St. Mary’s Ryken Names Cam Watkins as New Head Wrestling Coach

 

St. Mary’s Ryken is proud to announce the hiring of Cam Watkins as the new Head Wrestling Coach. With extensive coaching experience in both the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and Southern Maryland, Coach Watkins brings a passion for empowering student-athletes and building championship-level programs.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Watkins to the SMR community as he leads our wrestling program forward," said Jon Lombardo, SMR Athletic Director. "Coach Watkins brings a wealth of knowledge to SMR and deep ties to the DC region wrestling community. He is a proven head coach, leader, and recruiter who will foster academic excellence and individualized student growth in a Catholic, co-educational setting. We are thrilled to welcome Cam and his family to the SMR community.”

Watkins most recently served as Head Coach at Northern High School (Calvert County, Md.) and has a proven track record with Rampage Wrestling Club, St. John’s College High School, High 5 Wrestling Club, and Poquoson High School. A former NCAA Division I wrestler at Old Dominion University and a two-time Maryland High School State Champion, Watkins was inducted into the Colonel Zadok Magruder High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.

As he steps into his new role at SMR, Coach Watkins outlined a bold and exciting vision for the wrestling program:

“My first priority is getting to know the current roster and sharing my vision with the SMR wrestling family," said Watkins. "Effort, attitude, and consistency—mixed with hard work and fundamental wrestling—will be the foundation of our program. I plan to bring lots of energy to the mat, empower assistant coaches, and build a year-round training and competition schedule that prepares us for postseason success."

Watkins has set high expectations, including recruiting a Girls Head Coach, adjusting the in-season competition schedule to better position the team for championships, and launching a new annual tournament at SMR. His goals for the program's first year include winning the WCAC Conference Tournament, making a strong showing at the Maryland Independent State Tournament, and finishing in the Top 10 at National Preps.

"I hope the wrestling program achieves one of the highest team GPAs among all SMR athletic programs by 2026," Watkins added. "I’m especially excited to impact these students positively, helping them grow as athletes, scholars, and leaders.”

In addition to immediate improvements, Watkins emphasized his commitment to long-term program growth through strong relationships with local youth wrestling programs, enhanced community involvement, and hosting premier events.

“Recruiting and retaining WCAC-quality student-athletes starts now," said Watkins. "We’ll make SMR Wrestling highly visible and connected in the youth wrestling community."

Coach Watkins is thrilled to return to the WCAC and the Maryland Independent Schools athletic scene. "I can’t wait to get to work," he said. "The support for wrestling at SMR is tremendous, and the school’s encouragement of multi-sport athletes will be a huge asset as we grow the program."

For more information about St. Mary’s Ryken athletics, visit www.smrhs.org/athletics or contact Jon Lombardo at jonathan.lombardo@smrhs.org.