The accomplishments and contributions of Jesse Castro, currently the head wrestling coach at Liberty University, to wrestling leaves one breathless. He has wrestled and coached for more than 40 years at just about every level, with spectacular success.

His story begins at Liberty, where the Christian message and coach Bob Bonheim persuaded him to move from Santa Clara, California, to Lynchburg, Virginia.

It was a great recruiting call for the fledgling program as Castro became the first 100-win wrestler for the Flames (101-20-2 at 142 pounds), a four-time National Christian Collegiate Association national champion, and an NAIA All-American with a fourth-place finish.

After receiving his degree in physical education in 1981, Castro traveled around the world with Athletes In Action, winning the Caracas Cup tournament in Venezuela, before returning to Liberty as a graduate assistant coach for Bonheim and then for Don Shuler.

When it came time for Jesse to take over a program, he chose Norwich University, an NCAA Division II team in Vermont. He swiftly converted the mediocre Cadets into winners, including an 11th place national finish while coaching nine All-Americans, including a national champion and a national finalist.

After nine years at Norwich, Castro became head coach at Kingsway High School in Woolwich, New Jersey. In eight seasons, the Dragons were 128-32, with four district and five conference championships, topped off by a dual-meet state championship. He also launched the career of state champ Brandon Becker, who went on to become a two-time NCAA Division I All-American for Indiana University.

Liberty called upon him in 2005 to return to return to his alma mater, now competing at the NCAA Division I level.

Castro exceeded all expectations, quickly establishing Liberty as one of Virginia's top DI programs.

From 2006-11, his teams won five East Region championships and qualified 24 wrestlers for the NCAA DI Championships.

Castro and his program faced adversity from Title IX and Liberty was reclassified to the National Collegiate Wrestling Association.

Undismayed, Castro continued to produce dominant teams, including the Grand National Tournament team title in 2015.

As he looks back on his career, Castro can take satisfaction in a steady stream of recognition, including many Coach of the Year honors at the high school and college level. He is a member of the Liberty and Norwich Halls of Fame.

Currently a doctoral candidate at Liberty, Castro has been married to Elizabeth for 27 years; they have three daughters, Sarah (age 22), Rachel (20), and Hannah (19), along with a son, Jesse (8).