Derek St. John - Wrestling Coach - Iowa State Athletics

Derek St. John

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
dstjhn@iastate.edu

Derek St. John is in his 10th season coaching at Iowa State. He was promoted to Associate Head Coach on April 16, 2026, following nine seasons as an assistant coach.

St. John has been integral in returning Cyclone wrestling to national relevance since his arrive to Ames in 2017 as part of then-head coach Kevin Dresser’s staff. Highlighted by two top 10 NCAA finishes, a 2024 NCAA team trophy and Big 12 title, St. John’s efforts have seen Iowa State re-enter the national conversation as one of the nation’s top wrestling programs.

The ISU coaching staff inherited a program that scored one point and finished tied for 57th at the 2017 NCAA Championships. Since then, Iowa State has finished T-45th, 16th, T-13th, 17th, 11th, 4th, T-27th and 8th at the national tournament.

Iowa State had no conference champions in 2017 and failed to have a wrestler reach All-American status. Since then, Metcalf has had a hand in developing 13 Big 12 Champions and 17 NCAA All-Americans.

ISU has qualified eight or more individuals to the NCAA Championships in eight of nine seasons with St. John on staff. The Cyclones have had a national finalist in four of the last six seasons.

Known as a high-level technician, St. John has worked individually to develop several Cyclone wrestlers into All-Americans including Jarrett Degen (2017), Marcus Coleman (2022, ’23) and MJ Gaitan (2026).

He also helped Cyclone blue-chipper David Carr to four Big 12 titles, three national finals appearances and two national titles. With St. John’s guidance, Carr reversed two consecutive losses to Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole in the national semifinals to reach the title match where he beat Penn State’s Mitchell Mesenbrink.

Prior to Iowa State
St. John was a member of Dresser’s Virginia Tech wrestling staff for two seasons prior to coming to Iowa State, helping the Hokies achieve unprecedented success.

In 2016-17, St. John helped guide the Hokies to their sixth-straight top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships. VT finished sixth as a team with five All Americans. At the ACC Championships, Tech claimed its third conference title in school history, winning six individual titles.

In St. John’s first season at VT (2015-16), the team went undefeated in ACC duals and finished a program-best fourth at the NCAA Championships. The Hokies had eight NCAA qualifiers with six earning All-America status.

Tech’s record-setting 2015-16 campaign featured third-place finishes by Zach Epperly and Nick Brascetta. Brascetta became the second three-time All-American in program history, ending his career with three ACC championships and four NCAA Championship appearances.

The Hokies won their second-straight ACC dual meet title and finished runner-up at the 2016 ACC Championships in St. John’s first season in Blacksburg.

Prior to Virginia Tech
Prior to Virginia Tech, St. John spent one season (2014-15) as an assistant coach at North Dakota State. The Bison finished 9-4 overall, including a perfect 5-0 mark in Western Wrestling Conference action, and 23rd at the NCAA Championships.

Wrestling Career
St. John, who won the 2013 NCAA title at 157 pounds, became the 18th four-time All-American in Iowa history in 2014. He placed fourth at the NCAA Championships as a freshman, second as a sophomore, first as a junior and fifth as a senior, claiming his spot as one of the most decorated Hawkeye wrestlers of all time.

He concluded his collegiate career with a record of 106-17. St. John was the 2012 Big Ten champion and a two-time Big Ten runner-up at 157 pounds. He posted a record of 31-2 in his national championship campaign of 2012-13, earning Iowa’s Mike Howard Most Valuable Wrestler Award.

Personal
St. John is married to current Iowa State head women’s wrestling coach and two-time world silver medalist Alli St. John (Ragan). They welcomed a baby girl, Stevie, in 2024.

A Belle Plaine, Iowa native, St. John earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 2014. He was inducted into the Glen Brand National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2026.

Coaching Timeline
North Dakota State, Assistant Coach, 2014-15
Virginia Tech, Assistant Coach, 2015-17
Iowa State, Assistant Coach, 2017-26
Iowa State Associate Head Coach, 2026-pres.

Personal Profile
Born: Oct. 2, 1990 in Belle Plaine, Iowa
Hometown: Belle Plaine
Wife: Alli; Children: Stevie
Alma Mater: University of Iowa (B.S., 2014)