STORM LAKE, Iowa (Apr. 17, 2026) - Buena Vista University director of athletics Amy Maier has announced that Greg Barner has been hired as the next head men’s wrestling coach for the Beavers. Barner replaces Sean White who departed at the conclusion of this past season.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Barner to BVU!” says Maier. “With his proven leadership, energy, passion, and commitment to student-athlete development both on and off the mat, we look forward to the impact he will have on our student-athletes and the momentum he will bring to our wrestling program.”

Barner, an Audubon, Iowa native, has spent the past four seasons as head coach of Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., where he guided the Ravens to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in program history, including a school record for dual wins in 2025-26. He was named the fourth coach of the program prior to 2021-22, and in that first season at the helm, he coached the program’s first NAIA automatic national qualifier in seven years.

Prior to taking over at Benedictine, Barner spent two seasons as head men’s wrestling coach and director of strength and conditioning at Cleary University in Howell, Mich. During that tenure, he more than tripled the roster size in his first season and went on to produce the school’s first-ever winning season, coached a pair of national qualifiers, six all-conference wrestlers and four scholar All-Americans.

Barner’s excited to get onto campus here at BVU and begin his work on building up the roster and program.

“The big focus is to find the right guys that fit and believe in our Mission, Vision, and Values,” adds Barner. “We’ll go after guys that want to be part of a challenging, competitive, and family oriented team, while Focusing on Effort, Attitude, and Gratitude and doing all of the little things right, inside and outside of wrestling. Putting a huge emphasis on the process will lead us to the outcomes.”

Barner is also no stranger to the American Rivers Conference. After beginning his collegiate career wrestling at Iowa Central Community College, he moved on and finished his undergraduate career at Central College in Pella where he became a three-time letterwinner on the wrestling team for the Dutch. He went on and earned his degree in Exercise Science in 2014. Barner later served as an assistant coach at Simpson College (2019-20) and helped produce a pair of all-conference wrestlers as well as the program’s highest-ranked national individual in over a decade.

“I’m excited for those challenges and getting an opportunity to be in the toughest Division III wrestling conference!” says Barner. “We’ll get to compete against the best wrestlers in the country every week. Those challenges will make us stronger and more competitive.”

Following his graduation from Central College, Barner began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Briar Cliff University (2014-16) and earned his Master of Arts degree in Management in 2015. He also spent time as an assistant coach at Concordia College-Moorehead (2019-20).

Barner and his wife, Cassidy, have two girls – Avery (2 years) and Lainey (4 months). He is expected to begin his duties for BVU later this month.