Championships in 2023 and improved to a 15th place finish at the 2024 NCAA National Championships.

In the classroom, over 75 student-athletes have earned National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America honors, and two Wolves were named to the prestigious CSC Academic All-America® teams (Joe Gomez & Wyatt Turnquist). His wrestling teams landed in the top-20 nationally for team GPA three separate seasons, including a 12th place ranking in 2024-25 with a 3.379 mark. In addition, Gomez earned both NSIC Elite 18 and NSIC Dr. William Britton Awards following the 2017 season.

The search process is underway for the next head wrestling coach of Northern State University, an announcement will be made in the coming days.