Joliet Junior College Athletics has announced the hiring of Josh McCarty as the new head coach of the Wolves Men's and Women's Wrestling programs.

"I am very excited to welcome Josh to the Wolves family," said JJC Director of Athletics Gregg Braun. "Josh's experience not only as a head coach, but also as a former IHSA state champion and wrestler at the NJCAA and NCAA levels helped him stand out to us as the next head coach of the Wolves wrestling program. Josh has done the same journey that our student-athletes will move forward with in their careers. He knows what it takes to become an excellent wrestler from the NJCAA all the way to the NCAA. Josh also proved that success in the classroom as he paved his path to success and that will carry over to his student-athletes as well during their journey at JJC. Josh has a passion for this sport — that was proven during this process, and I am so excited to watch him build our men and women's programs here at JJC."

McCarty began his wrestling career at Byron High School where he won the IHSA State Championship at 125 pounds in 1995 and was part of the Dual State Championship team. He finished runner-up in 1996. After high school. he continued wrestling at Lincoln Junior College where he earned his associates degree before transferring to North Central College. While there he won a CCIW Conference championship and the Great Lakes Regional Championship. He also qualified for the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Tournament in 2002.

After earning his bachelor's degree from North Central College, McCarty began teaching physical education and coaching wrestling, roles he has held for 24 years at multiple different high schools with 21 years as a head wrestling coach. His teams have won two I-8 Conference Championships, two IHSA Regional Championships and a fourth-place finish at the IHSA Dual State Championship in 2012.

Currently, he teaches driver's education and weight training at Sandwich High School.

McCarty is a strong believer in the importance of junior college athletics. He believes that he learned important life lessons that helped him grow personally and academically as a JUCO student-athlete. He is thankful for his college experience and how it has helped him develop a successful career as a teacher and motivated him to strive for continued success educationally. McCarty's highest level of education is a Master's degree which he earned from North Central College.

 "I am looking forward to joining the team here at Joliet Junior College," said McCarty. "Gregg and the rest of the athletics department have a great dynamic established to promote growth for student-athletes at JJC. I want to be a valuable component of the athletic department while building a strong tradition for both the men's and women's wrestling teams. There is a great foundation of wrestling here at JJC to build on and that's what I plan on doing."