Robert Kokesh

Robert Kokesh worked with the Nebraska wrestling program from 2016-2023 serving as an administrative assistant and assistant coach. 

From 2011 to 2015, Kokesh racked up 144 individual wins in a Nebraska singlet, which currently ranks second in school history. 

Kokesh experienced success shortly after arriving on campus. Following a redshirt campaign in which he went 34-1 with 29 bonus-point victories, Kokesh vaulted into the starting lineup as a redshirt freshman. He compiled a 30-7 record at the 165-pound weight class and took third at the Big Ten Championships. In his NCAA Championships debut, Kokesh posted a 2-2 record as the No. 8 seed. 

Kokesh elevated his performance in his sophomore season. He moved up to the 174-pound weight class and promptly won 38 regular-season matches, including a stretch of 22 consecutive victories at one point during the season. Kokesh dropped his first match at the Big Ten Championships but stormed through the wrestleback bracket to capture a third-place finish. He went on to earn All-America honors for the first time in his career by taking third at the NCAA Championships. 
As a junior, Kokesh posted a perfect 14-0 dual record and a 37-3 overall mark. At the Big Ten Championships, he joined teammate James Green to become the first Big Ten Conference champion wrestlers in school history. Kokesh followed that up with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, earning All-America status for a second consecutive season. 

Kokesh capped off his career with a dominant 39-1 regular-season record, including an unblemished 14-0 dual record for the second time as an upperclassman. He repeated as Big Ten champion in the 174-pound weight class. Kokesh then posted a third-place finish and became a three-time All-American.     
Away from the mat, Kokesh was a member of the NWCA All-Academic Team, a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and also spent five semesters on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll.

Kokesh graduated from Nebraska in 2015 with a degree in agricultural economics. 
Prior to becoming a Husker, Kokesh was a three-time South Dakota Class B state champion (2008-10) and led Wagner High School to team state titles each year.