Brent Metcalf - Assistant Coach - Staff Directory - Iowa State University Athletics

Staff Directory

Brent Metcalf

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
Phone:
515-294-6532

Brent Metcalf is entering his eighth season as a full-time assistant coach on Iowa State’s wrestling staff. It is his ninth season overall with the Cyclones after serving as the volunteer assistant for the 2017-18 season.

Metcalf has helped head coach Kevin Dresser rebuild the Cyclone wrestling program from the ground up since his arrival in 2017. His efforts have seen Iowa State climb on the national stage, highlighted by a 2024 Big 12 title and fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, ISU’s best since 2010.

The ISU coaching staff inherited a program that scored one point and finished tied for 57th at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Since then, Iowa State has finished T-45th, 16th, T-13th, 17th, 11^th, 4^th and T-27 at the national tournament.

After a consistent upward trend, Iowa State suffered a setback in 2024-25 due to a wave of bad injury luck which saw four Cyclone starters, including three returning All-Americans, suffer season-ending injuries.

Iowa State had no conference champions in 2017 and failed to have a wrestler reach All-American status. Since then, St. John has helped develop 11 Big 12 Champions and 14 NCAA All-Americans and coached David Carr to four conference titles and two national titles.

Metcalf served as the National Freestyle Developmental Coach prior to his arrival in Ames.

Metcalf joined the USA Wrestling coaching staff in November of 2016. His coaching duties included coaching the age-group men’s freestyle World Teams, directing the freestyle resident athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and serving as an assistant coach on the Senior national team.

As a senior-level athlete, Metcalf was a staple in the United States’ lineup from 2010-2016. He was a part of four U.S. Freestyle World Teams (2010, 2013, 2014, 2015). He won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Canada and claimed World Cup gold medals in 2014 and 2015 in Los Angeles. Other major international events he won included the 2014 UWW Golden Grand Prix Finals in Azerbaijan and a silver medal at the 2013 Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Russia.

Metcalf qualified for the U.S. Freestyle National Team for six straight years from 2010-16, winning U.S. Open titles in 2014 and 2015. He was also a member of the 2006 Junior World Team.

Metcalf is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Iowa wrestling history. He won two NCAA titles (2008, 2010) and was three-time NCAA finalist (2008-10) in his three seasons wrestling for the Hawkeyes.

A native of Davison, Mich., Metcalf won the 2008 Dan Hodge trophy, given annually to the nation’s best collegiate wrestler, and helped the Hawkeyes to three NCAA team titles (2008, 2009, 2010).

He was inducted to the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in September 2023.

Metcalf was one of the most highly touted prep wrestlers. While wrestling for Davison High School, he posted a record of 228-0 with 156 victories by fall. He was one of the best athletes to wrestle in USA Wrestling’s age-group program, winning six ASICS Junior National Titles, three each in freestyle and Greco-Roman.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Iowa in 2010.