'No matter where I go, Morgantown will always be my home': Three-time National Champion Reflects on WVU Wrestling Career, Program's Achievements
July 30, 2026 09:30 AM | Wrestling
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University wrestling program claims five individual national championships. Three of those titles are owned by one wrestler. Greg Jones.
Winning one is a feat few college wrestlers get to achieve. Despite hundreds of wrestlers around the country each year qualifying for the NCAA Wrestling Championships, only 10 walk away with an individual title.
During his four-year career as a Mountaineer, Jones won three crowns in two different weight classes. He began his career with a national championship as a freshman, becoming just the 10th wrestler at the time to do it.
At the time, Jones was just the 39th wrestler in NCAA history to win three national titles.
For Jones, the allure of West Virginia University was rooted in something deeper. Family.
"Coming out of high school, I didn't take a visit to any other colleges," Jones said. "Seeing my older brother come through WVU, and having the level of success he had, we had a similar background and upbringing that if he could go there and flourish, I could."
The Jones family had three wrestlers compete for WVU: Greg, Vertus and Donnie.
Vertus was a two-time runner-up at the NCAA Championships, winning 24 consecutive bouts in 2000. Donnie battled early injuries during his career to qualify for multiple NCAA Championships.
That connection through family and what West Virginia could offer made it easy for Greg to become a Mountaineer.
"Morgantown, West Virginia, is a very unique place," Greg Jones said. "West Virginia University is a very unique institution. The opportunities that were provided for me and others were exceptional. I think it's a place where you have really genuine people who are invested in seeing athletes, the University and athletics succeed as a whole."
Anyone who has been on social media in recent months has seen the videos. People all around the world singing that signature song about West Virginia, John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads".
To many, it may be a song they've heard over the years, even more frequently in recent months. To West Virginians and the student-athletes who represent the state's land-grant institution, it's an anthem sung after wins and all the good moments in between. Greg has been all around the world, and he's heard that song played everywhere.
"Whenever I was in college, I took a training trip to Beijing, China," Greg said. "We were coming off The Great Wall, walking down to the parking lot, and there was a little café nearby. That café was playing "Take Me Home, Country Roads".
"That song is probably the most internationally recognized song. I train athletes from all over the world, and most of them know that song."
West Virginia has sustained success over the years. A lot of that success has come under the leadership of coach Tim Flynn. Greg also sees WVU's location as a major boost when it comes to recruiting quality wrestlers.
"I think geographically it is situated very well," Greg said. "It is a very fertile recruiting ground. That gives you an opportunity to expand your recruiting base nationwide. I think we're seeing coach Flynn and his staff do that very well. The chance of success in that three-hour radius is much higher."
Greg is proud of the success his alma mater has had on the mat. Seven consecutive NCAA All-Americans speak to the culture Flynn has built at West Virginia, but that culture is also built on what Flynn has created over his extensive coaching career with a previous stop at Edinboro.
"Even when he was at Edinboro, he always had specific types of athletes," Greg said. "He found the right fit, the right people for his program and he develops the hell out of them. It's really cool to watch guys come in as a freshman and see how he develops them throughout their careers."
Greg Jones's impact on the WVU wrestling program is hard to overlook. Three national titles speak for themselves. Even with that success as a Mountaineer, Greg is focused more on the current success of the program and what's in store for the future.
"Coaching and the sport of wrestling have allowed me to travel to nearly 30 countries, but there is no place like Morgantown," Greg said. "No matter where I go, Morgantown will always be my home. I take a great deal of pride in that wrestling program and the athletic department. It will always be part of me."
Winning one is a feat few college wrestlers get to achieve. Despite hundreds of wrestlers around the country each year qualifying for the NCAA Wrestling Championships, only 10 walk away with an individual title.
During his four-year career as a Mountaineer, Jones won three crowns in two different weight classes. He began his career with a national championship as a freshman, becoming just the 10th wrestler at the time to do it.
At the time, Jones was just the 39th wrestler in NCAA history to win three national titles.
For Jones, the allure of West Virginia University was rooted in something deeper. Family.
"Coming out of high school, I didn't take a visit to any other colleges," Jones said. "Seeing my older brother come through WVU, and having the level of success he had, we had a similar background and upbringing that if he could go there and flourish, I could."
The Jones family had three wrestlers compete for WVU: Greg, Vertus and Donnie.
Vertus was a two-time runner-up at the NCAA Championships, winning 24 consecutive bouts in 2000. Donnie battled early injuries during his career to qualify for multiple NCAA Championships.
That connection through family and what West Virginia could offer made it easy for Greg to become a Mountaineer.
"Morgantown, West Virginia, is a very unique place," Greg Jones said. "West Virginia University is a very unique institution. The opportunities that were provided for me and others were exceptional. I think it's a place where you have really genuine people who are invested in seeing athletes, the University and athletics succeed as a whole."
To many, it may be a song they've heard over the years, even more frequently in recent months. To West Virginians and the student-athletes who represent the state's land-grant institution, it's an anthem sung after wins and all the good moments in between. Greg has been all around the world, and he's heard that song played everywhere.
"Whenever I was in college, I took a training trip to Beijing, China," Greg said. "We were coming off The Great Wall, walking down to the parking lot, and there was a little café nearby. That café was playing "Take Me Home, Country Roads".
"That song is probably the most internationally recognized song. I train athletes from all over the world, and most of them know that song."
West Virginia has sustained success over the years. A lot of that success has come under the leadership of coach Tim Flynn. Greg also sees WVU's location as a major boost when it comes to recruiting quality wrestlers.
"I think geographically it is situated very well," Greg said. "It is a very fertile recruiting ground. That gives you an opportunity to expand your recruiting base nationwide. I think we're seeing coach Flynn and his staff do that very well. The chance of success in that three-hour radius is much higher."
Greg is proud of the success his alma mater has had on the mat. Seven consecutive NCAA All-Americans speak to the culture Flynn has built at West Virginia, but that culture is also built on what Flynn has created over his extensive coaching career with a previous stop at Edinboro.
"Even when he was at Edinboro, he always had specific types of athletes," Greg said. "He found the right fit, the right people for his program and he develops the hell out of them. It's really cool to watch guys come in as a freshman and see how he develops them throughout their careers."
Greg Jones's impact on the WVU wrestling program is hard to overlook. Three national titles speak for themselves. Even with that success as a Mountaineer, Greg is focused more on the current success of the program and what's in store for the future.
"Coaching and the sport of wrestling have allowed me to travel to nearly 30 countries, but there is no place like Morgantown," Greg said. "No matter where I go, Morgantown will always be my home. I take a great deal of pride in that wrestling program and the athletic department. It will always be part of me."
'I Knew That Those Guys Had My Back': Mitchell Port Speaks About WVU Wrestling
Friday, July 17
WRES: Gunner Andrick
Tuesday, July 07
WRES: Brody Conley
Friday, June 19
WRES: Athletics Performance Center Tour
Wednesday, June 10
