West Liberty University Athletics

    One of the greatest wrestlers in West Liberty University history, Brian Davis has continued to build on the Hilltoppers’ outstanding tradition in his eight seasons as head coach.
    Under Davis’s guidance, the West Liberty wrestling program has been a fixture in the NCAA Division II Top 20 coaches’ rankings and a force to be reckoned with at both the regional and national levels. Since taking the Hilltopper reins at the start of the 2006-07 season, Davis has produced one individual national champion, two individual national runner-ups and 10 NCAA Division II All-Americans.
    In addition, 37 West Liberty wrestlers have earned national All-Academic Team honors from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) during Davis’s tenure. His 2013 WLU wrestling squad had 7 wrestlers named to the Division II All-Academic Team.
    A native of Frostburg, Md., Davis came to West Liberty as a non-traditional student in the early 1990s. After graduating from high school, he served 6 years with the United States Marine Corps and saw active duty in Operation Desert Shield/Storm. During his time in the Marine Corps, Davis was a member of the All-Marine wrestling team which won the national Greco-Roman championship.
    After completing his tours of duty with the military, Davis quickly found new worlds to conquer as a member of legendary head coach Dr. Vince Monseau’s Hilltopper wrestling program. The fierce competitor became West Liberty’s first four-time NAIA All-American, placing in the top four of the 177-pound weight class at the NAIA national championships in each of his four varsity seasons. Davis also became the Hilltoppers’ third individual national champion, claiming the 177-pound title in 1994.
    His fourth All-American honor came in 1995, when he was upset in the championship semifinals but battled back to win his third-place match and help West Liberty to a second-place finish in the team standings – the best finish in school history. Davis completed his wrestling career with a 99-17-1 record.
    After graduating with a B.A. in secondary education that spring, Davis continued in the sport as coach and teacher at the high school level. He started out at Fort Hill (Md.) High School before moving to Carrollton (Ohio) and Buckeye Local (Ohio) High Schools. Davis was coaching at Buckeye Local when he was inducted into the West Liberty Hall of Fame in the fall of 2005. Davis lives in Wheeling, W.Va. with his son, Jonathan.