Penn State adds Hughes, McMahan to wrestling staff

State College, Pa., Aug. 11, 2003 - Penn State head wrestling coach Troy Sunderland announced today the addition of Nittany Lion NCAA champion John Hughes and Iowa All-American Gabe McMahan to the wrestling program. Hughes will serve as a coaching assistant and McMahan will be a graduate administrative assistant.
    Hughes, a three-time All-American and 1995 NCAA Champion (142) at Penn State, will fill the position left open by the departure of Sammie Henson. Hughes, who earned a bachelor's degree in landscape contracting from Penn State in 2002, has served as the head coach for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club since 2001 working closely both with the Penn State team and community wrestlers during that time. He also has served as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Wrestling Club (2000-2001) and worked as an environmental technician for Groundwater and Environmental Services, Inc.
    "We conducted an extensive search for a candidate to fill our coaching assistant position and found the best man for the job in our own back yard," Sunderland said.
    Hughes ranks among the most successful wrestlers in the long history of Pennsylvania wrestling and the Penn State program. He won four PIAA State Championships at Benton High School, becoming at the time just the seventh wrestler to accomplish the feat in state history. He went on to become one of 17 men to earn All-America honors three or more times at Penn State, reaching the NCAA finals twice during his career. He competed in four NCAA Tournaments helping to Penn State to four top five team finishes, including third place finishes in 1992 and 1994.
    Hughes won a Big Ten Championship in 1995 and ranks seventh all-time at Penn State with 121 wins. He also won a gold medal at the 1994 Pan Am Games and was a 1994 University Freestyle National Champion.
    McMahan joins the program as a graduate administrative assistant. A three-time Alaska state champion, he was a four-year starter for Iowa helping the Hawkeyes to three NCAA titles and one runner-up finish. A four-time NCAA qualifier, he earned All-America honors in 2001 with a sixth place finish at 174 pounds. He posted 92 wins on his career and three, top three finishes at the Big Ten Championships, including reaching the finals on two occasions.
    McMahan earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Iowa in 2001 and a secondary teaching certification from the University of Alaska Fairbanks from Jan. 2002-May 2003. He taught elementary, junior high and high school classes at Slana School in Slana, Alaska from 2002-2003 and was the founder and director of The Alaska Camp, a premiere camp in the state.