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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Former national champion Jordan Leen has been named an assistant coach with the Virginia wrestling team, head coach Steve Garland has announced. Leen was a four-time NCAA qualifier and three-time All-America selection while competing at Cornell. He was an assistant coach at Duke last season and was recruited to Cornell when Garland was a CU assistant.

“I recruited and coached Jordan while I was an assistant coach at Cornell University,” Garland said. “The relationship that started at Cornell has grown and strengthened over the years. I have always been a huge fan of his and when the opportunity arose to add him to our staff, it really was a no brainer. Jordan has a unique combination of talent, intelligence, charisma, mental toughness and drive that few people can match. He was an amazing wrestler at Cornell but most importantly now, I think he is going to be an amazing mentor to our guys. Our program couldn’t be adding a better guy.”

A 2009 graduate of Cornell, Leen was an assistant coach at Duke for the 2010-11 season and worked closely with the middle weights. He recorded a strong career at Cornell, making four straight appearances in the NCAA tournament while wrestling at 149 and 157 pounds. The 2008 national champion at 157 pounds, Leen posted a career record of 118-29 and was a First-Team All-Ivy League selection three times.

Leen went 27-3 during his redshirt junior season (2007-08) en route to winning the national championship at 157 pounds. He also was the team captain for the Big Red team which recorded a ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Leen upset three higher-seeded foes on the road to his championship.

Leen qualified for the NCAA tournament as a true freshman, going 25-16 and taking third place at the EIWA tournament to earn an automatic bid to NCAAs. He also was named the 2005 Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Leen redshirted the 2005-06 season before posting a big season in 2006-07, as he recorded 37 wins and notched All-America honors after taking eighth place at the NCAA Championships.

In his final season with the Big Red (2008-09), Leen won his second EIWA Championship and took third at the NCAA tournament at 157 as he again earned All-America honors. He posted an overall record of 29-3.

Leen worked with ESPN as a commentator during the 2010 NCAA Championships. He was one of three former All-Americans selected to provide analysis during the semifinal bouts.

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