COSTA MESA -- The practices lead to one moment on the mat.  Whether that might be against one foe in a dual, or the first of what most wrestlers hope will be many opponents in a tournament, it all begins with that first whistle.  And now the much anticipated first whistle of the new season is just a few days away.

Last season, Vanguard men's wrestling improved their performance across the board and got their first taste of what an NCAA Division II Regional qualifier feels like.  With a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Champion, the MPSF Freshman of the Year, the Coach of the Year, and the second-highest GPA in Division II in men's wrestling, the Lions had all cylinders firing in 2025-26.  As the engine builds speed for 2026-27, it is an encouraging sign that the Blue and Gold retained 25 wrestlers, including the major award winners.  In addition to that force, MPSF Coach of the Year Caleb Flores added 10 new wrestlers to the roster for the upcoming season, and he is excited with their prospects already.
 
"I mean, this is probably, on paper, one of our better recruiting classes, and once again, that goes back to our coaches.  We were out there hustling and recruiting, and it's a testament to where our program is, where our program is going. So, it's been a really good summer as far as recruiting and getting the right kids here into our program."
 
Those new faces are not going to ride the bench all season and have already been pushing the returners in practice, which bodes well for team results.  VU was 8-7 in duals in 2025-26 and placed fourth at the MPSF Tournament, but there should more more wins for the Lions this campaign. And Coach Flores, in his eighth year, has a simple answer as to why.  He knows that the depth shared between the returners and newcomers is the real secret sauce to the recipe of his roster.
 
"I feel like our program is finally at a spot where we have depth, we have competition, and that raises everyone's level.  Sometimes, whether they want to admit it or not, complacency comes in and some say, 'I'm the starter'.  Some guys get excited or happy with that, and now they have guys competing. We're two, three, and four deep at certain weight classes and the level of competition in our room….We had our first practice, and the level of competition when we go live has been raised because people know that somebody's on their heels wanting what they had or have.  It's been really good."

It was also good enough for the coaches across the country to take notice, as VU was given votes as a team in the National Wrestling Coaches Association preseason poll.
 
Those who are putting on the Blue and Gold singlet for the first time include Kayden Cartee, the lone transfer, who comes from Cal Baptist where he featured in eight matches at 197 pounds.  He was a league and CIF champion and placed fourth at one of his two appearances at the California State High School Tournament at Mayfair HS.  Flores noted Cartee as student-athlete who knows, "what it takes to be successful," and is making good gains.  Troy Montero (La Mirada HS), Kelan Stever (San Clemente HS), and Treyton Sheets (Frontier HS) all placed eighth at the California State Tournament, while Azuan Gonzales-Rice (Eisenhower HS) was a three-time tournament qualifier.  Drew Gonzales (Redwood HS), Vincent Hanna (Servite), Alejandro Navarro (Valencia HS), and Frontier HS teammates Jackson Naven and Andrew Williams round out the incoming class for coach Flores, who is pleased that he can keep the cupboard stocked with talent.  
 
While Coach Flores is certainly fired up about his incoming student-athletes, the rest of the roster has already produced results in the heat of battle. 

"I mean, we have a ton of returners, which has been great for our program....They all saw what it took. They thought they knew what it took to get to the national level. They weren't happy with their results.  They competed well, they just didn't get the results that they wanted and, you know, they left that [event] very motivated and they put in a great summer across the board. Our guys, I mean, you can see a big jump from February to last summer to this summer. They put a big summer in and I'm expecting big things from all of our returners."

One stalwart back in the fold is Marquize Brown, the first MPSF champion for the Blue and Gold, who begins his senior season.  Going 23-7 during the campaign, Brown strolled through the MPSF bracket at 184 pounds and ended one win away from becoming the first NCAA National Championship qualifier in VU history. 
 
"He's navigating the nursing [program's] demands, you know, and he's doing really well. I mean, you know, grade wise, he's doing great, and then, you know, practicing, he's a leader.  We're expecting big things from him. I mean, right off the chute, he should be ranked in the top eight in the country. And he's expecting a lot out of himself. So, we're excited for him."   (Upon release of the NWCA preseason poll, Brown was voted 14th at 184 pounds.)
 
Another wrestler who placed fourth at the NCAA qualifier was Zachary Klarcyk, who ended his first collegiate season with a sparkling 20-4 record and was voted ninth in the preseason rankings.  While he missed battling for the MPSF crown, he beat the main MPSF competition at 133 pounds and was named the MPSF Freshman of the Year.
 
"Zachary Klarcyk.  What a great number one, what a great young man.  He has an electric personality, and his wrestling matches his personality. He's looking to score points. He's very poised.  But he did fall a little short.  But I think he addressed those issues. I think it was more maturity and strength instead of technique, and he put a lot of work in the weight room this summer.  He pretty much said that [last year's result] will never happen to him again, where he got a little outmuscled….He told me he was never going to let that happen, and looking at his body and strength, I was like, 'All right, you were in the weight room.'"
 
Jovanni Evangelista, Robert Villegas, Hercules Windrath, Vince Partington, Keagen Kroeger, Asa Goff, and David Baxter were the other Lions who carried the torch for VU at the qualifiers.  Windrath placed sixth at the qualifiers and had a 7-4 record during the year, while Goff placed second at the MPSF Championships and concluded his first year with a 9-8 record.  Evangelista had a 4-14 mark on the year, Villegas posted a ledger of 4-10, Kroeger went 2-11, Partington rang up a 11-9 mark, and Baxter a 13-11 record.

"I got to give Hercules a lot of credit, I got to give Giovanni a lot of credit.  I mean, they've been really good leaders, making the [new] guys feel welcomed... our leaders on our program, our returners, they've been great people, really mentoring the10 new guys into the program. They kind of meshed right away."
 
Another important face that returns to the lineup is Fernando Barreto Jr., who went 3-1 in an injury-shortened season a year ago.  Fully healthy entering his final season, Barreto holds a 27-18 all-time record and could become an NCAA All-American for VU after securing an NWCA All-American finish two school years. 
 
"He took seventh at the US Open, which is the elite of the elite.  I call it, like, the major leagues of wrestling, and he is a returning All-American for us…he's healthy, he's cleared, and we're expecting a big year for him.  He's one of our leaders, you know, he's a leader across campus…He's a fire-starter for us, so it's really good to see him back healthy and practicing again."
 
Then comes a swath of VU wrestlers who are hunting for a starting lineup spot in a dual or inclusion in more open tournaments this winter.  Sid Barron, Joseph Davis (2-5), Peter Fulgentes, Manuel Garza (0-2), Hector Hernandez (0-0, 20-23 overall), Nolan Himelfarb (1-4), Isaiah Johnson (4-8), Randy Lockwood (7-12), Anthony Manno, Anthony Peraza, Cash Port (3-7), Cole Shafer (2-5), Dominic Simon (2-2), Chase Weber (0-1), and Shawn Worley are all the other pieces to the puzzle looking to make an impact in 2026-27. 
 
The provisional lineup has at least two bodies at each weight class, though Brown holds at 184-pound spot alone.  Evangelista, Montero, Barron, and Simon will open most nights at the 125-pound class, with Klarcyk, Gonzales-Rice, Hernandez, and Worely pegged for the 133-pound division.  Barreto Jr. has Williams, Port, Villegas, Hanna, and Himelfarb in company at 141 pounds, while Windrath, Peraza, and Garza are stationed at 149 pounds.  Partington and Sheets can flip for the 157-pound bout, with Manno and Davis behind them at 165 pounds.  Stever and Shafer are tasked to get a result at 174 pounds, with Johnson, Cartee, and Fulgentes penciled in at 197 pounds.  Baxter, Goff, and Gonzales will trade as the heavyweights in the new season, though matchups and other circumstances could change the manual for the Blue and Gold.  
 
The schedule begins with a matchup against Victor Valley College, a strong program that is coached by alumnus Adam Valdez and Mike Ruiz.  After the November 4 opener, the Lions head to the Menlo Open that Saturday for a good early-season test.  Three duals follow at Colorado School of Mines as VU battles the hosts, Sioux Falls, and Simon Fraser on November 13.  The Younes Hospitality Open at Nebraska Kearney follows the next week (November 21), with others heading to CSU Bakersfield the next day for the Roadrunner Open.  The calendar year, and the first half of the season, end with a home dual against Menlo on December 5, an away match at San Francisco State on the 12th, and the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 20.
 
The curtain rises on 2027 with Vanguard returning to action on January 9 with the Western Colorado Duals in Gunnison, Colorado.  The Lions host their first-ever home tournament on January 16 before finishing the month at the MPSF Championships at SFSU on the 30th.  February sees VU take on Cal Poly Humboldt, Westcliff, and Hope International on the fifth, 11th, and 12th, respectively, which brings the regular season to a close.  The NCAA Regional is hosted by Nebraska Kearney beginning February 27, with those that place in the top three in each weight class going on to the final site in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, March 12-13.
 
"I think we're going to have, maybe, five of our teams ranked in the top 20.  It's a tough region, but that gets us ready for nationals. So, if we believe, you know, we're going to have guys that are going to compete, and we're going to have guys that qualify.  If you can qualify, you could win it or place.  I really want our guys to think [about] winning though…We're planning on getting guys on top of that podium this year."
 
Grasping for podiums is just the start, as Vanguard men's wrestling wants to reach higher than ever.  The quest for glory in Iowa begins on November 4.