Jon Laudenslager enters his 23rd season at the helm of the Wilkes University wrestling program in 2025-26. During his tenure as head coach, Laudenslager has led Wilkes to a dual match record of 304-151-5 (.668), including 18 winning seasons, and has posted at least 13 wins 13 times. Laudenslager was promoted to Director of Wrestling in August 2024 after Wilkes announced the start of the women's wrestling program starting in 2025-26.
Prior to appointment as head coach for the 2003-04 season, Laudenslager served as an assistant coach for the Colonels for three years.
Laudenslager coached his first-ever NCAA Division III National Champion in freshman Matthew Grossmann (133) in 2014-15. Grossmann became the Colonels 11th champion and the first Wilkes wrestler to capture a national title since 1975, earning several Freshman of the Year honors in the process.
During the 2021-22 season the Wilkes program became just the 11th program to reach 900 wins in collegiate wrestling. Wilkes joined 10 other wrestling powerhouse programs to reach at least 900 wins and were only the second Division III institution to do so. The Colonels joined Oklahoma State University, Iowa State University, Springfield College, Oregon State University, University of Iowa, University of Minnesota, Penn State University, Lehigh University, U.S. Naval Academy, and Oklahoma University in the elite club.
Also in 2021-22 the Colonels sent two grapplers to the NCAA Championships as Colton Babcock and Austin Fashouer eached placed runner-up at the NCAA Southeast Regional. Fashouer was named to the All-Freshman Team by d3wrestle.com and Babcock, Jack Bauer, Cameron Butka, and Christopher Nuss earned NWCA Division III Scholar All-American status.
Under Laudenslager's guidance, the Colonels have become a consistent force in Division III, ranking as high as 5th nationally during the 2013-14 season. Wilkes finished 18-3 capturing the program's first-ever East Regional championship while sending six wrestlers to NCAA's including All-American Mark Hartenstine (4th/149).
2024-25 saw Cameron Butka (197) repeat as an All-American and finish his career as an NCAA Finalist, taking the program record for wins in the process. He was joined by Caleb Burkhardt (285) at the championships. The team finished third out of 19 teams at the NCAA Region 2 Qualifier, with seven wrestlers finishing in the top-eight of their weight classes and Butka repeating as regional champion. Butka and Christopher Nuss were both recognised as NWCA Division III Scholar All-Americans that year.
The 2023-24 campaign saw Cameron Butka (197) become the program's first All-American since 2015, finishing fourth at the NCAA Championship. Butka was one of three Colonels that competed at the championships, joined by Jaryn Hartranft (157) and Caleb Burkhart (285). The team placed eighth out of 22 teams at the NCAA Southeast Regional, with five wrestlers placing in the top eight of their respective weight class and Butka being named the regional champion at 197 pounds. Butka and Jack Bauer were also named NWCA Division III Scholar All-Americans for the second consecutive year.
The 2022-23 team saw Cameron Butla earn First Team All-MAC honors as the 197-pound champion. The team placed fifth of 21 teams at the 2023 NCAA Southeast Regional with eight of the 10 grapplers placing within the top eight of their respective weight class. Butka, Jack Bauer, and Hunter Lowe were named NWCA Division III Scholar All-Americans.
Laudenslager saw an incredible 15-year string of sending at least one grappler to the NCAA Tournament end in 2019-20 with a young team that posted an 11-10 overall record while Max Shaffer was named to the NWCA Division III Scholar All-American Team.
Laudenslager's 2018-19 team posted a 20-4 record to become the third team under his guidance to reach the 20-win plateau. Thomas Stokes and Nicholas Racanelli earned Wilkes its first individual Regional Championships since the 2015 season at the 2019 NCAA Division III Southeast Regional. The team also had six grapplers selected as NWCA Division III Scholar All-Americans.
In 2012-13, the Colonels set a school record with 19-straight dual match wins breaking the previous mark of 18 set in 1979-80. Wilkes finished 19-3 sending four wrestlers to NCAA's including its second straight National Runner-Up Kris Krawchuk.
With six Metropolitan Conference place-winners, including two-time conference champion and National Runner-Up (two-time All-American) Anthony Dattolo, Laudenslager led Wilkes to a 19-4 record in 2011-12, the fifth straight year with at least 15 victories.
Climbing as high as 15th nationally during the 2009-10 season, the Colonels finished the year with a school record 22 wins and a second place Metropolitan Conference finish. Wilkes boasted seven place-winners, with Frank Heffernan and Zach Pizarro taking home individual titles, while Pizarro earned All-American status.
On January 30 of that season, Laudenslager earned his 100th career dual victory, the second to ever achieve the feat at Wilkes after legendary coach John Reese (514 career wins).
In 2008-09, Laudenslager guided the Colonels to a 17-6-2 record, winning the Metropolitan team championship. The Colonels placed seven wrestlers into the conference tournament finals, with 133 Josh Pauling, 149 Erik Smith and 197 Zach Pizarro claiming titles. The Colonels ranked as high as 12th in the NWCA polls that season, and qualified five wrestlers to the national tournament in Iowa.
Laudenslager became a member of the NWCA National Ranking Committee in 2012 and from 2020-2023 served as the Chair of the Committee. Currently, he serves as a member of the NWCA Leadership Group - Division 3, a role he began in 2022. In the summer of 2010, Laudenslager was selected by the NWCA as a mentor for the 2010 Leadership Academy. He also served on the Division III NCAA Committee from 2006-2010.
Laudenslager is a former standout wrestler for the Colonels, earning four varsity letters from 1994 to 1998 while wrestling at the Division I level. He broke onto the scene as a rookie when he fashioned an overall record of 24-7 while wrestling at both 126 and 134 pounds. Laudenslager finished fifth at the EIWA Championships and earned EIWA Rookie of the Year honors. His performance helped Wilkes fashion a dual match record of 14-10-1 and cop a tenth place finish at the EIWA Championships. He also ended his freshman season with a team-leading nine wins by fall.
As a junior Laudenslager concluded the season with an overall record of 17-10 at 134 pounds. He posted six wins by fall and came close to knocking off EIWA champion Carl Keske from Cornell University, dropping a hard-fought 11-9 decision. He also earned a second-place finish at the West Point Open, while claiming the team's Shawn Galbreath Academic Coaches Award.
Laudenslager wrestled primarily at 158 pounds during his senior season and fashioned an overall record of 11-5. For his efforts he was named the winner of the Timmy Adams Most Courageous Performer Award.
Laudenslager was a standout on the mats during his high school days at Pocono Mountain. During his career, he posted an overall record of 117-15-1.
A graduate of Wilkes in 1999 with a degree in Psychology, Laudenslager is only the seventh head coach in the long and storied history of the Colonels wrestling program.
Laudenslager lives in Kingston with his wife Tasha and their children, Kylee, Alissa and Chase.
