CORVALLIS, Ore. – Vanguard University’s Gerardo Hernandez was named the 2022-23 Cascade Collegiate Conference Rize Laboratory Men’s Wrestler of the Year, announced Thursday.
The senior 174-pound wrestler from Mission Viejo, Calif., had a dominant season on the mat, ending with a 25-1 overall record. Five times throughout the year, he defeated opponents that were ranked in the top eight.
In the CCC tournament, he defeated Montana State-Northern’s NaKoda Siegel in a 4-3 decision victory for the conference title. This led Hernandez to an automatic birth to the NAIA Championship, where he avenged his only loss of the season in the quarterfinals.
Head Coach Caleb Flores was extremely proud of his athlete's accomplishments; “There is no one more deserving to receive this award. It was special to see all his hard work and dedication pay off at the National Championship”.
Hernandez ended his career as the first NAIA Wrestling Champion of his program’s history with a sudden victory over No-1 ranked Isaiah Luellen of Grand View (3-1). Athletic Director Jeff Bussell congratulates Gerardo on an amazing year and stated that “It is amazing to see history being made”.