Men’s wrestling was one of eight former varsity sports at Western Washington University, lasting from 1962–81. Once it ended, wrestling was nonexistent on the campus until a group of students formed a club in 2012.
“I didn’t know Western had a team,” former wrestler and current men’s coach Jacob Westfall said. “I found out when I went to a tournament in Spokane and saw a friend from high school wrestling for Western. At that point, there were three or four people in the club.”
Westfall began wrestling at Southwestern Oregon Community College and Warner Pacific University before transferring to Western in fall 2022. Since Western’s wrestling club is run by students, Westfall does not handle any of the paperwork, money or scheduling as a volunteer coach.
The students raise funds and wrestlers pay a $250 registration fee to be on the roster.
“When you look at our competition schedule, we blow through their fees very fast,” club president and wrestler Kyle Huard said. “Our coaches are volunteers. Everyone out here wants to be here and loves the sport. Nobody here is getting a scholarship or being paid to do this.”
The club draws most of its money from fundraisers, including hosting a tournament and dual meet in Bellingham. In December 2024, Western held the Bellingham Scramble open tournament at Bellingham High School.
“It feels rewarding to see our events run well,” Huard said. “We had compliments that we are doing the right thing. I see people talk about Western wrestling and it makes me feel like we are doing something good here.”
On Jan. 25, Western hosted its first four-team dual meet at the Wade King Student Recreation Center with University of Washington, Pacific Lutheran University and University of British Columbia. Western defeated University of Washington 24-12 and British Columbia 24-17.
“This is the biggest event Western has hosted so far,” Huard said. “It’s really cool to showcase Western’s campus because it is unique compared to other universities I have been to. It is cool for people to see Bellingham and where we are.”
Western’s wrestling club competes in 13 National Coaches Wrestling Association-sanctioned events from October 2024 to March 2025. Western is one of 162 institutions in the NCWA, a nonprofit organization built to promote collegiate wrestling.
Before becoming a member, the Vikings had to become eligible as a club at the school. Western requires at least 10 students and three elected officers to be considered a club. Therefore, a handful of students signed up in 2012 and made wrestling one of the 23 current active sports clubs on campus.
Western’s campus and the wrestling environment have drawn around 20 wrestlers to the program. However, the club’s recruiting process is much more difficult than other programs. Most wrestlers joined the club because they wanted to compete in college but either didn’t receive offers or wanted to focus on academics.
The wrestling team tries to recruit locals who may have gone to state but did not do well because of injuries, lack of experience or did not perform well.
“If kids do not get an offer, they can come here and we are about talent development,” Westfall said. “We tell them we have a spot to wrestle.”
As the club president, Huard hopes the recruits are impacted by the program similar to when he joined the team.
“I have grown as an individual,” Huard said. “My social skills have grown. It also creates a family environment with people you can depend on. We want to reach out to those people and let them know about our values and show why Western is a good college.”
One of those wrestlers who grew within the program is senior Jada Yamada, who was one of two women on the team when she joined her freshman year.
“I was drawn to Western because of the kinesiology program since I want to do sports medicine,” Yamada said. “I was driven by the academics and the campus but I love sports too.”
Since joining the team, Yamada has become a two-time All-American at 123 pounds, one of six All-Americans Western has had since 2017.
Yamada has also stepped up as the captain for the women’s team, which consists of seven wrestlers this season.
“We are told as women you can’t do this or be strong enough,” Yamada said. “It is fun to be able to prove people wrong and be equal.”
Since Huard and Yamada are graduating soon, it’s uncertain who will take over their roles in the club. However, the Vikings hope to succeed in the NCWA and potentially expand into an NCAA-sanctioned program in the future.
“I am trying to set up the future of the club and set up the logistics,” Huard said. “I would like to see Western raise the club to an NCAA status and get a mat room. Having a facility on campus would boost our status.”
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
