Staff Directory
Joe Johnston
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- 719-333-1603
Johnston enters his seventh season as Air Force Wrestling Associate Head Coach in 2025-26.
Johnston helped guide Falcons to two top-25 NCAA team finishes, two NCAA Div. I All-American honors, 31 National Qualifiers, two Big 12 Champions, and 38 Big 12 medalists. He helped lead eight cadet-athletes that have competed on the international stage garnering a United World Wrestling World Champion and Pan-American Champion. In addition to success on the mat, Johnston has also mentored the Falcons in the classroom, as he guided 21 Falcons to become NWCA Scholar All-Americans. At the same time, his athletes have been named to academic all-conference teams 90 times.
Johnston helped the Falcons to new heights in 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. In 2023, the team finished 8-6 in duals with six wins over Division I programs, including Pac-12 Champions Cal-Poly. At the Big 12 Championships, Air Force had a program-high seven medalists and placed fifth as a team. Five Falcons qualified for the NCAA championship, the most since 1991. At the NCAA Championships, Air Force placed 18th, tied with Oklahoma State; this was the highest finish for Air Force or a Service Academy since 1971. The team was led by Wyatt Hendrickson, who earned All-American honors placing third. Hendrickson was the program's first All-American since 2003. In 2024, Hendrickson repeated his third-place finish to tally his second All-America honor. Three Falcons qualified for the national tournament and finished 21st in the championship field.
In the 2020-21 campaign Johnston helped guide three wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. Under his guidance, the Falcons posted a dual win over the 21st-ranked Northern Colorado Bears and saw eight wresters ranked in national polls. A highlight of the season season was freshman heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson progressing to the round of 12 in the NCAA Tournament as well as winning the Junior Team Trials where he went on to finish fifth at the World Championships in Ufa, Russia.
In his first season at the Academy, Johnston helped AF to one of its most successful Big 12 Conference Championships yet, helping to lead a squad with just one senior in the starting lineup. He helped coach four individual Falcons to podium finishes at Big 12s, all underclassmen, including freshman Cody Phippen, who placed fifth. Phippen was also a semifinalist, the first for Air Force since joining the conference prior to the 2015-16 season. At season's end, two wrestlers were within the top-10 in falls in the country in Cody Surratt (11) and Randy Meneweather (10). AF was the only school in NCAA wrestling to have two in the top-10.
Johnston came to the Academy after 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri under head coach Brian Smith. While on staff at Mizzou, Johnston helped to produce 36 All-Americans and six National Champions. He coached the Tiger wrestlers to eight consecutive conference titles in 2012 (Big 12), and 2013-19 (MAC), as well as five consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
He joined the Mizzou staff at the start of the 2008-09 campaign after serving two years as an assistant coach at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. While at Cornell College, Johnston coached the team to a seventh place finish at the 2008 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He produced six All-Americans in his two years as a coach for the Rams.
Johnston brings both collegiate coaching and high level wrestling experience to Air Force. He was a two-time All-American for the University of Iowa at 157 pounds, placing second as a junior in 2005, and sixth as a senior in 2006. He tallied a 113-45 career record as a Hawkeye, managing at least 26 victories in each season of competition.
A two-time team captain and Most Valuable Wrestler, the Hawkeye was a top-notch student in the classroom, earning J. Donald McPike senior award for highest grade-point average. Johnston graduated from Iowa in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in art education, and went on to earn his master's degree in educational psychology from the University of Missouri in 2013.
Johnston also competed internationally in freestyle wrestling from 2006-12 placing multiple times in the U.S. nationals and qualifying for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Trials.
A native of Kansas City, Mo., Johnston is married to the former Melisa Katterhenry. They have two daughters, Ruby and Ruth, and a son, Joshua.
Johnston helped guide Falcons to two top-25 NCAA team finishes, two NCAA Div. I All-American honors, 31 National Qualifiers, two Big 12 Champions, and 38 Big 12 medalists. He helped lead eight cadet-athletes that have competed on the international stage garnering a United World Wrestling World Champion and Pan-American Champion. In addition to success on the mat, Johnston has also mentored the Falcons in the classroom, as he guided 21 Falcons to become NWCA Scholar All-Americans. At the same time, his athletes have been named to academic all-conference teams 90 times.
Johnston helped the Falcons to new heights in 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. In 2023, the team finished 8-6 in duals with six wins over Division I programs, including Pac-12 Champions Cal-Poly. At the Big 12 Championships, Air Force had a program-high seven medalists and placed fifth as a team. Five Falcons qualified for the NCAA championship, the most since 1991. At the NCAA Championships, Air Force placed 18th, tied with Oklahoma State; this was the highest finish for Air Force or a Service Academy since 1971. The team was led by Wyatt Hendrickson, who earned All-American honors placing third. Hendrickson was the program's first All-American since 2003. In 2024, Hendrickson repeated his third-place finish to tally his second All-America honor. Three Falcons qualified for the national tournament and finished 21st in the championship field.
In the 2020-21 campaign Johnston helped guide three wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament. Under his guidance, the Falcons posted a dual win over the 21st-ranked Northern Colorado Bears and saw eight wresters ranked in national polls. A highlight of the season season was freshman heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson progressing to the round of 12 in the NCAA Tournament as well as winning the Junior Team Trials where he went on to finish fifth at the World Championships in Ufa, Russia.
In his first season at the Academy, Johnston helped AF to one of its most successful Big 12 Conference Championships yet, helping to lead a squad with just one senior in the starting lineup. He helped coach four individual Falcons to podium finishes at Big 12s, all underclassmen, including freshman Cody Phippen, who placed fifth. Phippen was also a semifinalist, the first for Air Force since joining the conference prior to the 2015-16 season. At season's end, two wrestlers were within the top-10 in falls in the country in Cody Surratt (11) and Randy Meneweather (10). AF was the only school in NCAA wrestling to have two in the top-10.
Johnston came to the Academy after 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Missouri under head coach Brian Smith. While on staff at Mizzou, Johnston helped to produce 36 All-Americans and six National Champions. He coached the Tiger wrestlers to eight consecutive conference titles in 2012 (Big 12), and 2013-19 (MAC), as well as five consecutive top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
He joined the Mizzou staff at the start of the 2008-09 campaign after serving two years as an assistant coach at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. While at Cornell College, Johnston coached the team to a seventh place finish at the 2008 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He produced six All-Americans in his two years as a coach for the Rams.
Johnston brings both collegiate coaching and high level wrestling experience to Air Force. He was a two-time All-American for the University of Iowa at 157 pounds, placing second as a junior in 2005, and sixth as a senior in 2006. He tallied a 113-45 career record as a Hawkeye, managing at least 26 victories in each season of competition.
A two-time team captain and Most Valuable Wrestler, the Hawkeye was a top-notch student in the classroom, earning J. Donald McPike senior award for highest grade-point average. Johnston graduated from Iowa in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in art education, and went on to earn his master's degree in educational psychology from the University of Missouri in 2013.
Johnston also competed internationally in freestyle wrestling from 2006-12 placing multiple times in the U.S. nationals and qualifying for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Trials.
A native of Kansas City, Mo., Johnston is married to the former Melisa Katterhenry. They have two daughters, Ruby and Ruth, and a son, Joshua.
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