USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, has named Katie Kriebel of Colorado Springs, Colo. to the new position of Manager of Athlete Career Transition & Women’s Inclusion. She will work in USA Wrestling’s National Teams Department. 

Kriebel has served as USA Wrestling’s Assistant National Women’s Coach since April 2022, working with National Women’s Coach Terry Steiner and National Women’s Development Coach Jessica Medina as part of USA Wrestling’s professional coaching staff. 

In her new role, Kriebel will serve as the National Team athletes’ liaison on all matters pertaining to athlete career transition and professional growth and will also support the growth and sustainability of collegiate women’s wrestling at the NCAA Div. I level. 

“It took me a week into wrestling in 1994 before I was hooked for life. As an athlete, all I wanted to do was wrestle and to be involved throughout my life. I was able to get into coaching, and it was an amazing journey being a coach,” said Kriebel. 

“I am excited about this new position with USA Wrestling. I have had some strengths that I have had to fit into my coaching role which may not have been fully implemented. I will be able to utilize my strengths and make my biggest impact in this new position. There have been athlete needs that have been part of a number of jobs here. USA Wrestling is making it a specific job to meet those needs. I am excited to be a point person with those on the ground in the NCAA wrestling community. I am also excited to be a point person with our athletes and the resources available to them, to work with them as whole human beings as they transition out of their competitive career and into whatever is next for them,” said Kriebel. 

Kriebel has played a huge role in the success of the U.S. women’s wrestling program since coming to USA Wrestling in a coaching role. She worked directly with elite U.S. Senior athletes, as well as with U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center resident athletes. 

The United States women had a historic performance at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France with a record four medalists, including Olympic gold medals from Sarah Hildebrandt and Amit Elor. Kriebel served as coach for the 2024 U.S. U23 World Team, which won the U23 World Team title for the first time, claimng five medals including U23 World champions Sage Mortimer, Kylie Welker and Yelena Makoyed. 

“What an exciting time for USA Wrestling, our National Teams, the growth of women’s wrestling and specifically Katie Kriebel. This newly created position provides an additional level of support that we have intentionally targeted as a need for our National Team athletes and they in turn have been asking for.  In addition, with the recent announcement of women now having an NCAA-sponsored championship. It’s a perfect storm of an exciting time that lies ahead for many in our sport,” said Cody Bickley, USA Wrestling’s Director of National Team High Performance. 

“I have been fortunate to work alongside Katie and I have come to fully understand her passion for helping others and more specifically our athletes.  She will bring a level of dedication, passion, and meticulous detailing to this position that I’m extremely excited for others to feel and witness. She will work tirelessly for the athletes in helping guide them now as well as beyond the sport of wrestling.  In addition, Katie has some very strong relationships with many constituent groups working to build women’s wrestling today.  She will be a champion for many,” said Bickley. 

Kriebel will collaborate with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee to help provide and educate USA Wrestling National Team athletes with the resources and tools available to them in a variety of areas. She will also manage USA Wrestling budgeted resources available to National Team athletes in regards to professional growth opportunities. 

She will serve as the point person for USA Wrestling and partner organization D1 Women’s Wrestling in guiding women’s freestyle club programs at the NCAA Div. I level. She will aid NCAA women’s wrestling club leaders and athletes as they develop and expand their programs. Kriebel will also collaborate with Regional Training Center coaches to help strengthen training and development opportunities. 

Kriebel, who competed under her maiden name Downing, won World bronze medals for Team USA in 2005 and 2007. She was a five-time World Team Trials champion and three-time U.S. Open champion. Kriebel added a Junior World silver medal in 1999. She was a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center resident athlete in Colorado Springs, Colo., from 2003-09, where she will return to coach with USA Wrestling. 

Kriebel attended the University of Minnesota-Morris, which was the first college to sponsor a varsity women’s wrestling program and had the top athletic achievements for the UM-Morris team. She competed during the era before there were college women’s national tournaments, earning medals on the USA Wrestling senior circuit as well at the international level. She received the Willis Kelley UMM Outstanding Female Athlete Award in 2002, and also was given a Women’s Academic Honor Award, also in 2002. She competed in high school for her boys team. Kriebel was elected to the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010. 

Prior to joining USA Wrestling, she had extensive coaching experience at a number of levels. She served as an assistant coach at Pendleton Heights High School in Indiana from 2013-2022, first coaching the boys team, then a co-ed team and their growing girls team. She is the founder and head coach of Krieb’s Club for freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling in Indiana. 

She served as an assistant coach for the women’s wrestling team at Oklahoma City University from 2011-12. She was an active volunteer coach with USA Wrestling nationally, as well as with the Indiana State Wrestling Association (ISWA), the USA Wrestling state association in Indiana. She coached USA Wrestling’s Senior Pan American team in 2011, and the U.S. team that wrestled in the Klippan Lady Open in Sweden in 2014. Kriebel also coached Team Indiana for the Junior/16U National Duals in 2021. 

“I want to be able to fuel our athletes in whatever they are best at, in addition to the parts of them that shine on the mat through training and competition. We will fuel their future on and off the mat,” said Kriebel.