Ray Baldwin
Aug 24 10:00-12:00 and 1:00-3:00

Ray Baldwin is a former Virginia AAA state champion from Indian River High School. Ray wrestled for Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania in the early 1990's. During his collegeiate career Ray was a 2x NCAA East regional champion, a 2x NCAA division I qualifier, and a PSAC champion. He later coached Maury high school to an Eastern district wrestling title. Ray also worked with current St. Christopher's head wrestling coach Frank Kiefer at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta. After, spending some years on sabbatical, Ray returned to coaching last year with Western Branch high school.

Sergei Kitaev
May 17 3:00-5:00 and 6:00-8:00
May 18 10:00-12:00 and 1:00-3:00

Sergei has been successful coaching champion wrestlers in Folkstyle, Freestyle, and Greco-Roman wrestling styles. His high expectations and his strong ability to observe, analyze, and instruct has helped him to produce elite wrestlers at all levels including Olympic competition. Sergei Kitaev received his undergraduate degree from the Institute of Physical Education of Belarus and a Masters degree in Sport Education from the Moscow Supreme School for Olympic Coaches. Sergei's wrestling accomplishments also include gold medals in the prestigious Medved Cup held in Moscow, Russia, and the Grand Prix held in West Germany. Sergei was awarded the the title of 'Master of Sport in the International Class' by the USSR Government. Now every year a highly competitive and prestigious tournament is held in his honor in Minsk, Belarus his home town.

Mike Newbern
April 27 1:00-3:00

Mike Newbern has an extensive track record of success in the sport of wrestling. Coach Newbern was a 2X State Champion for Cox high school and in 1975 he was a National Prep Champion for Blair Academy in New Jersey. He then wrestled for Lehigh University and was also a member of their Division II National Championship football team. During the course of his career, Newbern was also a 7X AAU National Champion.

In 1987 Coach Newbern's Norfolk Catholic team won the State Independent School's title which earned Coach Newbern a coach of the year award for the TCIS conference. Coach Newbern was also coach of the year for the TCIS in 1985 and 1986. Coach Newbern picked up more honors in 1997 when he was named National AAU Wrestling Person of the Year and received an honorable mention for National High School Coach of the Year from USA Wrestling Magazine. In 1999 Coach Newbern received the National AAU's President's Award for Leadership and he was also Virginia AAU volunteer of the year. In 2002 he was Tidewater coach of the year and again was the Virginia AAU volunteer of the year in 2003. In 2005 Coach Newbern was awarded the National Prep Tournament Neil Buckley Lifetime Service Award.

Mark Strickland
September 21 1:00-2:30 and from 3:00-4:30

Mark Strickland's Bio from virginiaduals.org:

Mark Strickland is no stranger to success, and while that phrase might come across as cliche, everywhere Strickland has been, he's been a winner. A two-time high school state champion at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Strickland was known for his dominant wrestling skill-set, earning him the nickname "The Terminator" for the number of falls he racked up in high school. Finishing his senior year ranked third in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News, Strickland then went to college, and as a freshman at Garden City Community College in Kansas, went undefeated winning the NJCAA National Championship. That parlayed him into a chance to wrestle at Oklahoma State under John Smith. Strickland was a letterman for the Cowboys before returning home to Virginia, wrestling his final year of eligibility under two-time Olympian Gray Simons at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. At Old Dominion, Strickland was the CAA Outstanding Wrestler, the ODU Athlete of the Year and finished in the top 12 at the NCAA Division I tournament.

Strickland returned to his alma mater, Great Bridge, and was the head assistant for three seasons --and in all three, the nationally-ranked Wildcats won state championships each year. Strickland then moved south to New Orleans where he coached Jesuit High School to three high school state championships, earning him Wrestling USA Magazine's 2004 National Coach of the Year. BRUTE also named Strickland the Most Outstanding Coach, a national award, in 2004.

He was also the 2005 National Wrestling Coaches Association Southern Region Coach of the Year. W.I.N. Magazine also recognized Strickland's Jesuit program as the second-most improved program in the nation in 2005.

As a coach, he's guided 46 wrestlers to state titles in both Virginia and Louisiana. Currently, Strickland is in his first year as the head coach at Poquoson High School.

Strickland made a run at the 2000 Olympics, placing third at the Southeast Regional Olympic Trials and was the 2001 Outstanding Wrestler for the Southeast Regional Freestyle Open. He's been in the Top 10 at the U.S. Nationals and is excited to help guide another group of promising wrestlers to state, regional and national championships.