Q&A with Life Pacific College Assistant Coach Brady Bersano; Beginning of a Tradition by Al Fontes
TDR Editor’s Notes; This is from The California Wrestler and while that publication covers wrestling way, way, far away on the other coast this is an interesting article about a new college wrestling team and how they are working to build a tradition of the sport at their school. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“BEGINNING OF A TRADITION”
Earlier this year, Life Pacific College in San Dimas announced the fielding of a newly established wrestling program in the Southern California area, which as of this writing is scheduled to begin competition in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (aka, NAIA) division during the 2018 – ’19 season. Leading this program is former Cal Baptist Assistant Coach Arsen Aleksanyan, a well respected wrestling figure in the state of California and abroad. Joining his staff is one of his top performers at Cal Baptist in Brady Bersano of Clovis. While at Cal Baptist, Brady earned NCAA All-American and was a national finalist. In addition, he did very well in the classroom and was a two-time NCAA Academic All-American in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Prior to Cal Baptist, Brady was a two-time California Community College State Champion and All-American at Fresno City College, earning the Outstanding Wrestler Award in the process. Moreover, he earned Academic All-American honors twice for Fresno City and was chosen the Fresno City College Male Athlete of the Year in 2013. According to Coach Aleksanyan, he initially recruited Brady to California Baptist from Fresno City and was an integral part of his development, both on the mat and getting to know him as a student/athlete.
Rest of the story at http://thecaliforniawrestler.com/q-beginning-of-a-tradition-by-al-fontes/?mc_cid=9d44a644a0&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b
Big Bend to return men’s wrestling, introduce women’s wrestling
MOSES LAKE- Last time Big Bend had a wrestling program was the 1994-1995 school year. After a 23-year hiatus, Big Bend will return its men’s wrestling program and introduce a women’s wrestling program. Big Bend released the news late last week.
Wrestling has been a big deal in the local area for years. Moses Lake, Othello, Warden and Royal among others, all have contending wrestling programs. Even girl’s wrestling has solid footing, with Othello and Warden consistently produce fantastic female wrestlers. Other programs such as Moses Lake, Ephrata and Wahluke boasted excellent female wrestlers this last state tournament.
The decision was explained by Athletic Director Mark Poth as a multi-layered one. “We feel as an athletic department that we can continue to grow that success with the expansion of our athletic offerings and with the extreme interest in both men’s and women’s wrestling in our service area it feels like a win-win situation,” Poth said. Poth continues to make moves confidently as an athletic director. He started with the coaching staff, hiring four new head coaches last season, which saw three playoff droughts of more than 10 years topple. Rest of the story at http://www.ifiberone.com/columbia_basin/big-bend-to-return-men-s-wrestling-introduce-women-s/article_c9b40616-69d5-11e8-96bd-fb304026f5e3.html
TDR blog
After 20 seasons of publicizing wrestling The TakeDown Report’s (TDR) focus has changed to the collecting of college coaching records from North America since 1903. We will continue to recognize and reward successful wrestlers in eastern North Carolina (east of Raleigh & Fayetteville), assist with schools in starting or re-starting a team and this blog. Join us on our FaceBook Page – “The TakeDown Report” for photos and news. Please send results, stories, links and news to pass along. E-mail us at takedownreport@gmail.com
Martin Fleming, Editor
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