Pacific Index

Pacific’s wrestling teams prepare for their season ahead, and are excited to have many strong returners along with promising new additions

The powerful, loud echo of music shakes the wrestling gym as the team moves through practice. The strength of the team is undeniable. After wrapping up a solid season last year with outstanding individual performances throughout, Pacific University wrestlers are ready to take the mat again. 

   The last time we saw our men’s wrestling team, they traveled all the way to Stevens Point, Wisconsin for the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Regional. Bringing nine wrestlers to the tournament, three competitors had admirable success. Boxer wrestlers Lucas Paschina, Francisco Endi, and now graduated Loudyn Reese had strong performances in the beginning of the tournament, but ultimately ended their times there with losses to close it out. For the women’s team, we last saw them compete at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Regional in Denton, Texas. At the time freshman Audrey Diaz, Paige Beals, and Isabella Renner from Pacific placed in the top eight in their respective weight classes. 

   Moving forward into this season the team is more ready than ever to compete again. “The women’s team is smaller on the numbers side, but we had a lot of people who were really successful returning and a good amount of new girls joining,” junior wrestler Makalia Takahashi explained. “Wrestlers like Audrey Diaz and Paige Beals had great seasons last year and are both returning this season.” With an additional six new freshmen added to the women’s squad, it creates good competition among the team. “We are a couple deep in a few weight classes so it will be pretty competitive,” she explained.  For the men’s side, they won’t see as many new wrestlers this year compared to the women’s team, but there are a lot of strong returners according to Takahashi. 

   To prepare for the season ahead, the team has sharpened their skills before the start of matches. “We break practice down and on Mondays and Wednesdays we do more skill and technical work. On those days we separate the men’s and women’s team practice times, because the men’s team wrestle folkstyle and the women’s wrestle freestyle,” Takahashi expanded. “Then on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays we are all together. This is when the two teams (men’s and women’s) really mesh and come together as one.” The unity of the two teams is really important and adds to the culture of the program.

   “Our team works very well together and we try to recognize that competition wise we are two separate teams, but together we are all one big team,” Takahashi said. She went on to share that both the men’s and women’s team do a good job to come together as one and keep each other accountable and to push each other. Coach Zach Binkerd oversees both of these teams and works to make sure that they are as unified as possible. “He does a good job on checking in on us,” Takahashi expressed. “He makes sure that the men’s and women’s captains and teams are checking in with each other and connecting as one team.” They do their part as a team by making sure they show up focused everyday for one another and ready to compete.

   The team is excited and ready to take on the challenges ahead, yet are aware of what setbacks they might face. “One of our weaknesses this year would be missing some weight classes because other ones are stacked with multiple people,” said Takahashi. “On the flip side it makes our team a lot more competitive with each other.” The teams are excited to get going and to compete. “I think this year will be really good,” Takahashi concluded with a smile. “I am really hopeful.”