Daniel Neff named assistant wrestling coach at VMI

VMI head wrestling coach Jim Gibson announced Tuesday the hiring of Daniel Neff as an assistant coach for the VMI wrestling program.

Neff follows Gibson from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where he spent the last two seasons as a volunteer assistant wrestling coach. In his two years at Bucknell, Neff assisted the coaching staff in producing a 10 dual win streak in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), multiple true freshman placewinners at the EIWA tournament, five NCAA qualifiers, and two NCAA Round of 12 finishes for 141-pound Tyler Smith.

The Quarryville, Pennsylvania, native provided training, encouragement and motivation to prepare athletes for competition in addition to planning, organizing and conducting practice sessions. He was responsible for planning and directing physical conditioning programs, teaching wrestling technique to approximately 35 student-athletes and providing assistance to on-campus recruiting activities and conducting video reviews of prospective student-athletes.

Neff also prepared scouting reports on upcoming opponents and provided assistance in fundraising efforts such as a 5k run and a 100-person golf outing.

While at Bucknell, the former NCAA All-American served as a coach and resident athlete of the Buffalo Valley Regional Training Center in Lewisburg where he organized and conducted practice sessions, coached multiple high school dual teams, volunteered for Lewisburg Elementary wrestling and competed personally at the senior and international level.

Since 2012 Neff has served as a camp counselor and clinician at Lock Haven University responsible for instructing wrestling technique, supervising campers at practice and developing training plans for high school athletes.

Neff competed at the collegiate level at Lock Haven where he became an All-American in 2015 by placing eighth in the 149-pound bracket at the NCAA Tournament, the school’s 39th overall and first since 2007. A four-time NCAA qualifier, he finished his career with a 109-46 record, the 11th most wins in program history. Other accomplishments include a 2015 Eastern Wrestling League title as a senior and 2012 PSAC Freshman of the Year honor.

He prepped at Solanco High School in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, where he was a 2011 PIAA state champion, a 2011 Dapper Dan Team Pennsylvania representative and a 2011 Super 32 finalist as a senior.

Neff graduated from Lock Haven in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in geology with a concentration in geographic information systems. He also minored in environmental science, geography and coaching.