STORM LAKE, Iowa (Oct. 29, 2026) - The Buena Vista men’s wrestling program will look to a fresh start here in 2026-27 with a brand new state of the art wrestling room to go along with the addition of a new head coach in Greg Barner.
Barner arrived to campus last summer after a four-year stint at Benedictine College (Kan.) where he guided the Ravens to back-to-back winning seasons in program history. He took over a BVU roster that had a veteran presence to it and is excited for how close knit the group of individuals are with one another.
“The family aspect is for sure going to be a strength of ours going into the year,” he says. “The guys are extremely close and always seem to be out doing something together. That’s going to be important for us as it will give us guys to lean on during the challenges and also hold us accountable to ensure we’re doing the little things right.”
The Beavers are coming off of a 3-13 overall season and Barner is aiming to lead the team to its first A-R-C victory since 2023-24. Colton O’Hern and Kameron Evans (both heavyweight) are the team’s only two seniors heading into the year. Barner is excited to have a pair of individuals return from injury that will lead the team in the younger weights.
“Jesus Oliveras at 125 pounds missed last season due to injury but did a lot of good things as a freshman,” he says. “I’m happy for him and excited to see him back out there on the mat.”
“Jack Decker at 133 pounds defeated multiple national qualifiers last season before an injury ended his rookie campaign early. He’s now back and healthy and doing a great job leading the team.”
Sophomore Ben Bouaphakeo won nine matches last season which will be the leading total among those returning. Decker was right behind at 8-12 and the duo combined for 10 bonus point victories.
