Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, (commonly abbreviated as SIUE), is a coeducational, public doctoral/professional university in Edwardsville, Illinois, United States about northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. SIUE was established in 1957 as an extension of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It is the younger of the two major institutions of Southern Illinois University system, and as of 2018, has the largest enrollment within the system. The University offers graduate programs through its Graduate School.
SIU Edwardsville Cougars
Larry Kristoff started the SIUE wrestling program in 1969 with resources similar to those available to soccer coach Bob Guelker, basketball coach Harry Gallatin, and baseball coach Roy Lee--- next to none. He quickly developed one of the dominant Division II programs. In 30 seasons, his teams were consistently top competitors and won back-to-back-to-back NCAA Division II championships in 1984–86 and were runners-up in 1975 and 1987. Kristoff's program was initially unaffected when the university de-emphasized athletics in the mid-1980s, but went into decline after its championship years when the recruiting budget was repeatedly decreased despite the program's success.