NDSU Wrestling Announces Addition of Purinton to Coaching Staff

FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State wrestling head coach Obenson Blanc announced the addition of Collin Purinton to the Bison coaching staff as an assistant coach on Thursday, July 10.
 
Purinton, a former NCAA All-American at Nebraska, comes to Fargo after two seasons coaching at the University of Sioux Falls.
 
“Collin is a great addition to our staff,” said Blanc. “He is a young coach who is very excited to continue to grow and help people develop on and off the wrestling mat. His coaching philosophy is right on par with our culture and goals.”
 
Working under the direction of Matt Meuleners in Sioux Falls to start the wrestling program at USF, Purinton helped develop the program’s first NCAA Qualifier in program history in the first season, with Beau Klingensmith qualifying as the No. 10 seed at 133 pounds.
 
“I’m extremely thankful for this opportunity to be a part of the North Dakota State wrestling program,” said Purinton. “From our first conversation, I could tell that Coach Blanc and I had similar values, philosophy, and goals. I can’t wait to get in the wrestling room and work with the team.”
 
In his second season at Sioux Falls, Purinton also helped the program to triple its dual win total in 2024-25 (6) and had seven student-athletes named as NWCA Academic All-Americans.
 
“Collin had the opportunity to help start a brand-new program at Sioux Falls, thus we understand how hard working he is,” said Blanc. “His athletic career is filled with a lot of success, and I cannot wait to have him help our guys achieve great things.”
 
Prior to his time at Sioux Falls, Purinton spent three seasons coaching at the high school level while also training at the Nebraska Wrestling Training Center in Lincoln. His senior career was highlighted with a third-place finish in the US Open Wrestling Championships in 2022, followed by a sixth-place finish in 2023.
 
Before his senior career, Purinton was an All-American student-athlete at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He ended his career as an NCAA Qualifier and All-American along with an overall record of 52-35 while being named to the Big Ten All-Academic team. Purinton was also a four-time Nebraska Scholar Athlete for the Huskers.
 
Purinton earned his bachelor’s degree in nutrition, exercise and health science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2020.