Barrett Stickelman has been promoted to the Head Men's Wrestling Coach after initially serving as the men's assistant before taking over as the men's wrestling interim head coach in November following Coach Bell's departure.

"Barrett has adjusted well to the leadership role and has absorbed an abundance of information," commented Athletic Director Rory Kling. "Currently, men's wrestling is on track to have a larger team going into next year, with a number of returners sticking with us. He is a young and upcoming coach with a large network that should help get Fort Hays Tech Northwest back in the team rankings in the near future."

A native of Topeka, Kansas, Stickelman is a graduate of Shawnee Heights High School, where he was a three-time state placer and state finalist in wrestling. He began his collegiate career at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, earning an Associate of Science in Natural Science in 2021. While at NEO, he was part of the team that captured a national championship in 2018 and finished as national runner-up in 2019.

Stickelman went on to earn his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from York University in 2025, where he was also a conference placer at the NAIA level.