| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's freestyle wrestling | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 1997 Krasnoyarsk | 63 kg |
| Bronze | 1998 Tehran | 63 kg |
| Pan American Games | ||
| Gold | 1999 Winnipeg | Freestyle |
Cary Kolat is an American wrestler and wrestling coach who had two NCAA championships in 1996 and 1997 for Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania and was a member of the United States Men's Freestyle Wrestling Team from 1997-2001. During that time he won silver and bronze medals at the 1997 Krasnoyarsk and 1998 Tehran FILA Wrestling World Championships as well as competing for the United States in freestyle wrestling for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he placed 9th.
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Kolat began wrestling at age five and by age seven, he had won his first national championship, an AAU age-group competition in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a young child, Kolat, who held up the Iowa wrestler Dan Gable as an inspiration.[1] In high school, Kolat competed successfully in college and international tournaments finishing his high school career at Jefferson-Morgan School District with an undefeated (137-0) record and four Pennsylvania state titles. During this time he was named Outstanding Wrestler four times at state meets, an honor no one else had achieved even twice. His achievements led to him being profiled in Sports Illustrated in April 1992. The article claimed that when Kolat was in the eighth grade, his parents urged him to deliberately fail courses so he would be required to repeat a grade before entering high school. They hoped that it might help Kolat in terms of overall maturity. Kolat followed their advice, achieving four F's and one A; a single blemish coming from teacher Alan Rafail, who was then the Jefferson-Morgan wrestling coach.[1]
In 1993, Kolat began his collegiate career at Pennsylvania State University, where he went 22-5 as a freshman and advanced to the NCAA title bout before falling to T. J. Jaworksy from University of North Carolina. The following year, Kolat earned All-America honors for the second straight season and at 134 pounds was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year. He ended his sophomore season 39-1.[2]
After two years at Pennsylvania State, Kolat transferred to Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania where he won his first national championship in 1996, and ended the year 25-1. Kolat picked up his first undefeated season in 1996-97 going 25-0 at 142 pounds leading to his second straight national title. During his attendance at Lock Haven, Kolat was a two-time PSAC champion (1996–97) and an Eastern Wrestling champion in 1996-97 as well as being named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Eastern Wrestling League Championships in both his junior and senior seasons. He ended his college wrestling career with an impressive .941 winning percentage (111-7) and 53 career falls. Despite wrestling successes, Kolat struggled academically, not graduating from Lock Haven until 2003.[1][2]
After college Kolat participated in 13 international events for the United States, as member of the United States Men's Freestyle Wrestling Team from 1997-2001 at 63 kg. During that time he won silver and bronze medals at the 1997 Krasnoyarsk and 1998 Tehran FILA Wrestling World Championships. He also competing for the United States in freestyle wrestling for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where he where he finished ninth. Kolat was also a three-time World Cup gold medalist (1998, 1999, 2000) and World Cup silver medalist in 2001. He was also a Pan American Games gold medalist in 1999 and a Pan American gold medalist in 2000.[2]
After much time off, Kolat returned to national competition in early 2011 at the Asics US Open, where he finished 2nd behind Teyon Ware, losing 1-0, 0-4, 1-1.
After his college wrestling career ended, Kolat finished his degree in criminal justice at Lock Haven, graduating in July 2003. He then coached at Lock Haven, Lehigh, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and North Carolina.[2] He now runs a wrestling instructional website called Kolat.com.
He has a wife, Erin, and a daughter, Zoe.