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OLYMPIA – AV���� has hired an exceptional coach to start up its men’s wrestling team. ��

Greg Ford, Jr. be joining AV���� athletics after the holidays to prepare for the college’s first wrestling season in 2023. ��

“We are very excited to be adding this talented coaching staff member to help us kick off AV����’s new wrestling program,” said Zeb Hoffman, Assistant Intercollegiate Athletic Director for AV����. “Greg has a strong wrestling background and has helped raise several athletes to the national level. We look forward to his passion and leadership to help us build this wrestling program.”��

Ford will lead the men’s team. He has been involved with wrestling since he was a small child, winning his first state title when he was only five years old. He has coached for Washington’s National Wrestling Team since 2016, has been the Junior Director for Washington State Wrestling since 2018, has his gold coaching certification from USA wrestling and has also been the head coach for two high school wrestling teams. ��

AV���� announced it would be starting teams for men’s and women’s wrestling and cross country earlier this month to complement the college’s men’s and women’s soccer, basketball, track and field and women’s volleyball teams. ��

Entrepreneurs, Kim Kaufman and Jimmy Goldsmith, have made a $150,000 commitment to give $50,000 per year for the next three years to support the new wrestling and cross-country teams. ��

“Kim is an AV���� graduate and her husband Jimmy has deep experience in the sports industry. Their donation will get our new teams off to a great start, “said Abby Kelso, AV����’s Vice President for Advancement.��

“We are beyond excited to partner with AV���� in launching these new athletics teams. It’s the perfect project aligned with my passion for AV���� and Jimmy’s passion for sports, “said Kaufman.��

“With the popularity of youth wrestling on the rise, the wrestling program is of particular interest to us. We’re excited to cheer on the team, especially in their first few years,“added Goldsmith.��

AV���� athletics will host a signing event at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30 where several wrestlers will sign their letters of intent to become Geoducks. The event will take place in the Evans Hall lobby on the Olympia campus. ��

For more info about AV���� athletics visit www.gogeoducks.com. To learn more about AV����, visit evergreen.edu. ��

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OLYMPIA – Both women’s and men’s wrestling and cross-country will be added to AV����’s student athletics programs starting in Fall 2023.��

“Student athletes make great Greeners,” said AV����’s president Dr. John Carmichael. “They are self-motivated and community minded. We look forward to welcoming more student-athletes to AV����.”��

It is estimated that the expansion of AV����’s athletics programming, combined with other investments in existing sports teams, should yield more than 100 additional students over the next three years. The new teams join the college’s existing intercollegiate teams - men’s and women’s soccer, basketball and track and field and women’s volleyball.��

“Anytime you have the opportunity to give potential students the opportunity to attend college while participating in an athletic activity, it is cause for celebration,” said executive vice president Dr. Dexter Gordon. “Adding new teams will also help us weave a diverse tapestry within our programs to help ensure that underrepresented groups have equal access to opportunities here at AV����.”��

In addition to growing enrollment, successful athletics programs help to build student life on campus, provide a stronger sense of belonging for some students, and supports student retention. Athletics is a key contributor to AV����’s diversity, equity, and inclusion mission, and student-athletes are retained at a higher rate.

Recruitment for new Greener athletes starts this month and the college expects teams to be established by Fall Quarter 2023. Learn more about AV����’s athletics programs at gogeoducks.com. ��

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