Malik McDonald joined the LIU coaching staff in the summer of 2020. Prior to joining the Shark family, he spent a year as a volunteer assistant coach for the Division 1 Clarion wrestling program in 2019-20.
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McDonald was a two-time NCAA qualifier at North Carolina State, and helped the Wolfpack claim the 2019 ACC Tournament championship with his first career individual title. He defeated a pair of top-11 wrestlers en route to the 197-pound championship, including a 13-6 decision over Virginia’s Jay Aiello, who ranked seventh in the nation. McDonald finished his senior season with a 19-11 overall record and a trip to NCAA’s, reaching the second round after defeating West Virginia’s Noah Adams by decision. He punched his ticket to the championships in 2017 thanks to a 20-9 regular season record and an at-large bid, including an 8-4 mark in duals and a three wins over nationally-ranked opponents. McDonald took third at the ACC Championships as a sophomore, and as junior in 2017-18 he split time as the Wolfpack’s starter at heavyweight. He went 20-4 that year, including a 9-2 mark in duals and a 5-0 record at the National Collegiate Open. McDonald earned All-American honors at the U23 World Team Trials that year with a fourth-place finish at 97 kg. He was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 2017-18.
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A graduate of South View High School in Hope Mills, N.C., McDonald was the North Carolina 4A state champion at 182 pounds as a senior and was the third-place finisher as a junior the year before. He took second place at the 2013 NHSCA Junior national tournament.
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McDonald graduated from North Carolina State in 2019 with a degree in Social Work.
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