Loyola Academy wrestling coach to be inducted into IWCOA Hall of Fame

In high school, Matt Collum was a three-time all-state wrestler at Neuqua Valley, and a state champion his senior year in 2004.

His success on the mat at Neuqua Valley forms the basis for his induction this Sunday into the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame.

As head wrestling coach at Loyola Academy, however, his best work may be yet to come.

"It's kind of a cool honor," Collum said of the IWCOA Hall of Fame, the inductions taking place during a daylong event Sunday at William Tell Banquets at the Holiday Inn Countryside.

"My brother Paul (Romeoville High School 2000 graduate) got inducted last year," Matt Collum said. "My high school coach (Mick Ruettiger) is in there, too, and a lot of people that I've wrestled with and who have helped me get better in wrestling, they're all in there. It's an honor to be in there with them."

The Class AA state champion at 145 pounds as a Neuqua Valley senior, Collum placed third at 130 in 2002 and also took third at 140 as a junior in 2003. He competed at Providence Catholic as a freshman before his family moved to the Indian Prairie school district before his sophomore year.

Collum also won the National Junior College Athletic Association title at 157 pounds in 2006 wrestling for Iowa Central, and was a two-time NAIA All-America at Missouri Baptist in 2008-09, twice earning the Grogarian Award for most wins by pin in the shortest amount of time.

As well, Collum placed second and fourth in his division in Junior Nationals at Fargo, North Dakota.

This winter he concluded his fourth season as Loyola Academy head wrestling coach. His teams have improved each successive season.

Before his arrival, in 2019 the Ramblers placed ninth of 14 teams in the Chicago Catholic League.

In 2020, Loyola finished seventh. The COVID-19 pandemic erased the 2020-21 season, but in 2022 Loyola placed fifth with one CCL champion, Massey Odiotti, and a runner-up, Mike Williams.

This season was Collum's best yet. The Ramblers finished fourth in the CCL behind eventual Class 3A runner-up Marmion, 3A quarterfinalist Mt. Carmel and traditional power Montini.

They produced five conference second-place finishers, with Northwestern-bound Odiotti going on to win a 3A state title at 120 pounds and freshman Kai Calcutt placing second in 3A at 220.

In the girls individual finals, sophomore Harlee Hiller, whom Collum also coaches, won at 120 pounds.

"We have a great coaching staff and good support from the school. We're getting a lot more people in Loyola wrestling, that's the big thing," said Collum, who works in the school's Dean's Office.

His recipe for success is to drill the fundamentals but also tailor his training to individual athletes. He still gets on the mat daily in practice to work with his wrestlers, he said.

"Obviously, this year was a lot different from when I first started at Loyola," Collum said. "We could move forward with more of the advanced techniques this year. Four years ago we had to keep everything pretty simple.

"It changes year to year. The fundamentals, the basics stay the same, you always have to teach those. But year-to-year techniques change based on who you have."

Certainly a lot goes into it, but the new hall of famer's goal for the future at Loyola also is basic.

"Help the kids get better," he said.