CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Ian Parker, an All-American wrestler and four-time NCAA qualifier, has joined the Virginia wrestling program as an assistant coach it was announced by head coach Steve Garland on Tuesday (August 8).

“I’ve been really blessed to have great coaches throughout my tenure here at the University of Virginia and I think we just landed another great one,” Garland said. “Ian fits perfectly within our program. Not only is he a phenomenal wrestler and coach, he is a great person and husband as well. He is going to be a great example for our student-athletes and a huge asset to our program.”

“I am beyond grateful for the opportunity Coach Garland and the University of Virginia has given me to serve and lead such a great group of young men – both on and off the wrestling mat,” Parker said. “I cannot wait to get to work furthering our student-athlete’s development individually and the Cavalier wrestling team as a whole.”

Prior to joining the Cavaliers, Parker served as assistant head coach at Army for the 2022-23 season. Last season he helped coach three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships after Army took a sixth-place finish in the EIWA Championships.

As a collegian, Parker had a decorated career at Iowa State competing at 141 pounds. He was a four-time NCAA qualifier (2019-22) becoming the 47th wrestler in program history to be a four-time qualifier. He was a Big 12 Champion in 2020 on his way to earning NCAA All-American First Team honors. He was a Big 12 141-pound runner-up in 2021 and finished fifth at the conference championship in 2022. Parker finished with a 93-30 record in his time wrestling for the Cyclones.

Parker, who was an NWCA Scholar All-American in 2020 and earned Second Team Academic All-Big 12 accolades in 2022, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies.