COSTA MESA -- The mat stands ready, a lone sentry devoid of emotion that does not see anything but a winner or a loser.  The circle seems to shrink as the action spins faster, but through the dizzying speed and display of power, Vanguard men's wrestlers seem calm, at peace, as if they are the eye of a storm.  And the squad needs to maintain that mindset as they work in the 2025-26 campaign, as there is a lot of history on offer in the teams first official season in the NCAA Division II.  The team has already put in hours of practice and now gets to take all that preparation and test themselves across the DII level.  Head Coach Caleb Flores wants to pick up his first NCAA National Championship qualifiers in 2025-26, and his large roster is offering him plenty of talent to work with.    
 
Flores begins his seventh year guiding the second edition of VU wrestling and his second attack on the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.  The Lions were held without a conference champion in 2024-25, the first time in three campaigns, though Fernando Barreto Jr. came close with a silver medal.  The hope is move up the standings in the MPSF and do even better at the NCAA Regional that determines who goes to the big dance in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  "If you place top three in the region, you go to nationals," says Flores.  "Once you're in the dance, anything can happen, but we got to get to the dance, and it's a long road to do that.  But we're doing a lot of traveling, we're going to Nebraska and Colorado, where some good teams will be.  So, we're going to get battled-tested and get ourselves ready to see the lay of the land.  I am excited to get to compete against some of the best."
 
There are two newcomers and one veteran at the 125-pound division for VU, with Hope International transfers Sid Barron and Jovanni Evangelista being the new faces.  Barron lost both of his matches at the ERAU Mile High Open last year and was a Masters qualifier and CIF placer at JW North High School. Evangelista did not get an opportunity to wrestle as a Royal but was a state qualifier at Northview HS.  Hector Hernandez is the man back for VU and went 20-23 in 2024-25, the most matches by a VU wrestler last winter.  "We have a three-horse race and I'm excited.  They're going to fight for that spot, and it's been fun to watch them progress.  They are helping each other get better," relayed Flores.
 
The 133-pound weight class has four participants and "RJ" Robert Villegas is the "upper classman" of the squad, as the sophomore had a 16-12 mark during his debut campaign.  Zachary Klarcyk qualified for the state tournament three times and was a CIF Central placer as well for Porterville HS.  Isaiah Torres was a Hawaii state placer for Kalani HS, while Dominic Simon was a Master's qualifier and a CIF section placer for Village Christian School.  "RJ was a round of 12 guy for us, and he has put in a good summer of work.  Zach is a stud, and those two have been testing each other in practice and it's been fun to watch these guys," said Flores. 
 
At 141 pounds, Barreto Jr. leads the way for the Blue and Gold after finishing 19-5 last year.  He was a Collegiate Wrestling Association All-American at 141 pounds to top his runner-up finish at the MPSF Tournament. He has three wrestlers under his wing, as freshmen Nolan Himelfarb, Cash Port, and Chase Weber join the program.  Himelfarb was a Master's qualifier for Chaminade HS, with Port doing that twice for Aliso Niguel HS.  Weber was a state placer in Washington for Burlington Edison HS.  "Fernando Barreto looks like he's going to be the guy for us again, leading the charge, and we are excited for that," stated Flores.
 
The section for 149 pounds is headlined by the return of Bryant Avila, who owns a 24-15 record in his VU career.  He was a champion at the last Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament the Lions participated in and wants to become one of the first to take that title at the MPSF event.  Randy Lockwood is another guy who did not get to wrestle last year but is back in the mix and has an 0-4 ledger as a Lion.  Vince Partington and Hercules Windrath are two of the new guys on the block, with Windrath coming from Cal Poly SLO after being a two-time state placer from Fountain Valley HS.  Partington finished in the top 12 of the state and was a Masters qualifier and a CIF champion for Cypress HS.  Shawn Worley is the final freshman of the group and was a Master's qualifier for Great Oak HS.  "There are too many guys," joked Flores, before adding, "We have five guys, but you have to go with your veteran, and Bryant was a CCC champion our last year in the NAIA and he is looking to be the guy, but we got a challenger.  Hercules was a two-time California State Placer, and we are developing depth that we've been needing these past couple years."
 
The 157-pound corps is one of the biggest on the squad, with five combatants ready to go.  A pair of seniors, Rafa Marquez and Caidence Turner, lead freshman Joseph Davis, Anthony Manno, and Anthony Peraza.  Marquez was 5-7 last winter, the most wins he has produced at VU in a season.  Turner was 2-6 in limited action in his first season at Vanguard.  Davis was a Washington state placer for Marysville-Pilchuck HS, while Manno qualified for the state tournament twice and won once for Newport Harbor HS.  Peraza made the state tournament twice and was the runner-up at the Master's tournament.  "You have Mantle, who finished eighth in the country, Peraza, who made the round of 12 at state, and then a returner in Marquez.  Iron sharpens iron at that weight class, and the best man will be standing at the end," relayed the head coach about the crowd at 157.
 
At 165 pounds, the Blue and Gold have three wrestlers, with Sunni Motas the only returner of the contingent.  Motas also had a career-high six wins in 2024-25 (6-7) and could set another best in the new campaign.  Cole Shafer and Manuel Garza are the new additions to this class, with Shafer being a Master's qualifier for Glendora HS.  "Sunni has been doing a lot of work off the mat and putting in good mental training, and that's going to help him grow, mature, and be the leader that I know he can be," offered Flores.
 
A pair of returners will be at 174 pounds for VU, with Mason Hernandez and Keagen Kroeger battling for the starting role in duals.  Kroeger had a 10-18 mark last season, his best at Vanguard, while Hernandez was a workhorse for the team with a 16-18 record in his debut.  "Mason was our starter at 165 last year and is moving up, and he put on a lot of size," said the skipper.  "He's been doing a lot of work in the weight room, and we're excited for him.  Keegan is dropping down to 174s this season and it's going to be a nice battle between them."
 
Marquize Brown is, for now, the lone Lion at 184 pounds and has continued to put in the work while being in the school's vigorous nursing program.  He was 7-10 last year, putting his career record at 16-23.  "If he puts everything together, he's tough to deal with, and it's just trying to piece all those little things together for him," offered Flores on the junior.
 
It is a new cast for Vanguard at 197 pounds, as three freshmen; Peter Fulgentes, Asa Goff, and Isaiah Johnson, attempt to claim the main role.  Johnson was a Colorado state champion and went undefeated in his senior year after being the runner-up in his junior season.  Goff made the Master's tournament twice, and Fulgentes made the state tournament once.  "They're all freshman," was Flores' first take.  "But we definitely did some work for this class.  Isaiah was a state champion in Colorado, Asa was a national qualifier in freestyle, and Peter is a hard worker too."
 
The heavyweights have three seasoned guys to act as guides for David Baxter, the lone freshman.  Roman Torres has the most history of the three with a 6-19 ledger, netting a career-best four wins a year ago.  Alan Carrillo had a 2-3 performance last season, and LeRoy Garibay had a 3-2 mark, though that was at a lower weight class, as he moves to the 285 setting for the first time.  Baxter had one year at Hope International and a little experience at the Mile High Open in addition to making the Master's tournament once at Sonora HS.  "They are working hard and really, really well together, and getting better together," was the final reflection on the lineup by Flores.
 
The season begins in Atherton, as the Menlo Open starts competition for the Lions this Saturday.  The squad faces Western Colorado the following Saturday at San Francisco State, and the roster splits from there for different meets on September 22.  Some of the troops deploy to the Younes Hospitality Open hosted by the University of Nebraska at Kearney, while others go to the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunner Open.
 
The first home event is against Menlo on December 6 at 11:00 a.m. and the 2025 calendar year closes at the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 21.  The second phase of the season begins at Western Colorado on January 9-10 for multiple events, followed by duals against SF State (at home, January 16) and Cal Poly Humboldt (away, January 23).  VU is hosting the MPSF Tournament his year, and all the wrestling starts at 10:00 a.m. inside the Freed Center on February 1, and all fans should plan on being there for a good Sunday morning of wrestling.  The Lions then host Simon Fraser, Westcliff, and Simpson on February 7 for a quad dual and then HIU on the night of February 12 for a single clash.  Before the NCAA qualifying process begins, VU will tune up one last time at the Arizona Christian Firestorm Open on February 14.
 
That is quite the gauntlet to navigate, and those with dreams of making the NCAA Tournament do not have a ton of wiggle room when it comes to the selection process.  But Coach Flores thinks this could be one of the most exciting teams that he has had.
 
"It's going to be a fun year.  I'm just excited to watch our guys compete.  I think this year's group really likes to wrestle, lay it on the line, and we're going to wrestle a really exciting style and score a lot of points.  I hope you all come watch us when we're at home, because you are going to leave here very, very entertained."
 
Entertainment, scoring, and hopefully, some champions.  What more do you need?