Bio

Tim Box started at Palomar College in 2021, becoming the eighth head wrestling coach in program history. 

Before becoming head coach, Coach Box served as an assistant coach under Brody Barrios at Palomar College and Ross O’Briant at Carlsbad High School. 

Palomar Men’s Wrestling - 3 seasons

2023 - Palomar men’s wrestling had their best season finish in over 5 years, finishing the 3C2A state tournament in 7th place with four state medalists and two All-Americans. Overall, the Comets had 9 state qualifiers.

2022 - The Comets secured 3rd place trophies in both the Southern California Regional Dual Meet Championships and also the Southern California Regional Championships (individual). The Comets placed 9th in California and had four state medalists, one All-American, and one Southern Regional Champion. 9 wrestlers qualified for the 3C2A Championships.

2021 - Despite starting the season in last place, the Comets put two wrestlers onto the state podium and placed 16th overall. 4 wrestlers qualified for the 3C2A Championships. 

Palomar Women’s Wrestling - 1 season

2023 was the first official women’s wrestling season. In its inaugural year, Palomar Women’s Wrestling had one state champion/All-American and two other state medalists. 

United States World Team 

Coach Box led the United States Beach Wrestling men’s and women’s senior world teams during the second half of the 2023 season. Team USA broke a 4-year medal drought, securing two world bronze medalists in the men’s division (Ty Loethen and Tyson Beauperthy) along with Team USA’s first-ever Senior World Champion in over 18 years, Eliana Bommarito. He will once again be head US coach for the UWW Beach Wrestling World Series in 2024. 

Prior to Palomar

Originally from Bakersfield, CA, Coach Box comes from a family of wrestling coaches and has been coaching himself for many years at the youth, high school, and collegiate levels. 

He has had the opportunity to learn from and coach alongside some of the most distinguished coaches in the nation, including NCAA Champion wrestler and current head wrestling coach at the University of Northern Colorado, Troy Nickerson. 

Many of Tim’s former athletes have gone on to earn state and national-level honors, and even more have gone on to have academic and professional success.

Additionally, Coach Box’s father and coach, Mike Box, will assist Tim as a volunteer assistant at Palomar.

 “I’m very humbled and thrilled to lead the Palomar College Wrestling program. Wrestling at Palomar is an amazing opportunity for student-athletes to continue wrestling at the collegiate level while staying in the San Diego area. I have big goals for the future of this team.”

- Coach Box

Competitive History

Referred to as “One of the most versatile wrestlers in America” by FloWrestling, Coach Box is one of the only American wrestlers to win national medals in four different styles of wrestling, which he earned during his time at Bakersfield High School, Cal State Bakersfield, the University of Northern Colorado, and Team USA. 

Individual achievements: 

• UWW Beach Wrestling World Silver Medalist
• US Beach Wrestling World Team Member
• Freestyle Masters National Champion
• College Freestyle and Greco Roman All-American
• NCAA Division I National Qualifier
• 95 NCAA Division I Wins (54 bonus point wins)
• 4x Conference Medalist 
• 2x Big XII Medalist (2x Semi-finalist)
• 2x Pac 12 Medalist (1x Finalist)
• Nationally ranked all four years of NCAA competition
• Big XII Athlete of the Week (First in School History)
• Team Captain, University of Northern Colorado & CSU Bakersfield
• 2x Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational Medalist
• California Collegiate Open Champion
• 3x High School All-American
• 2x CA High School State Medalist
• CA Freestyle and Greco Roman State Champion
• CA Central Section Masters Champion

Personal

Coach Box graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a master’s degree in English. He currently works full-time as the managing editor at a digital marketing company. 

Coach Box lives in Oceanside, CA, with his wife, Amanda, and his daughters, Amelia and Erin.