Alumni and students urge council to press California Baptist University to save CBU wrestling program

Students, alumni and community organizers told the Riverside City Council on Feb. 24 that the city is losing an important pipeline for local youth with California Baptist University's decision to end its Division I wrestling program.

Logan Tan, captain of the Martin Luther King High School wrestling team, said CBU wrestling provided opportunities that kept talented students in Riverside and offered mentorship and access to higher education. “When the mats at CBU are rolled up for good, a piece of Riverside’s future is rolled up with it,” Tan said.

John Halagian, a CBU alumnus who coaches at John W. North High School, described the program as a training and mentorship resource that produced hundreds of positive outcomes for local students, including clinics and camps that helped young athletes build discipline and academic success. Nolan Kistler, also an alumnus, emphasized that CBU’s program was the only Division I wrestling program in Southern California and called its loss a blow to local development pathways.

Irvin Sayala and Christian Vasquez, both CBU alumni and community organizers, said wrestling changed their lives and urged the council to leverage its influence with university leaders. “Wrestling does more than build athletes. It builds character, discipline and resilience,” Sayala said. Vasquez asked the council to “use your voice” and encourage the university to reconsider the termination.

Council members acknowledged they lack direct authority over university athletic decisions but received the public comments as a request to coordinate community advocacy and support. No formal action was taken by the council on the matter during the meeting.

The council did not vote on any motion related to the CBU program; speakers said they hope city leaders will engage university leadership and community stakeholders about possible remedies or public campaigns to keep the program in Riverside.