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Wrestling Pause

General Jaymin Bernhardt - Director of Athletic Communications

Warner Pacific to Take One Year Wrestling Hiatus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 30th, 2023

PORTLAND | The Warner Pacific University Wrestling Program will be taking a one-year hiatus from competition after the resignation of Ryan Burnison as head Wrestling Coach.  This will allow the Athletic Program to prepare for the future success of the program.

This was not an easy decision but one that was made with much consideration and thought. Warner Pacific Athletic Director, Matt Gregg, talks about the decision process. "We went through the perfect storm with Covid hitting and the departure of our Head Coach who put this program together," Gregg said. "We lost all momentum and I still feel bad for those dedicated wrestlers that were here and that couldn't compete."

The program was left with just one athlete for the 2022-23 season. Taking a year off will allow recruitment of a new coach who will be able to recruit nonstop for a full year, preparing the program to be ready to jump into the 2024-25 season ready to go. "Our goal is not to abandon wrestling, but to bring it back stronger than before," Matt Gregg said. "We have the opportunity to be the only collegiate wrestling program in the Portland Metro area. There are strong wrestling programs in the Portland area and the surrounding communities that will allow us a chance to give local kids a home where they can be seen by friends and family."

The search for our new wrestling coach is in full force. "We are doing a search and have already informally identified a couple coaching possibilities that have coached and wrestled at the collegiate level and love the sport," Gregg said. "We want to put a coaching staff in place that is going to put their stamp on this program when we bring it back for 24-25."

The wrestling program at Warner Pacific started in 2014 and had success right away with freshman Josh Crager qualifying for the NAIA Wrestling Championship. Following that first season, Knight wrestlers went on to achieve All-American status six times, including three national finalists, with Hawaii native, Blake Cooper, winning a national title and being named the most outstanding wrestler of the tournament. Also, in 2016 four Knights went to Russia and Belarus to compete in a series of competitions and train with teams from those countries. In 2022 five Knight Wrestlers were named as Winter Academic All-Conference recipients.

This program has seen its share of success and the upcoming hiatus will hopefully bring that success back to the mat.
 
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