The Open Mat presents awards annually in three categories for each division of college wrestling at the conclusion of the season. Awards are presented for Freshman of the Year, Coach of the Year and Wrestler of the Year.

Cole Spree continues to raise the bar in NJCAA wrestling.

In 2026, Spree guided the Indian Hills men's wrestling team to its second straight national championship and did so in historic fashion, breaking the NJCAA men's wrestling national championship scoring record set by Indian Hills last season.

For his achievements, Spree has been honored as the NJCAA Men's Wrestling Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Spree led Indian Hills to 9-0 record in dual meets this past season. In January, the Warriors defeated 2026 NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Association Duals champion Iowa Central in a dual meet, 22-13.

Indian Hills won its second straight North Central District title and crowned four champions while qualifying all 10 wrestlers for the 2026 NJCAA Men's Wrestling Championships.

Twenty days later, Indian Hills became just the 13th program in NJCAA men's wrestling history to repeat as national champions. The Warriors finished the 2026 NJCAA Men's Wrestling Championships with 201.5 points, breaking the NJCAA men's wrestling national championship scoring record and eclipsing last year's record-breaking performance by 19.5 points. In addition, Indian Hills became the first NJCAA men's wrestling program to score at least 150 team points in back-to-back seasons. Three Indian Hills wrestlers won national titles, five reached the national finals and nine earned All-America honors.