NDSU head wrestling coach Roger Kish announced hiring Manny Rivera as assistant coach.

“We are excited to have Manny on board,” said Kish during the Aug. 30 announcement. “His passion and excitement for the sport will help elevate this program to a new level. I believe our wrestlers will feed off the energy brought to the program by our staff.”

Rivera joins the program after spending last year as an assistant coach at Virginia and two years as a graduate assistant at Minnesota. A native of El Monte, Calif., Rivera was a three-time NCAA qualifier at Minnesota and earned All-America honors as a senior. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2008 with a degree in psychology.