Wrestling
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- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- psole@liberty.edu
Pat Sole is in his third year as a member of the Flames wrestling coaching staff and serves as an assistant coach.
Sole played an instrumental role in helping reestablish Liberty’s wrestling program following a 12-year hiatus. During its first season back on the mats since 1994, Sole helped guide four wrestlers to the NCAA National Wrestling Championship and Liberty to a team championship at the NCAA East Regional.
Last year, Sole helped ensure that Liberty’s return campaign to the wrestling mats was not a fluke, as he assisted in guiding the Flames to their second straight NCAA East Regional title.
The veteran high school coach’s Parkersburg South connection played a vital role in the successful season, as Chris Daggett (184 pounds), Aaron Kelley (174 pounds) and Chad Porter (165 pounds) all came out of Sole’s high school program to earn berths into the NCAA National Wrestling Championship.
Sole, a 1983 Liberty University graduate, returned to his alma mater after 18 years as a wrestling coach at Parkersburg South High School in Parkersburg, W.Va. A graduate of the prep school, Sole helped guided his alma mater to 10 state championships and three state championship runner-ups.
He also had five nationally-ranked teams. Individually, he coached seven high school All-Americans. Eleven wrestlers from his program went to participate in NCAA Division I programs and two wrestled at NAIA programs.
As a competitor, Sole was a high school All-American at Parkersburg South capturing the state title twice and finishing as the runner-up once. He was the 1978 Junior World Champion and a member of the 1978 United States Junior team, while placing four times nationally in Freestyle and Greco wrestling.
Under head coach Bob Bonheim at Liberty, Sole was a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA ) All-American, a 1980 Olympic Trials regional champion and a 1980 Olympic National Trials final place winner, qualifying him as an alternate for the 1980 Olympic team.
Sole finished his career with a 50-29 record, earning him a spot amongst Liberty’s wrestling elite on the Eagle Medal honorable-mention club (wrestlers with 45 or more career wins).
He also served as the Flames team captain in his junior and senior seasons. Sole and his wife Vickie have two sons, Dustin and Cody.
