Former Soddy Daisy state wrestling champion Kevin Ward has been hired as the first wrestling coach at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark.
The NCAA D-II school will field the state’s first college varsity wrestling team in the fall and announced the hiring of Ward on Monday.
Ward was a three-time state champion for the Trojans under coach Steve Henry (1999-2001) and a high school All-American before winning a Big XII title at Oklahoma State on the Cowboys undefeated national championship team in 2005.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity at Ouachita,” stated Ward. “I think it’s fantastic that the school sees the potential in wrestling in Arkansas. I’m excited about the opportunity to build the program from scratch and build it into a successful, competitive program that can compete for national titles.”
Reflecting on his wrestling experience at Oklahoma State, Ward said, “I’ve been around some of the best coaches and wrestlers in the world for six years as an athlete and graduate assistant coach. I’ve gained valuated experience seeing firsthand the type of athlete it takes to get a program to that level.”
Greg Hatcher, president of the Arkansas Wrestling Association, previously announced that the non-profit association would provide wrestling mats and uniforms to help Ouachita’s wrestling program get under way. The association also has donated wrestling mats to more than 40 Arkansas high schools to help launch their wrestling programs.
Arkansas held its second state high school tournament in February.
Affirming Ouachita’s Christian heritage and emphasis, Ward said, “I have the same beliefs as the university and I’m going to recruit student-athletes with strong morals who can represent the school well. I believe the values and intangibles that athletes learn from wrestling such as commitment, discipline and sacrifice for the greater good of the team will fit in well to the university and community.”
Kevin Ward – Head Wrestling Coach, Ouachita Baptist
Age: 27 … 2x NCAA qualifier at Oklahoma State … Big XII champion on the 2005 undefeated NCAA champion team … 3x national scholar athlete chosen by the National Wrestling Coaches Assoc. … Dean’s Honor Roll … Bachelor of Arts in sociology … a master’s degree in health and human performance and exercise science also from Oklahoma State … served as a OSU graduate assistant in 2006-07 … 3x state champion at Soddy Daisy High School (1999-2001) under coach Steve Henry … also was a state finalist in 1998 as a freshman at Red Bank under coach Steve Highlander … high school All-American ... Middle School champion for Jim Wulf at Red Bank Middle in 1996. … Middle School teammate of 3x state champion Darren McKnight.
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net