A two-time Division III national champion and one of the greatest wrestlers to ever hit the Delaware Valley mats, Brandon Totten has amassed a 122-30-2 record while capturing championships and earning coaching accolades in each of his eight years as head coach.
During Totten's tenure, the Aggies won four straight Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) crowns in the last four years of the tournament's existence. In each of the last four seasons, the team went to the Midwest Regional as the qualifying tournament for the NCAAs and captured that title as well. Six of Totten's squads have placed in the top 10 at the NCAAs with one - the 2003-04 edition - finishing fourth for a national trophy.
Individually, Totten's crew has sent 44 wrestlers to the NCAA Division III Championships with 24 returning home as All-Americans (top eight finishes). Two wrestlers - Jamall Johnson and Mike Wilcox - have captured national titles in their respective weight classes while five others have finished as the national runner-up.
Totten took over the program when legendary head coach Robert Marshall retired following the 2001-02 season. He directed the squad to a 17-3 record and they easily defended their MAC championship and placed 13th at the NCAAs. Totten was honored as both the NCAA Division III Rookie Coach of the Year and the MAC Coach of the Year for his efforts.
2004 topped Totten's first campaign as the Aggies won their third straight MAC crown (with Totten earning the MAC Coach of the Year Award once again) and sent five wrestlers to nationals. Four wrestlers came back as All-American as Delaware Valley finished fourth in the team standings.
In 2004-05, Delaware Valley made it four conference titles in a row and Totten shared MAC Coach of the Year honors. Six Aggies went to nationals, three earned All-American honors and the team finished in seventh place for the national tournament.
The Aggies once again were crowned conference champions in 2005-06 as Totten won his fourth Coach of the Year Award. Five Aggies qualified for nationals, including Johnson who captured the 197-pound national championship and led the team to a seventh-place finish.
The 2006-07 edition went 17-2 in the regular season, including a perfect 6-0 mark against Division I and Division II opponents. They then captured the NCAA Midwest Regional crown with Totten earning the Coach of the Year honor.
A year later, the Aggies won 14 of 18 dual meets and successfully defended its Midwest Regional title. Totten was once again named the Coach of the Year as eight wrestlers qualified for nationals. At the NCAAs, four came back as All-Americans and the team finished in fifth place.
The 2008-09 edition that Totten assembled went on to post a 21-1-2 record and were ranked as high as second in the country. They won their third straight regional championship with Totten earning yet another Coach of the Year Award. Six wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships and a school-record five earned All-American honors. Wilcox won the national title at 184 pounds as the Aggies placed fifth once again in the team standings.
Last season, the Aggies went 13-2 with another regional team championship and coaching honor for Totten. Seven wrestlers made the trip to the NCAAs and, once again, a school-record five came home as All-Americans. The team placed fifth for the third straight season.
Totten wrestled at Delaware Valley from 1993 to 1996 after transferring in from Division I Rutgers University. He captured back-to-back NCAA Division III championships in 1995 and 1996 and is one of just two wrestlers (assistant coach Shaun Smith is the other) in school history to capture multiple national titles.
Totten is Delaware Valley's all-time leader with 122 victories in just three seasons. He also holds the single-season record for wins with 50 in 1995-96. He won three NCAA East Regional titles and two MAC crowns during his career, and helped Delaware Valley win the conference and regional team championships in both 1995 and 1996.
All of those accolades helped Totten become the first Aggie wrestler to be inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Association/NCAA Division III Wrestling Hall of Fame in March of 2002.
After graduating in 1996, Totten went to Western Maryland College and earned a Master's in physical education general studies two years later. While at Western Maryland, Totten served as a graduate assistant coach and the team produced back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in nine years, including the Centennial Conference Championship in 1998.
Totten spent head coaching stints at Allentown High School (NJ) and Middlesex County Community College (Middlesex, NJ) and was the head assistant coach at Seton Hall University for two years.
