Traen and Aho Honored as MWCA Head and Assistant Coach of the Year

Joe Traen has been selected as the MWCA Head Coach of the Year for 2018. Coach Traen retired as Head Coach of the Watertown-Mayer/Mayer Lutheran wrestling program at the end of the 2017 season shortly before passing away in March of last year.

Coach Traen led the Royal program for 27 years and had over 400 dual meet victories at the helm. The Section 2AA coaches voted for Coach Traen to be their 2018 Section 2AA Head Coach of the Year posthumously. The honors continued for Joe as his Class AA peers elected him the Class AA Head Coach of the Year at this year’s state tournament.

By being selected as the Class AA Coach of the Year, Coach Traen became a nominee for the MWCA Coach of the Year along with Link Steffen of Zumbrota-Mazeppa (Class A Coach of the Year and Class A Team Champion), Jamie Heidt of Kasson-Mantorville (Class AA Team Champion), Dan Lefebvre of St. Michael-Albertville (Class AAA Team Champion), and Todd Springer/Lucas Murray of Anoka (Class AAA Coach of the Year). The MWCA Panel of Voters had a tough selection, but Coach Joe Traen came out on top of the polling.

Marty Aho of Frazee has been voted as the MWCA Assistant Coach of the Year by the panel of voters after his nomination by Clay and Travis Nagel.

Over the 44 years under various head coaches, Coach Aho has helped amass a dual meet record of 630-151-7 with part of that coming as a co-head coach one year with a record of 16-8. There have been 21 Heart O’ Lakes Conference team championships, 24 Section 8A team championships, 22 State Class A team placings including four State Class A team championships and 101 Individual State class A place winners with 22 of those as Individual State Class A champions.

Coach Traen and Coach Aho will receive their official recognition at the MWCA Dave Bartelma Hall of Fame Banquet in Benson on Saturday, April 28th.