NDSU hires new head coach for Bison wrestling program
Fargo, North Dakota – Matt Larsen, North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) Director of Athletics, announced today that Obenson Blanc has been appointed as the new head coach for the Bison wrestling program. Blanc has been part of the NDSU coaching staff for the past four seasons, including the last two as associate head coach.
Larsen expressed his enthusiasm in retaining Blanc and his family in Fargo, stating that some of the best seasons and recruiting classes in the Division I era have occurred during Blanc’s time at NDSU. He is confident that Blanc’s leadership, along with the returning wrestlers and incoming recruits, will maintain the program’s momentum.
Throughout his tenure at NDSU, Blanc has been involved in all aspects of the Bison wrestling program, coaching two All-Americans and three Big 12 Conference champions. He has also mentored 19 NWCA Scholar All-Americans during his four seasons in Fargo.
Blanc expressed gratitude for the opportunity provided by Larsen, Jack Maughan, and the administration, and is eager to contribute further to a program with such a strong history and presence in the wrestling community.
Before joining the NDSU team, Blanc served as an assistant coach at North Carolina State for five years, where he guided two NCAA champions, 10 All-Americans, and 10 ACC champions, as well as 18 NWCA Scholar All-Americans. He played a significant role in the Wolfpack’s rapid rise in the wrestling world. North Carolina State secured fourth place at the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships and won ACC Championship titles in 2016 and 2019.
Additionally, Blanc was the head coach of the Wolfpack Wrestling Club from 2017 to 2019. Under his leadership, the WWC achieved a second-place finish at the 2018 U.S. Open, and all club members qualified for the World Team Trials Challenge. Blanc assisted in the development of five world team members and two senior freestyle national team members.
Following a successful freestyle wrestling career that saw him make five consecutive U.S. national teams from 2009 to 2013, Blanc began coaching. He achieved notable success, becoming a three-time Pan-American finalist, a two-time U.S. Open and U.S. World Team Trials champion in 2010 and 2013, and an alternate for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Blanc earned his bachelor’s degree in sports administration from Lock Haven in 2008 and his master’s degree in international business from Oklahoma State in 2010. He and his wife, Kristi, have two daughters, Elliana and Zoa, and are expecting their third child in August.