Matt Burlingame was named the new head wrestling coach at Whitko High School, according to a press release this morning from the school’s athletic department. He will also teach biology at the school. Burlingame graduated from Virginia Tech in 1995 with a B.S. in Fisheries Science. While at Virginia Tech. He was a four-year starter and three-year co-captain for the Hokies’ wrestling program. He was also a Virginia Intercollegiate League State Champion and three-time place winner, a four-time Colonial Athletic Conference place winner and graduated 10th on the Hokies’ all-time win list. He comes to Whitko from Manchester University where he was the Spartans head coach the past nine years. While there he had two wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Division III National Championship and one became Manchester 's 22nd All-American. He comes to Whitko with 15 years of coaching experience and a Division I wrestling background. Prior to joining the Manchester program, Burlingame coached high school in Kansas, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. In his coaching career, he coached five individual state champions, seven state place winners and numerous state qualifiers. He also helped coach these teams to league and regional championships and two top ten finishes in the state tournament. Following graduation from Virginia Tech, Burlingame earned a M.S. in Biology from Kansas State. Burlingame and his wife, Julie, and their three children Emma, Elijah, and Isaiah reside in North Manchester.
