Nate Skaar returns for his 13th season with the Peacock wrestling progam and seventh straight as Heath Grimm's right hand man. Skaar was Grimm's first assistant from 2000-04 and then returned as a volunteer and part-time coach from 2011-13 before being hired as the assistant again prior to the 2013-14 season. He was promoted to Associate Head Coach in August 2018.
During his first four seasons as the assistant coach at Upper Iowa, Skaar helped to guide the Peacocks to a NCAA Division III National Runner-Up Finish in 2002.
Skaar left UIU after the 2003-04 season to become the Head Wrestling Coach at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He led the program to the NCAA Division III Tournament placing fourth in 2004-05 and second in 2005-06. He was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Wrestling Coach of the Year in each of his two years with the Eagles. He was also tabbed the NCAA Division III National Rookie Wrestling Coach of the Year and the USA Amateur Wrestling News Magazine NCAA National Rookie Coach of the Year following the 2004-05 campaign.
Following his stint with UW-La Crosse, Skaar was named the Head Wrestling Coach at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa. He spent five seasons with the Panthers from 2006-11. During his time at Ellsworth, the team placed fifth at the 2007-08 NJCAA National Championships and eighth at the 2008-09 NJCAA National Championships.
Skaar dedicates his work with student-athletes to develop them athletically, academically and socially. In his time as a head coach, he has developed 4 National Champions, 26 All-Americans and 55 National Qualifiers. During Skaar’s two seasons at UW-La Crosse, the team finished in the Top 10 academically in NCAA Division III. Since leaving Ellsworth in 2011, Skaar has served as an Academic/Career Supervisor at Hawkeye Community College.
Skaar graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa with a bachelor’s degree in English and Philosophy in 1997.
