CORVALLIS, Ore. – The 2026 Cascade Collegiate Conference Men’s Wrestling postseason awards were announced Thursday by the conference office.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Kenneth Copley was named the McDonald's Wrestler of the Year, presented by Urban Edge Network, while teammate Yoshiya Funakoshi earned Newcomer of the Year honors. Carlos Stanton of Arizona Christian University was selected as the Freshman of the Year. Southern Oregon University’s Joel Gibson was named the Coach of the Year. Montana State University–Northern earned the Athletic Solutions Team Sportsmanship Award.
Copley (285lbs), a junior from Sugar City, Idaho, delivered an outstanding season highlighted by a third-place finish at the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions, where he won his first three matches by pins before dropping a semifinal bout and returning to win the consolation match by major decision. He later captured the individual title at the ERAU Mile High Open, going 4-0 with one technical fall and three pins to help lead the Eagles to the team championship on their home mat.
At the Cascade Conference Championship, Copley earned his first individual conference crown, advancing through the bracket with a 10-5 decision, a tiebreaker win, and a sudden victory in the final to claim the title and earn Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament. He carried that momentum into the NAIA National Championship, recording a technical fall in the quarterfinals, a 3-2 decision in the semifinals, and a dramatic pin with six seconds remaining in the championship match to claim his first National Title and third career All-American honor. Copley finished the season with a 32-4 overall record, including 18 wins by pin.
Funakoshi (141lbs), a junior transfer from Cerritos College, made an immediate impact in his first season with Embry-Riddle. The Eagles’ standout finished the year at 27-5 overall, with his only NAIA losses coming at the CCC Championship. His season included a runner-up finish at the ERAU Open, a title at the Falcon Invite, and a fifth-place finish at the CCC Championship. Funakoshi shined on the national stage, entering the NAIA Championship in the middle of the bracket and upsetting several higher seeded opponents on the way to capturing his National Title. He secured an early takedown in the championship match and held on for the victory, helping lead the Eagles to a third-place finish at the CCC Championship and a fourth-place finish at the NAIA National Championship.
Stanton (149lbs), a freshman for Arizona Christian, made a quick name for himself in his first collegiate season. At the CCC Championship, he defeated multiple higher-seeded opponents, recording two technical falls and two pins on his way to capturing the individual title. Stanton continued his strong performance at the NAIA National Championship, advancing to the semifinals before finishing sixth to earn All-American honors in his debut season.
Gibson earned Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive year in his sixth season at the helm of the program. He guided Southern Oregon to a 16-1 overall record and a perfect 9-0 mark against conference competition while helping secure the Raiders’ second straight CCC team championship title. SOU also placed seventh at the NAIA National Championship with 78.0 team points, continuing the program’s reputation as one of the top teams in the highly competitive CCC.