Email Head Coach Dave Novickis david.novickis@lawrence.edu
Dave Novickis is the driving force behind the excellence of the Lawrence University wrestling program.
With 11 seasons as the Vikings' head coach under his belt, Novickis has taken the program to new heights. The Vikings have gone from a solid team in the Midwest to a national power during Novickis' tenure.
The Vikings had their first national champion in 2001-02 when Andy Kazik won the NCAA Division III title at 184 pounds. In 2000-01 Lawrence finished tenth at the NCAA Division III Championships, the highest finish ever by the Vikings. In addition, Lawrence had two All-Americans in one season for the first team and Ross Mueller became Lawrence's first two-time All-American. Lawrence has now sent wrestlers to the NCAA meet for nine of the last ten seasons.
The Vikings, ranked nationally for the first time in the 1998-99 season, are now a constant in the polls and were as high as ninth in the 2000-01 season.
Novickis, who has a dual match record of 68-60, has spent most of his life in the Fox Valley. Born in Chicago, Novickis grew up in Pulaski. A standout in wrestling and track, he was the first qualifier for the WISAA State Wrestling Tournament from Sacred Heart Seminary in Oneida.
A 1978 graduate of Appleton East High School where he starred in football, Novickis wasted little time starting his coaching career. His first coaching job came with the wrestling team at Shiocton High School in 1979, and he later coached wrestling at Hortonville High School.
Novickis came to the Lawrence wrestling program as an assistant to Ron Roberts in 1990. Since taking over as head coach in 1993, Novickis has been named District 9 Coach of the Year three times and was 1998 Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year.
Novickis is the branch manager of McJunkin Corporation and lives in Appleton. He and his wife, Dawn, have two daughters, Tammy and Brittney.