Donathan Receives Award From Mad River Wrestling Officials Association

In recognition of the impact he has had on the sport of wrestling in southwest Ohio over the span of more than 30 years, Wittenberg Men’s and Women’s Wrestling Head Coach Wendel Donathan recently received the Friend of Wrestling Award from the Mad River Wrestling Officials Association (MRWOA).

The Friend of Wrestling Award is presented annually to an individual who has contributed to or had a big impact on the sport of wrestling. Donathan, Wittenberg class of 1989, was informed of his nomination early in the new year and was asked to provide them with his “wrestling story.” He was presented the award during a dinner and recognition ceremony on Tuesday, March 3.

“I am honored to be chosen for this award. To be honest, I was quite shocked and grateful for this recognition,” Donathan said. “It really means a lot to even be considered. There are many other people that could have been recognized.”

The most decorated wrestler in Wittenberg history, Donathan is the only Tiger wrestler to exceed 100 career wins en route to an intercollegiate record of 106-28-4. He was Wittenberg's team MVP in each of his four years, team captain for three years, and he placed first, second, and third at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) tournament in his senior, junior, and sophomore years, respectively. He capped his career with OAC Most Outstanding Wrestler honors and All-America honors with a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships at 134 pounds as a senior.

Donathan began coaching wrestling right out of college and served either as an assistant or head coach at Little Miami, Edgewood, Franklin, Lebanon, and Western Brown during a high school coaching career that included more than 200 dual wins. He earned the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association Division II State of Coach of the Year award in 2017, and he is credited with mentoring dozens of individual state qualifiers and placers, many of whom went on to compete in college.

A coach and director for USA Wrestling-Ohio from 1993 to the present, Donathan also coached Cadet Ohio National Teams, earning a runner-up finish in 2007. He was inducted into Wittenberg’s Athletics Hall of Honor in 2008, and he has also been inducted into the Brown County and Western Brown High School halls of fame as well.

Donathan has recently embraced a new challenge  - bringing Wittenberg’s men’s wrestling program back after it was discontinued in 1990 and introducing a new women’s wrestling program at his alma mater. He has been busy recruiting for the new teams that will begin competition at the start of the 2026-27 school year.

“Everything is going well right now,” Donathan said. “We have had over 100 athletes on campus for visits since school started, and we have had some early commits as well. The high school season is about over with, and there are still tons of students scheduled for visits.”

Donathan earned his bachelor's degree in history and a grade 7-12 education certificate from Wittenberg and went on to achieve a comprehensive social studies certificate from the University of Cincinnati in 1991, and his master’s in education from Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan, in 2001. He and his wife, Cindy, have three children in Lauren, Tanner, and Benjamin.

Written By: Cindy Holbrook