After building a culture rooted in encouragement and extra work, York wrestling head coach Nicole Evans has been named the TSSAA Region 4 Coach of the Year, an honor she said belongs just as much to her athletes and staff as it does to her.
“It’s certainly an honor,” Evans said. “I really enjoyed coaching and so it’s always nice to get recognized. I really appreciate my coaching staff. I had a lot of good help this year and it’s really shown in the progress these kids have made.”
Evans leads the wrestling program at York, where both the boys and girls teams continue to grow in numbers and competitiveness. This season, multiple York wrestlers advanced out of district and region tournaments by placing in the top five.
Evans said both wins and placements only tell part of the story.
“Every time [both teams] are on the mat, your’e going to see a whole slew of Dragons in their corner,” Evans said. “It makes it something that other kids want to be a part of, and when you’re growing a program, you need to get those numbers in the room.”
The Dragons’ presence, loud, unified and constant, has become a defining trait. In a sport that can often feel individual, Evans said she has emphasized team culture as the program’s backbone.
York’s wrestling program continues to develop without the benefit of a feeder system or established middle school wrestling pipeline. That lack of early mat experience could easily put athletes behind. Instead, Evans said her wrestlers are choosing to close the gap themselves.
“These kids are putting in extra work and extra time in order to kind of make up for those years of middle school wrestling where we lack,” Evans said. “You have to have a culture that promotes support for each other and encouragement and understanding on those long bus rides where people want to eat or drink but they want to make a particular weight class and so they’re respectful to each other during that.”
Evans said some athletes are driving as far as two hours for additional training opportunities, a testament to their commitment and belief in the direction of the program.
That commitment has translated to meaningful postseason opportunities. York will have both girls and boys wrestlers competing in the sectional round this weekend. A strong performance would send Dragons to the TSSAA State Championships next week at Middle Tennessee State University.
For Evans, the Region 4 Coach of the Year recognition reflects more than just victories. It highlights a culture shift, one built on encouragement, accountability and shared sacrifice.