University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics

            
            Troy Barbush exemplified what it meant to be a true student-athlete as a member of Pitt-Johnstown’s NCAA Division II National Wrestling Championship teams in both 1996 and 1999.  Over his four-year career, Mr. Barbush earned four All-American honors, including winning an individual National Championship at 165 lbs. in 1999, and was a four-time First-Team National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic Team selection.
            Mr. Barbush, Pitt-Johnstown’s first four-time All-American and four-time NWCA All-Academic Team member, joined Head Coach Pat Pecora’s starting line-up as a red-shirt freshman in 1995-96 and promptly became an All-American with a fifth-place finish at 150 lbs. that helped the Mountain Cats secure their first NCAA title by holding off top-ranked Central Oklahoma University.
            The following season, the Mountain Cats finished fifth in the country as Mr. Barbush won his second of three East Region Tournament Championships and secured his second All-America honor by placing fifth at the National Tournament.
            After leading Pitt-Johnstown to a third-place national finish and becoming a three-time All-American in 1997-98, Mr. Barbush reached the pinnacle in wrestling by joining teammates Jodi Strittmatter and John Strittmatter as individual National Champions.  His 8-4 decision over Nebraska-Omaha’s Chris Blair not only gave him his title, but lifted Pitt-Johnstown to its second Division II National Championship in three years.
            Mr. Barbush’s name still remains at or near the top of many of the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Records.  His 34 regular season
wins and 39 overall victories in 1997-98 are a Pitt-Johnstown single-season record at 165 lbs.  In addition, Mr. Barbush’s 113-24
career record and .825 winning percentage both ranked 13^th on the Mountain Cat All-Time Lists.
            He graduated from Pitt-Johnstown in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education and began his professional career as a fourth and fifth grade elementary teacher in Phoenix, AZ.   In 2003, Mr. Barbush began working for Austin Electric Services in Phoenix, where he currently serves as the Director of Training and Development.
            Mr. Barbush, a native of Manheim, Pa. and the 1994 PIAA AAA State Champion at 140 lbs. at Manheim Central High School, has remained very active in the wrestling community as a coach at both the high school and collegiate levels.  From 2000 through 2007, Mr. Barbush was an assistant coach, then head coach at Phoenix’s Barry Goldwater High School where he tutored a pair of Arizona Class 5A High School State Champions, two state runner-ups, and a fifth-place finisher.
            In 2007, he moved to NCAA Division II coaching and assisted Head Coach R.C. LaHaye start a wrestling program at Grand Canyon University.  In the five seasons he spent at Grand Canyon, Mr. Barbush coached national champion wrestlers in 2011 and 2012 and 11 other Division II All-Americans.
            Along with the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame, Mr. Barbush, has also been inducted into the Lancaster-Lebanon Hall of Fame (2011) and the NCAA Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2012).
            Mr. Barbush and his wife, Jeni, reside in Phoenix.  The couple has two children, Gracey, age 11, and Cael, age 8.
            “This is a humbling experience,” Mr. Barbush said.  “The sport of wrestling has truly defined the man I am today.  I was very fortunate to be mentored by great high School wrestling coaches and a legendary college wrestling coach.  I have had tremendous teammates throughout my wrestling career at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.  I owe a lot of credit to a lot of people for helping me achieve this great honor.”