ROCK SPRINGS — Western Wyoming Community College Wrestling Head Coach Art Castillo was selected to the NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2022.

Humbled and honored to receive this Hall of Fame induction, Castillo would like to recognize all the people who made it possible for him to be successful in this profession, which there are far too many to name.

First and foremost, he would like to thank his wife Jess, who for more than a decade has been his
biggest supporter and has made many sacrifices to allow him to be in a position to be successful. This induction is only possible by the strength of his staff, great people who share common core values and beliefs. He would like to recognize Western’s faithful community members, boosters, and all the stakeholders for their respective commitments. He would like to give special thanks to all his high school and college coaches for their guidance and leadership over the years. And ultimately, Castillo would like to thank all the athletes that he coached, without their performance and belief in him as a coach none of this would be possible.

Art Castillo is a Green River, Wyoming native, who began his wrestling career at the age of 5. He was a two-time state placer for Green River High School where he helped lead his teams to three state championships. He attended Northwest College and wrestled for Jim Zeigler, where he was an NJCAA national qualifier. After his time in Powell, he attended Dana College where was a two-time national qualifier and two-time GPAC Champion. He later went on to earn a Master’s in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University-Irvine.

Castillo began his coaching career at Dana College under Steve Costanzo as a student assistant while earning his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education/Sports Management. The following season Castillo moved back to his native hometown of Green River. He began his time at Western as a volunteer assistant under Bill Hodges where he served in that roll for three seasons.

Now in his 13th season at the helm at Western, Castillo has coached 50 All-Americans including five National Champions, six two-time All-Americans, and the 2018 NJCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler. He has been voted the Region Coach of the Year five times.

In 2021, Castillo led the Mustangs to an NJCAA record 10 All-Americans, the first and only time in NJCAA history that has occurred. Castillo is a bronze-level certified coach and serves the Director of the Mustang Wrestling Club. One of his former wrestlers went on to win the Senior U.S Open in Greco at 125kg in 2010. He has also coached MMA athletes in the UFC and Bellator promotions as well several smaller organizations.

In his time as a coach, Castillo has been instrumental in leading the Mustangs to three Academic National Championships and coached dozens of All-Academic award recipients. Castillo serves on several local and national boards and committees including the Leadership Group for the NJCAA as a regional representative.

Castillo will be honored and recognized this weekend at the 2022 NJCAA Wrestling Championships.

Congratulations, Coach Castillo!