Chanute AD, former Neosho County coach enshrined by alma mater
Enshrined into eternity at his alma mater, Nick Nothern, the Chanute High School athletic director and girls wrestling coach, was selected as a member of the Cornell College Athletics Hall of Fame.
Located in Mount Vernon, Iowa, Cornell College is an NCAA Division III school where Nothern was an accomplished wrestler from 2006-10.
A native of Salina, Nothern helped guide the Cornell Rams as they placed 12th (2007), seventh (2008), eighth (2009) and 12th (2010) at the NCAA Championships during his career.
A four-time NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds, Nothern earned All-American status in his final three seasons.
“I’m honored. We have a long tradition in wrestling at my college,” Nothern said. “The last wrestler inducted was one of my teammates a few years ago. But before then, it had been quite some time. There’s olympians that have wrestled at that school. So I’m honored to have my name included with some of the greats of the past.”
He was the 2009 NCAA runner-up as the No. 8 seed, becoming Cornell’s first NCAA finalist in 13 years. Nothern placed fifth at nationals in 2010 and sixth in 2008. He wrestled 16 career matches at the NCAA Championships — 12 of them decided by two points or less.
Nothern was voted Cornell’s 2007 First-Year Male Athlete of the Year following a 36-14 rookie season.
The 36 wins stand ninth on the school’s all-time season list.
Ranked No. 1 nationally for a portion of his senior year, Nothern finished his career with a 118-45 record. He ranks sixth on the program’s career list for wins and 20th for winning percentage (72.4).
After graduating from Cornell, Nothern began his coaching career with stops at Iowa Lakes (NJCAA), Bethany College (NAIA) and his alma mater.
Nothern then served as the Neosho County head coach from 2017-21 before taking his current position at Chanute.
“I feel like competing in college made me a better coach,” Nothern said. “In my high school, we didn’t have any former college wrestlers that coached us. What you learn in college is that perseverance, mental toughness and hard work are so important. In high school, kids get away with being more athletic. But you get to college and everybody is really good. You can’t win on just straight talent. You learn how to push yourself and overcome tough situations. Those are things you learn in high school, but you learn to focus on those things in college.”
Nothern has since guided the Chanute girls wrestling program to a team state title in 2023 and a third place finish the following year. He’s also coached Kiley Dillow, regarded as the best wrestler in Kansas, to backto- back state titles and undefeated seasons.
Joining Nothern in the Cornell College Hall of Fame in 2025 is Taylor Connor, a two-sport star in volleyball and basketball, Kylea Brautigam, who played volleyball and softball, and Pete Stachow, who played soccer and football.
The induction ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 11.
“I’m more excited about going up to the induction ceremony than I am about being inducted,” Nothern said. “I’ll see a lot of friends and teammates I haven’t seen in 15 years.”
Editor’s note: Information from a press release from Cornell College was used in this report.
