2022-23 Season Preview: Wrestling
Erik Holth, CBC Sports Information Director
Conway, Ark. – Coming off a season that saw them send another wrestler to the NAIA Championships, Central Baptist College wrestling opens the season tomorrow morning in Williamsburg, Ky., at the University of the Cumberlands Patriot Open. The event begins at 9 a.m.
"Our preseason camp went very well," said head coach Ken Prophete, who begins his 12th season leading the Mustang wrestling program. "The guys have really shown a lot of early potential. They have been working hard in the preseason to get into great shape as we head into the season."
Coach Prophete's program finished fifth in the AMC last season, but Christian Richer, who is amongst his eight returners, earned an at-large selection to the NAIA Championship last season at 165 pounds. Richer will begin the 2022-23 season ranked #19 in his weight class, looking for a return trip to Nationals. The rest of the returners are Brian Mas, Alejandro Mas, Gregory Pierre-Louis, Zideen Ruiz-Zartemi, Antwon Singleton, Endrick Theodore and Javon Cooper. "This is the first time in our history we've had someone ranked in the preseason," said Prophete. "Christian has looked great in the offseason. He is laser focused and absolutely knows what he wants. Brian Mas has come back looking great for his senior year. Alejandro Mas will wrestle back at 149 this season and he's definitely going to put some excitement into the competition. Sophomore heavyweight Gregory Pierre-Louis had a solid year last year. Hopefully he can continue that."
Six newcomers join the lineup this season. The newcomers include David Corretjer, Darron Harvey, Isaiah Hendrix, Joshua King, Caelyn Pettis and Guillermo Ramos. "DJ Harvey and Isaiah Hendrix are solid transfers coming in for us," added Prophete. "We have solid lightweights that have come in as well in David. Guillermo, coming in from Miami, is a solid athlete. I'm excited about the lineup we have. This is definitely the most athletic lineup we've had in awhile."
The Mustangs were picked to finish third in the American Midwest Conference this season despite a new collaboration with the nearby Sooner Athletic Conference. The conferences will hold a joint championship meet in February. "Our conference is pretty solid," said Prophete. "Combining with the Sooner this year is going to be interesting. It's definitely something I was rooting for. I believe we have a chance to make history. That's something that's been embedded in the returners since they got on the bus after last year's championship. It's a goal of ours to win the conference this season!"
CBC will wrestle in 13 competitions this season with three inside A.R. Reddin Fieldhouse. The first opportunity to see the Mustangs in action will be at the 2023 Mustang Invitational on Jan. 15!