A New Era of Fresno State Wrestling
My Story
In 2011, I thought I had wrestled my last match when my high school career ended. I started the sport late and did everything I could with the four short years I had. I wasn’t a scholarship-level athlete, and continuing to wrestle at the college level just wasn’t financially possible for my family. I enrolled at Fresno State feeling like I had unfinished business in the sport, but no path to keep going. That realization hit me hard.
To stay connected, I went back to my old high school and helped coach for a couple seasons. I loved being around the sport, but it didn’t fill the void of being on the mat myself. Eventually I decided to enroll at Fresno City College to give myself one more chance on the mat. A shoulder injury cut that run short, but the time I spent in that room helped me grow more as a wrestler than anything I had done before.
After surgery, I returned to Fresno State with a brace on my shoulder and still felt that drive to stay in wrestling somehow. I walked into the Club Sports Expo hoping someone had started a wrestling club. No one had. The advisor looked at me and said, “Why don’t you start it?”
I thought about it for a moment and realized, why not me?
That decision became the start of the Fresno State Wrestling Club.
My Mission
In 2023, I was given the opportunity to return to the program and take on the role of Head Coach of the Fresno State Wrestling Club. When I stepped into that position, I knew our program had untapped potential, and it felt like a disservice to the Central Valley not to build something that matched what this community deserves.
My goal became simple: build the kind of program that College Freshman me would have dreamed of being part of.
When we rebranded as Fresno State NCWA Wrestling, we went back to the foundation and rebuilt everything with intention. I wanted this to be a legitimate option for local athletes who want to stay home, pursue their degree, and still compete in college wrestling without having to leave the Valley.
Today, we train five days a week on campus, with a committed coaching staff, structured practices, and a competitive culture. We host home events so families can watch their athletes compete in Fresno, and we schedule varsity-level competition to push our team to grow. Everything we do is designed to create a real pathway for Central Valley wrestlers to continue their careers right here at Fresno State.
This is the mission. This is the purpose. And we’re just getting started.
What’s Next
With the groundwork in place, the next step is growing this program the right way. Like any college team, we are scouting talent and recruiting athletes who fit our vision — but our focus is on finding people who want to help build this with us. We want athletes who take pride in contributing to something bigger than themselves, who are willing to work, develop, and put their mark on this program as it rises.
This is a new era of Fresno State Wrestling.
Jovany Gonzalez
Head Coach