HALL OF FAME
Hall of Fame Eligibility: A nominee is eligible upon retiring from active coaching for two consecutive state tournaments. Nominees should have completed a minimum of ten years as an Interscholastic Wrestling Coach in the state of Washington. Active coaches may be nominated if they have coached for twenty years. Recipients of the Tomaras Award or Contributors Award who are not coaches can be nominated to the Hall of Fame as an Honorary Member.
Nomination Procedure: Anyone can nominate a retired coach for the Hall of Fame, however, if the nominator is not a current wrestling coach in the state of Washington or a member of the WSWCA Hall of Fame they must secure an active coach as a sponsor. Deadline for submitting nominations will be April 1 of each year.
Eligibility for the Tomaras Award
Tomaras Award nominees must be nominated by a Hall of Fame or WSWCA Executive Board Member. This award is for those individuals who have made a significant contribution at the state or national level to the sport of wrestling in Washington.
Eligibility for the Joe Babbitt Contributors Award
Contributors Award nominees must be nominated by a Hall of Fame or WSWCA Executive Board Member. This award is for those individuals who have made contributions to the sport of wrestling in Washington.
Hall of Fame Class for 2023:
The Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association (WSWCA) is proud to announce the Class of 2023 inductees to the WSWCA Hall of Fame. The HOF ceremony will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2023 during the annual WSWCA Coaches Clinic. Ticket information will be available in September.
The WSWCA Hall of Fame Class of 2023 includes the following coaches listed in alphabetical order: Bryan Bartelson (Puyallup/Orting), Bob Freund (Kelso), Matt Jorgensen (Deer Park), Craig Iversen (Marysville Pilchuck), and Kevin Kalal (Bellarmine Prep). These coaches were selected through a voting system of current HOF members along with the WSWCA Executive Board. There were twenty-one nominees in the head coach category and four nominees in the assistant/middle level category.
In addition to the Hall of Fame induction, the WSWCA will honor two members of the wrestling community for their contributions to the sport in Washington. Randy Tomaras (Sequim) will be awarded the Dr. William Tomaras Award, which was created in honor of Randy’s own father who is recognized as the “Father of Washington Wrestling.” Randy’s father (Bill) and mother (Dolly) are both past recipients of this award. Karen Ebel (Mariner HS/WSWA) will be recognized as the recipient of the Joe Babbitt Contributor’s Award for her many years of service to wrestling on the local, state and national levels.
Attendees of the WSWCA Coaches Clinic can attend the Hall of Fame ceremony as part of their clinic registration. Those not attending the clinic should look for ticket information on the WSWCA website and Facebook page in mid-September.
Bryan Bartelson, Puyallup/Orting
Bob Freund, Kelso
Matt Jorgensen, Deer Park
Craig Iversen, Marysville Pilchuck
Kevin Kalal, Bellermine Prep
Class of 1984
Class of 1985
Class of 1986
Class of 1987
Class of 1988
Class of 1989
Class of 1990
Class of 1991
Class of 1992
Class of 1993
Class of 1994
Class of 1995
Class of 1996
Class of 1997
Class of 1998
Class of 1999
Class of 2000
Class of 2001
Class of 2002
Class of 2003
Class of 2004
Class of 2005
Class of 2006
Class of 2007
Class of 2008
Class of 2009
Class of 2010
Class of 2011
Class of 2012
Class of 2013
Class of 2014
Class of 2015
Class of 2016
Class of 2017
Class of 2018
Class of 2019
Class of 2022
Class of 2023