CORVALLIS, Ore. -- The Cascade Collegiate Conference released one of its marquee awards today and Gerardo Hernandez was named the 2022-23 Rize Laboratory Men's Wrestler of the Year. The NAIA 174 Pound Champion, the first in Vanguard wrestling history, collected another important piece of hardware to cap a decorated collegiate career.
Hernandez started wrestling at age 11 and his light really began to shine bright while wrestling at Capistrano Valley High School. He ended his four-year spell with the second-most wins (131), pins (62), and the most takedowns (330) in Cougar program history. He also held the most takedowns in a single season (192) and is tied for second with 47 wins in a single season. He placed third in the 2018 California State Tournament and placed twice in the CIF Tournament.
His collegiate career began at Life Pacific and he took his good form from high school and sharpened it as a freshman. Hernandez qualified for his first NAIA Championships in 2019 after capturing the CCC title at 174 pounds by going 3-0, one of two first-place finishers for LPU that year. Having helped the Warriors claim one of the first two CCC wrestling titles in Warrior history, Hernandez went 1-2 at his first NAIA Championship to get a taste of what the best in the nation had to offer.
His second season was still strong and he placed fifth in the CCC Tournament in 2020, winning his first bout before falling to head to the consolation side of the bracket. He then squared off with future teammate Armon Fayyazi, and though sudden victory was needed, Fayyazi would make the takedown to advance. He won the fifth-place match 3-1, again in sudden victory, to qualify for another NAIA Championship. He went 2-2 at his second trip to the National Championships, losing to the eventual third and fifth-place finishers.
With the 2020-21 season wiped out, Hernandez made the switch over to Vanguard in hopes of driving deeper into his title aspirations. In his first competitive year with the Lions, Hernandez went 14-8 overall and put on a good show at his third CCC Tournament, as he picked up two wins before dropping his next two to place fifth, again qualifying for the NAIA Championships. He started his 2021 event with a win but then lost to the eventual third-place finisher. However, he made a quality run in the consolation side of the bracket, picking up two-straight wins, before Fayyazi knocked him out in sudden victory again.
He converted those lumps into lessons as many of those experiences would prove valuable during the 2022-23 season. With Fayyazi graduating and becoming one of his coaches, Hernandez would not be denied what he believed could be his.
He was one of only two VU wrestlers to win a bout against NCAA DI California Baptist and only lost once during the regular season, entering the CCC Tournament at 17-1. He also defeated five NAIA top-eight ranked wrestlers throughout the season. Grabbing one win on day one, Hernandez then willed his way to two more wins on the second day, including a takedown of NaKoda Siegel with six seconds left on the clock in the title fight to grab his second career CCC first-place finish. The victory gave Vanguard its second-straight 174-pound championship, both over Siegel. With Wichita, Kansas beckoning – the site of the 2023 NAIA Championships – the CCC champ earned the three seed in the bracket.
Hernandez beat his first two opponents with ease but had a much harder battle in his third dual, as he took on Chinges Tsermaa, the only man who had beaten him all year. But a penalty on the Doane wrestler allowed Hernandez to bypass his nemesis and put him in the semifinals. He had to battle his way through a defensive bout against Riley Smucker but a clutch takedown in the third put Hernandez through to the championship match. Hernandez, pitted against Grand View's Isaiah Luellen, engaged in a dual filled with inconclusive hand-fighting. Tied at 1-1 after seven minutes of action, the pair went to overtime to determine who would become the NAIA champion. With everything on the line, Hernandez was able to keep some strength in reserve and make the takedown in sudden victory to stand alone as the NAIA king of the 174-pound weight class.
"There is no one more deserving than Gerardo," said Head Coach Caleb Flores. "It was special to see all of his hard work and dedication pay off at the National Tournament. Gerardo is a true trailblazer by being Vanguard's first National Champion and I am so proud of all that he has done."
"I am just grateful for the opportunity," said Hernandez. "I want to thank the coaching staff, my family, and my teammates that poured their time into me and who believed in me from the start."
Finishing at 25-1 on the season, Hernandez will graduate with an all-time record of 39-9 at Vanguard. He also will end with an 8-4 mark at the NAIA Championships, two CCC titles, and an NAIA Red Banner in his collegiate career.
