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Emmanuel College Director of Athletics Olivia Berry announced Wednesday that Nick Avery will lead the Emmanuel Men’s and Women’s Wrestling programs after being named the head coach of the two programs on Oct. 16. The hiring will take effect on Oct. 23, in preparation for the men’s inaugural season in 2025 and the women’s inaugural season in 2026.
Avery comes to Emmanuel with nearly two decades of experience in the wrestling world, combining his time as an athlete and coach. He has been a head coach and Board Member at the MetroWest United (MWU) Wrestling Club since August 2014.
While at MetroWest United Wrestling, Avery has run one of New England’s most successful wrestling clubs, overseeing more than 500 members ranging from K-3, 4-8 grade, high school, and girls’ wrestlers.
In addition to the 500 current members, over 100 MWU alumni are currently active on college programs, with wrestlers from his club being recruited to at least 50 colleges and universities, including prestigious programs such as Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Stanford, Cornell, Williams, Air Force, and Army.
“As a department and institution, we couldn’t be more excited to bring Nick in as our first men’s and women’s wrestling coach,” said Berry. “Given his accomplishments and experience in higher education, coaching, and wrestling, among many other impressive areas in his career, Nick is the perfect candidate to lead us into this newest venture at Emmanuel.”
Avery’s experience in collegiate coaching comes from being an assistant coach for Johnson & Wales men’s wrestling over the last year. With the Wildcats, Avery helped recruit more than 20 student-athletes to Johnson & Wales. The program produced a fourth-place team finish at the NCAA Tournament and five All-American selections, including the National Champion at 125 lbs., Joziah Fry.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to mentor student-athletes in a city I grew up in and love,” said Avery. “I couldn’t have asked for a better situation than this one.”
No stranger to higher education before becoming an assistant wrestling coach, Avery spent 10 years at Northeastern University, working his way up to an Assistant Athletic Director position during his tenure with the Huskies.
At Northeastern, Avery oversaw one of the nation’s largest Club Sports programs, which grew in size to over 3,100 student-athletes, while developing 26 new club programs for Huskies students. Throughout his 10 years and promotions to higher levels, Avery was tasked with a variety of positions in the Northeastern Athletic Department including operations, administration, campus recreation, facilities management, budgeting, scheduling, and human resources, among numerous other responsibilities.
“Can’t wait to hit the ground running,” added an enthusiastic Avery. “I’m ready to make history for the region, sport, and most of all, Emmanuel.”
After his time at Northeastern, the Walpole resident was the Assistant Campus Director at UMass Amherst, Mount Ida Campus, since June 2023, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the campus.
Avery earned his bachelor's degree in Recreation Sports Management from Indiana University in 2011 and his master’s in Sports Leadership from Northeastern University in 2014.
While at Indiana, Avery spent four years on the Hoosiers wrestling team, starting for two seasons during his career. After his career at Indiana, Avery has received multiple awards including the Massachusetts Wrestling Hall of Fame Up and Coming Coach of the Year in 2016, the Boston Globe Coach of the Year in 2017, and the Massachusetts Wrestling Hall of Fame Club Coach of the Year in 2019.
After a high school career as a three-time state finalist, an All-American Selection, and a New England Regional Champion, matched with his success at MWU, Avery was inducted into the Massachusetts State Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.