Coaching Staff
Deral Brown
Head Coach Newberry College
Deral (pronounced Duh-RELL) returned to his alma mater when he was named the Head Wrestling Coach in September of 2021. In his first season as head coach, the Wolves went 9-5 in duals, including placing fourth at NWCA National Duals with upset wins over #3 McKendree and #14 Upper Iowa, the programs best finish at the event since 2014. The Wolves would send five wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament and would win their second straight NCAA Super Region II Title, the program's tenth overall.
Prior to returning to Newberry, Brown was the head coach at King University in Tennessee. In his two years at King, Brown coached five Tornado to NCAA Qualifications, including one All-American in Christian Small. He also had six wrestlers named to the All-SACC Team and had seven placers at the NCAA Super Region II Tournament.
Prior to being named the head coach at King, Brown would have his first stint with the Newberry Wrestling Program as an assistant coach. As a coach, he helped led the Wolves to a South Atlantic Conference Carolinas championship with 6-0 league record. The Wolves went 12-3 in duals and sent seven wrestlers to the NCAA Tournament with three earning All-America honors to give the Wolves to a ninth place finish.
Brown's first collegiate coaching experience came when he served as an assistant coach at SUNY- Cortland in Cortland, N.Y. from 2016-18. In that time he helped the Red Dragons finish seventh in the NCAA Division III Wrestling National Championships. Over those three years, Brown has coached 16 national qualifiers, six All-America honorees, two national finalists, and one national champion. He has also had 12 student-athletes that have garnered academic All-America honors.
Following his graduation from Newberry, Brown served as the head coach at Fort Dorchester High School in North Charleston, S.C. form 2014-16. While there he was named led the Patriots to the 2016 4A State Championship and was named South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) Coach of the Year for the 2015-16. In that state title run, the Patriots had six state placers and one individual state champion.
In his career at Newberry, Brown was a two-time national qualifier, earning All-American honors in 2013 when he finished fourth. He is tied for the most wins all-time with at Newberry with 143, a title he shares with Associate Head Coach, Bryant Blanton, and BJ Young. He is also the program's all-time leader with major decisions. While at Newberry he also attended the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Leadership Academy.
Bryant Blanton
Associate Head Coach Newberry College
Blanton was promoted to Associate Head Wrestling Coach on October 1, 2021 by Head Coach Deral Brown after serving as Head Assistant Coach under Cy Wainwright from 2018 until 2021.
In his first year as Associate Head Coach, the Wolves captured their 10th Super Region II Title while also tutoring two student-athletes to All-American status at the 2022 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships.
During his time as Head Assistant, the Wolves captured two NCAA Super Region II Titles (2019, 2021). Blanton also helped lead the program to three consecutive South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Championships (2019-2021).
The December 2011 graduate returned to his alma mater almost immediately following his graduation, being hired on July 1, 2012 as an Assistant Coach under then head coach Jason Valek. After Valek left the program, Blanton stayed on staff in the same role under Cy Wainwright until his promotion to Head Assistant in 2018. Blanton’s stint as Assistant from 2012-2018 saw the program win three NCAA Super Region Titles and the first three Conference Championships from the inception of the conference in 2016 (2016-2018). Blanton has been on staff for all six of the Wolves’ Conference Titles. As a wrestling coach, Blanton has mentored 61 NCAA National Qualifiers, 26 NCAA All-Americans, 4 NCAA Finalists, and an NCAA National Champion.
From 2014-2021, Blanton wore several hats, as he also served as the Newberry football program’s kicking coach and head equipment manager. The football program won the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Championship, and made the NCAA Division-II Playoffs in 2015 and 2016. Blanton tutored multiple All-Conference and All-American specialists in his stint with the football program.
In his career as a wrestler at Newberry, Blanton was the 2010 NCAA National Champion at 184 lbs. Blanton was a three-time NCAA All-American and four-time NCAA National Qualifier. He is tied for the most wins all-time with at Newberry with 143, a record he shares with Head Coach, Deral Brown, and BJ Young. Blanton also holds the program record for most career falls, with 61. He was also a punter and wide receiver for the Newberry football team in 2006 and 2007, winning the South Atlantic Conference Championship in Newberry's 11-win season of 2006. Because of his accomplishments, Blanton was inducted into the Newberry Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
Coach Blanton currently resides in Newberry with his wife, Mo, and their four children – Campbell, Brantleigh, Sawyer, and Kendall.
Cy Wainwright
Assistant to the Athletic Director
Wainwright pivoted his focus from the mat to the athletics department as a whole as he transitioned into the role of Assistant to the Athletic Director in the fall of 2021 following an illustrious career at the helm of the Wolves wrestling program. He also serves full-time as a professor in the Sports Professions department.
Cy Wainwright was named as the second head wrestling coach in Newberry College history in May 2016.
In 2020-21 season the Wolves arguably had the greatest season in Newberry Wrestling History. They concluded the season 8-0 which is the only perfect season in school history. Along with a perfect season the Wolves went on to win their 6th straight SAC conference championship. Next to the conference championship the Wolves started the postseason off with a bang by capturing the 2021 NCAA Super Region Championship the Wolves 9th and Wainwright’s 2nd during his tenure at the helm.
Six Wolves went on to qualifying for the NCAA National Championships Austin Neal, Caleb Spears, and Zebrandon Gant won Individual NCAA Regional Championships. Isiah Royal , Zach Shupp and Will Evans also qualified NCAA National Championships in St Louis. In St Louis the Wolves had a tremendous Showing, Isiah Royal Became the 4th NCAA Champion in School history by winning the 2021 141lb Championship. Will Evans also became a NCAA All American as Freshman and help lead the Wolves to a Top 10 NCAA National Championship team.
As post season accolades came rolling in the team had Six 1st Team SAC selections. Wainwright along with Royal took home Coach of the Year and Wrestler of the year for the SAC. The NCAA also Named Wainwright NCAA Super Region II Coach of the year. That was Wainwright’s 5th COY Honor
During the 2019-20 season, his fourth, the Wolves won their second consecutive South Atlantic Carolinas Conference championship, finishing the season with a 7-3 overall record, with a 6-1 mark in conference matches. They finished the season on a six-match win streak, including home wins over Coker (26-18) and Mount Olive (55-0). At the Super Region 2 Championships, the Wolves had five wrestlers place, led by Isiah Royal (141), ZeBrandon Gant (184) and Nick Weldon (285), all of whom went undefeated and took first place in their weight classes. Damien Penichet placed fourth in his weight class, earning a trip to the NCAA D2 national championships. As a team, the Wolves racked up 89.5 team points, finishing in fourth place. The Wolves never got a chance to compete at the national championships, which were canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Royal and Gant would end up being named NWCA All-Americans.
In his third season at the helm, Wainwright and his team continued to dominate the opposition. The Wolves won the inaugural South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Championships with an exciting 19-17 win over Limestone in the regular season finale to go 6-0 in conference action. From their, Wainwright and his team went on to capture the Super Region 2 Championship title after having seven wrestlers qualify for the National Championships including Timmy Martinez (133), Isiah Royal (141), Austin Palmer (157), Nick Giantono (165), ZeBrandon Gant (184) and Patton Gossett (285). Palmer and Gossett earned All-American status with seventh-place finishes. Royal advanced the the championship match and finished as the National Runner-Up. The Wolves finished in ninth-place in the team race.
Wainwright was also rewarded the 2019 National Wresting Coaches Association DII Super Region 2 Coach of the Year. Wainwright was also recognized by his peers and was voted the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year. Wainwright had lead the team to their fourth conference title along with having six wrestlers earning All-Conference nods with four making first team and two making second team.
In his second season, Wainwright and his team had yet another successful year. The Wolves acquired the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship, ending the season with 5-1 record in league duals. Nolan Whitely earned All-American honors with a seventh-place finish nationally at 133 pounds. Newberry also saw Austin Neal (125), Isiah Royal (141) and Austin Palmer (157) advance to compete in the Division II Wrestling Championships. The Wolves would finish the 2017-18 season ranked 16th in the nation.
Has was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after leading Newberry to its third consecutive conference title. Newberry also had six all-league selections, placing three wrestlers on the first team and three on the second team.
Wainwright's first season at the helm was a successful one, leading the Wolves to an Eastern College Athletic Conference championship at 5-1 in league duals. Trung Duong earned All-American status with a fifth-place finish nationally at 125 pounds, while Huston Evans (174) and Cody Brundage (197) also advanced to compete in the Division II Wrestling Championships.
In all, five Wolves were named all-ECAC, with Duong earning first-team honors, and three wrestlers were named to All-Academic Teams. Wainwright also earned a four-year appointment to the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee in April 2017, becoming one of just two Division II wrestling coaches to serve on the committee.
Wainwright had been the head wrestling coach at Coker College for the last three seasons and was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II Wrestling League Coach of the Year for the 2015-16 season. He coached the Cobras’ first-ever All-American in 2016.
Wainwright is the only undefeated national champion in Newberry College history, and his dominant run in his three years in a scarlet and gray singlet will be tough to approach. The Green Cove Spring, Fla., native went an impressive 36-0 in the 2008-09 season with 14 pins, winning the heavyweight national championship just minutes after Keeno Griffin. The three-time national qualifier also earned All-American honors in 2008 with a third-place finish.
At the time of his graduation in 2009, Wainwright was the school’s all-time wins leader with 128 victories, all-time falls leader with 33 and all-time major decisions leader with 17.
Following his graduation from Newberry, Wainwright entered the collegiate coaching ranks. He earned his master’s degree at St. Cloud State and was named the first head coach at Benedictine (Kan.) before starting the program at Coker.
The 2015-16 season was a big year for the Coker wrestling program, as the team became part of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference and finished second in the conference in its first season of affiliation. Wainwright led the Cobras to a 14-3 overall record with a 4-2 ECAC mark. Five Cobras were named to All-Academic teams and the Cobras finished with a 3.149 team grade point average, 18th-best among Division II wrestling teams nationally. Wainwright was also named ECAC Coach of the Year, with five wrestlers earning All-ECAC honors.
During his second season at the helm of the Cobras, Wainwright led the team to a 14-5 record in dual matches, appeared in the Top 5 in the Super Region II polls for three weeks, was twice ranked in the national polls and won the Coker College Coach of the Year award. In his first year leading the Cobras, Wainwright led the team to a record of 10-7 in dual matches in the program’s first season of competition.
Wainwright has coached 47 NCAA Division II national qualifiers, 23 All-Americans, Four national finalists and two NCAA Division II National Champions. He has also coached three top 10 NCAA teams and a national runner-up team in 2011. Cy resides in Newberry with his Children Amelia & Ryland..