๐‡๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐…๐š๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ ๐’๐ก๐š๐ง๐ง๐ฒ๐ง ๐‰. ๐†๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ž ๐ซ๐ž๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐‚๐จ๐š๐œ๐ก ๐“๐ž๐š๐ฆ ๐ˆ๐‹ ๐†๐ข๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฌ

Shannyn Gillespie (๐ถ๐‘œ๐‘Ž๐‘โ„Ž ๐‘†โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘›๐‘ฆ๐‘›) first coached with Team Illinois on the boys side in 2014 at the annual Jr. National tournament held in Fargo, ND each summer.ย  Ten years to the date, he returns back to Team IL where it all started for him as a high school wrestler.

In Illinois as a prep wrestler, Coach Shannyn was an IHSA State Champion at 119 lbs for Evanston Township H.S. in 1989 and that same summer, he was Jr. National Freestyle Runner-up at 123 lbs for Team IL.  Also, as a Illinois high school wrestler, he was 2X Freestyle State Champion, 2X Prairie State Games Champion, & Greco-Roman State Champion.  

As a student athlete at Lock Haven University, Gillespie became an NCAA D1 All-American at 142 lbs by winning 3rd place in 1993. After graduating from LHU with a degree in Health & Physical Education (๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘Ž๐‘› ๐‘’๐‘š๐‘โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘Ž๐‘โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘”), he spent 2 years as a resident athlete at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Coach Shannyn began coaching female wrestling in 2004 at the now defunct U.S. Olympic Education in Marquette, MI.ย  In freestyle wrestling, he has coached individuals who went on to win: 4 Olympic Games medals, 29 National Championship Gold medals, 25+ World or Pan American medals, & 5 USA Wrestling Outstanding Wrestler Awards.ย 

He has also coached freestyle womenโ€™s teams at: 34 National Championships, 14 international tournaments & camps, 4 World Championships, & 2 Pan American Championships.

In the summer of 2023, Gillespie coached Team USA to 9 golds at the U17 Pan American Championships.

Coach Shannyn enters his fourth season as Head Coach for Lakeland University Womenโ€™s Wrestling (WI), and was past coach at: the U.S. Olympic Education Center (MI); 2004-2012, the Overtime School of Wrestling (IL); 2013-2014, Lincoln College (IL); 2016-2017, & Homewood-Flossmoor High School (IL); 2017-2020.

Gillespie has been an advocate for growing female wrestling since 2004 and in his final year as coach at Homewood-Flossmoor H.S., the HF Girls Invite 2020 set the record for Illinois female high school participants with 151 female wrestlers.

Coach Shannyn was inducted to these HOFs for his outstanding career as a coach & athlete: Illinois Wrestling Coaches & Officials Association, Eastern Wrestling League, Lock Haven University, & Evanston Township High School.

He and his wife Emily live in Wisconsin plus have two college aged daughters Jazmyn, Kayla.