Eric Hensel enters his first season on the UW-Eau Claire wrestling coaching staff 2018-19. 

Hensel graduated from Augsburg University where he ws a member of the wrestling team that captured the 2015 team NCAA National Championship. Hensel also claimed many individual awards in his Auggie career, earning All-American honors (2015 & 2016), Academic All-American (2015) and the Manuel Gorrarian Award for the most pins in the least about of time (2015). 

Prior to his time in Minneapolis, Hensel was an NJCAA All-American (2012) and was a two-time Fargo Greco All-American. As a prep athlete, Hensel took fourth in the Minnesota State High School Tournament (2010) and was a Bi-State Champion (La Crosse, WI) in 2011. 

"Our Blugold staff and student-athletes are very excited to have Eric Hensel join our program," said Head Coach Tim Fader. "I knew about his success as a wrestler and his ability to score points and finish matches - he was fun to watch when you weren't wrestling him.  He played a vital  part of an NCAA championship team when he scored the most falls [4] in the least amount of time for Augsburg at the 2015 NCAA Championships.  It was clear in his interview that he has a passion for wrestling and for teaching the sport.  He is also really interested in beginning his career as a college wrestling coach so that is a perfect fit for this new position at UW Eau Claire. I believe Eric will have an immediate impact on the wrestlers that are here now as well as the future wrestlers that he will begin recruiting."