Elmhurst University Athletics

Began at Elmhurst:
2021-22 Season

Prior Experience:
Sliva spent four years as the head wrestling coach at IC Catholic Prep High School in Elmhurst. Sliva built the wrestling program from the ground up and positioned the team for many years of future success. While at the helm at IC Catholic Prep, Sliva oversaw all aspects of the wrestling program including marketing and social media, recruiting, athlete retention, fundraising, budget, logistics, and scheduling. In his short time at the school, he helped catapult the team to many firsts including their first state champion, first team state berth, first eventual NCAA collegiate wrestler, and many other accomplishments including: three IHSA Individual State Champions, six IHSA all-state honorees, 14 state qualifiers, two IWCOA Wrestler of the Year finalists and an IHSA State Finals Sportsmanship award. Sliva also led the Knights to a regional championship, a dual meet sectional title, and a Dual Meet state finals appearance. 
 
Sliva was nominated and selected as a finalist for the IWCOA Coach of the Year Award following a successful 2019-20 campaign where the program set a school record with six state qualifiers. 

In the classroom, Sliva stressed academic excellence which led to three IHSA Team Academic Achievement Awards (team GPA of 3.0 or higher), an IWCOA Academic All-State member, and numerous individual Academic All-Conference accolades.  
 
In 2017 Sliva was tabbed as one of 50 coaches to participate in the prestigious USA Wrestling Silver Coaches College held at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. He learned from the top coaches and athletes in the country concerning technique, nutrition, sports psychology, peak performance principles, risk management, and other wrestling related curriculum.  
 
In addition to his stint at IC Catholic, Sliva also founded and directed all aspects of a USA Wrestling Club. The club grew to over 140 athletes in 2019-20 in just its second year of operation earning Top 100 club status in the country. While leading the club, he managed several clinics and camps that were conducted by NCAA, World, and Olympic champions. In 2019 he brought a small group of club members to train at the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. 

Personal:
Sliva currently resides in Elmhurst with his family.

Updated May 2024