Caleb Schaeffer  Hometown:  Columbia Falls, MT  College:  Montana State-Northern  Years at UGF:  6th (3rd as Head Coach)  Email:  cschaeffer01@ugf.edu Wrestling Head Coach

Caleb Schaeffer enters his third year as the head coach of the Argonaut wrestling program. Since taking over the reigns of the program, following the resignation of Eric Van Kley, Schaeffer has continued the tradition of excellence that Argo wrestling fans have grown accustomed to. In his first two seasons, Schaeffer has led his team to one first place (2008) and one runner-up (2009) finish at the western regional tournament, as well as national finishes of 4th (2008) and 12th (2009).     Schaeffer is no stranger to NAIA wrestling as he was a four-time All-American at Montana State University- Northern. S chaeffer’s impressive collegiate career included individual finishes of 4th, 5th, and 5th in his first three years before culminating in a National Championship during his senior year. Schaeffer’s individual performance at nationals that year was a catalyst for the Lights as they took home the team title as well. He still holds Lights’ records for most wins (165) and most pins (85) in MSU-Northern history.     Schaeffer was a standout in the classroom as well, twice earning NAIA All-American Scholar Athlete Awards. He was also the recipient of the Student Excellence Award, the most prestigious award given to a student at MSU-Northern. He continues to lead by example in the classroom at UGF as he is working on his Master’s Degree.

UGF Coaching Record   Season     Wins      Losses       Region National Rank All-Americans   2007-2008    14   4   1st Place  4th  8   2008-2009    13    5    2nd Place   12th  4   2009-2010                   Career   27   9        12

Nick Budeski  Hometown:  Great Falls, MT  College:  University of Great Falls  Years at UGF:  3rd  Email:  nbudeski01@ugf.edu Wrestling Assistant Coach

Nick Budeski will be entering his third year as an assistant coach with the Argos wrestling program after competing for the Argos for two seasons as a student-athlete. Budeski was a two-time State Champion for the Rustlers of C.M. Russell High School as well as being a two-time runner-up.     Prior to transferring to UGF, Budeski attended Boise State University to pursue a career in Education and continue wrestling, starting for the Broncos for one season.  After a year off due to injury, Budeski decided to come back to Great Falls and wrestle for the Argos.  In 2005-2006, Budeski won the Northern Regional Championship.  In 2006-2007, he claimed 3rd place at the NAIA Regional Wrestling Tournament in Ashland, Oregon. At the NAIA National Tournament that year, he took 7th place and was one of six Argo All-Americans.  He helped the wrestling team finish with a 13-4 dual record as a senior.

Ryan Smith  Hometown:  Arlee, MT  College:  University of Great Falls  Years at UGF:  2nd  Email:  rsmith01@ugf.edu Wrestling Assistant Coach

Ryan Smith will be entering his second year as an assistant coach with the Argos wrestling program after a stellar four-year career on the mats.  He is originally from Arlee, MT where he competed in football, wrestling, and track.  Smith also was part of the Missoula Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling club.   Smith came to University of Great Falls to pursue a degree in Business Administration and a career in wrestling.  He competed on the starting team for four years and is a three-time All-American and a two-time Academic All-American.  Smith is also a member of Montana Officials Association (MOA) for wrestling.

 

John Muri  Hometown:    College:  University of Great Falls  Years at UGF:  1st  Email:  jmuri01@ugf.edu Wrestling Assistant Coach