Head Coach Matt Burlingame

Position: Head Wrestling Coach
Alma Mater: Virginia Tech
Date of Hire: September 2006
Years Coaching: 13

Matt Burlingame enters his second year as the head coach of the Manchester College wrestling program. He spent the 2006-07 year as the assistant wrestling coach at Manchester and helped coach the Spartans to a 3rd place finish at the Midwest Regional.  Additionally, two of his wrestlers qualified for the DIII National Championship and one became Manchester 's 22 All-American.  Matt has twelve years of coaching experience as well as a Division I wrestling background.  

Prior to joining the Manchester program, Matt coached high school in Kansas, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.  In his coaching career, he has coached 5 individual state champions, 7 state place winners, and numerous state qualifiers.  He has also help coach these teams to league and regional championships, and two top ten finishes in the state tournament.

Matt graduated from Virginia Tech in 1995 with a B.S. in Fisheries Science.  While at Virginia Tech, Matt was a four year starter and 3 year co-captain for the Hokies’ wrestling program.  During his tenure, Matt was a Virginia Intercollegiate League State Champion and 3-time place winner, a 4-time Colonial Athletic Conference place winner, and graduated 10th on the Hokies’ all-time win list.

Following graduation from Virginia Tech, Matt received a M.S. in Biology from Kansas State.  Matt and his wife, Julie, and their three children Emma, Elijah, and Isaiah reside in Fort Wayne.

Name: Byron Sweet
Position: Assistant Wrestling Coach
Alma Mater: Manchester College
Date of Hire: September 2008
Years Coaching: 1

Byron Sweet was a three-year wrestler for the Manchester College wrestling program, compiling a 56-51 record in that span. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in communications and a minor in coaching. Along with his wrestling duties, Sweet serves as the voice for Manchester College athletics on 89.5 FM, WBKE and enjoys broadcasting local high school sports for county radio stations. He is a native of West Lafayette, Indiana.