Pacific Index

The rise of Pacific wrestling is on the horizon  

   Pacific women’s and men’s wrestling has seen a number of dominating performances this winter season. Not only are the women’s and men’s teams growing in size, they also have seen a growing amount of success to accompany their new additions. Rostering 17 women and 13 men, the Boxers are just one of two teams within the Northwest Conference to have a wrestling team—and of the two, have the largest women’s team. Many athletes have worked their way to the top of each bracket, with both the Boxer men and women continually placing high in their respective weight classes. Post season seems to be increasingly likely for a multitude of athletes as the Boxers proceed into their last week of competition. 

   In the Boxer Open held a few weekends ago, men’s wrestler TJ Turner put on a stunning performance finishing first in the 133-pound weight class with a final match score of 17-2. In his matches previously that day, Turner won via tech fall, in all three of his matches leading him to 1st place in the tournament and earning his team 18.5 points. Aside from his growing success in the past years, this season Turner has been able to secure a 1st place finish in the Mat Cat Open and a 4th place finish in the Mike Clock Open. He’s hoping to qualify again for the DIII Wrestling Championship. 

   Another triumphant wrestler on the mat this year has been senior Paige Beals, a leader and standout competitor for the Boxers. Recently, Beals has placed 1st in the Boxer Open, winning with a series of forfeits and tech falls in a 10-0 championship match. Beals also fought to earn runner-up at the Mike Clock Open and went 3-2 during the NWCA Nationals Duals. 

   Beals reflects back on her time at Pacific in high regards, “I’ve loved my experience at Pacific. I transferred here as a sophomore eager to pursue being a student-athlete in college after spending my freshman year as a normal student at UCLA. There aren’t many schools that offer the opportunity to wrestle as a woman, and even fewer that offer a strong education along with it. Pacific has been the perfect balance of academic excellence and athletic rigor that I was looking for, and there’s nowhere else that would have better molded my identity as both a wrestler and a physics student.” 

   For Beals and thousands of other NCAA women collegiate wrestlers across the country, this year will be the first year that the NCAA recognizes women’s wrestling at its 91st championship sports, announced in early January of 2025. This gave the women wrestlers at Pacific a new, much deserved, opportunity to flourish in the post season. “The women’s team has grown immensely since I joined” says Beals, “Not to mention, women’s wrestling is a newly developing and rapidly growing sport in the NCAA overall. It’s so important for teams to have legacy, customs, and older role models to look up to. That was something we lacked my first year here, but Coach Binkerd has done a great job recruiting and creating culture.” She speaks highly of her peers and coach, emphasizing the importance and impact each member brings to the team culture and success. “Over the past three years, the team has grown in roster size, competitiveness, and leadership. Audrey Diaz joined the team as a freshman at the same time I joined. She is not only an accomplished wrestler but also an amazing team captain,” boasts Beals. 

   “She stepped up her sophomore year to be the captain, even though she was still young and unsure at the time. She’s grown into the role and has been another major factor in this team’s success this year. We’ve done multiple team bonding events at her apartment, and they were pivotal in closing the gap from us all being teammates to us all being friends. This team has countless talented and dedicated freshmen, and they are all hungry to compete,” Beals praised.

Diaz is not only a great leader, but an athlete proven to be deadly on the mat. Sophomore Audrey Diaz has placed 1st at both the Pacific Open and the Mat Cat Open, ranking 17th nationally at 138 pounds according to Open Mat Rankings and is a stronger contender to go far in the post season. For the men, another notable wrestler, Matthew Gray, has shown strong performances, placing 4th at the Boxer Open and 4th at the Mat Cat Open. 

   After a long, grueling winter season for the wrestling teams, their regular season will finally come to a close on February 15. Following this, the women have Regionals set to take place on February 21st in Lindenwood, MO with Nationals to follow on March 7-8 in Coralville, Iowa. For the Boxer men’s team, Regionals will take place in Eau Claire, Wis. on February 27-28th and Nationals will be held in Grand Rapids, Iowa from March 13-14th. 

   Beals adds one last sentiment about her young team, “I cannot wait to see what they do beyond this season and where they take Pacific’s program. I’m honored to have had a role in this team’s development. I believe Pacific women’s wrestling is going to keep growing until it becomes the powerhouse of the Pacific Northwest it was always meant to be!”