Wabash wrestling hasn't always won national championships and All-America honors; and the program hasn't always been ranked among the best in the Division III. But, then again, Wabash wrestling hasn't always had Reece Lefever.
 
Lefever joins the Wabash wrestling coaching staff for his first season after one of the most decorated student-athlete careers in Wabash history. During his time as a student-athlete, Lefever became the first Wabash wrestler to earn All-America honors in three consecutive seasons. He finished as national runner up at 157 pounds in 2015. Lefever qualified for his first NCAA DIII national tournament in 2013, placing seventh at 157. The next season he earned a fourth-place finish. Lefever ranks sixth on the Wabash all-time wins list with a record of 107-14. He helped the Little Giants to a third-place finish in the 2015 DIII team standings, the highest finish ever by Wabash wrestling.
 
After being such a decorated athlete at Wabash, and forming close relationships with his teammates – many of whom still are still student-athletes – Lefever has had to transition his leadership style from player to coach.
 
"When I was on the team, my teammates could look to me to compete well," Lefever said. "Now they look for me to lead by action to show them how to get the most out of themselves on the mat and in the classroom. I learned that to be a successful leader and coach, I must put others first in whatever I do."
 
Lefever looks to accomplish a lot as a coach on the Wabash wrestling staff, however his aspirations for the role has transformed over time.
 
"If you had asked me a year ago when I began coaching, my answer would be different than it is now," Lefever said. "Last year, my motivation to coach was to be able to be involved in the sport I loved. That is still one of my motivations, but my goal in coaching is to make as big of an impact on the wrestlers' lives as my coaches made on me."
 
The goals don't stop there. Lefever has high standards for where the program will go, both on and off the mat. "On the competition side of things, my goals are to continue helping make Wabash wrestling into a national powerhouse that produces athletes that are national champions on the mat, and scholar All-Americans in the classroom."
 
Lefever graduated from Wabash as a history major and excelled in the classroom as well as on the mat. He earned Academic All-America Third Team honors from CoSIDA in 2015 and received Scholar All-America honors three times from the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
 
Lefever has also been active in the community, raising money for JDRF to help with Type 1 diabetes research.

Lefever responded to questions regarding his move from the mats as a competitor to his new role as a coach and instructor.

Q: How has your relationship with your former teammates now current student-athletes evolved?
 
A: I feel like my relationships with my former teammates that are still wrestlers on the team have somewhat changed.  I was always a leader on the wrestling team. Most of my leaderships came through action, rather by words. One thing that I think I have improved on a lot throughout the past year is my ability to speak to the team as a whole, and learn what to say to the guys to get them to buy in to the things that I was saying. When I was a guy on the team, guys could look up to me to compete well for the team, now guys look for me to lead and show them how to get the most out of themselves on the mat and in the classroom.
 
The transition was tough for me at first last year. When you're a wrestler trying to be the best you can be, you have to be somewhat selfish by focusing more on yourself than your teammates.  It's been a learning process, and I am still learning, but I really learned that to be a successful leader and coach, a person must put others first in whatever they do. That is the best way to get the most out of the people your trying to coach and will get the most success out of the team.
 
Q: What you hope to accomplish by being a coach?
 
A: If you had asked me this last year when I began coaching, my answer would be different than my answer now. Last year, my motivation to coach was to be able to be involved in the sport I loved. Although that is still one of my motivations, my goal in coaching is for me to make as big of impact on the wrestlers' lives as my coaches have made on me while I was wrestling. On the competition side of things, my goals are to continue helping to make Wabash wrestling into a national powerhouse that produces athletes that are national champions on the mat, and scholar All-Americans in the classroom.
 
Q: How Wabash has prepared you for this position
 
A: Wabash College's mission is "WABASH COLLEGE EDUCATES MEN TO THINK CRITICALLY, ACT RESPONSIBLY LEAD EFFECTIVELY, AND LIVE HUMANELY". I think that mission perfectly describes what is needed to be a great leader and coach. Our coaching staff is constantly thinking of new and different things that we could do to better our program and create awesome experiences for our wrestlers. Wabash has taught me how to deal with pressure, be a great leader, and look at things from multiple perspectives.  Wabash College does things to an extremely high level, and I'm doing my best to do that as a wrestling coach.  I'm also in an online graduate program at Concordia University – Irvine studying Coaching and Athletic Administration. Although the program is very time consuming, the Wabash College education has helped me excel in my assignments and discussions.