Wrestling fever is sweeping through Corvallis as the 2025-26 Oregon State University wrestling season has begun in rock-and-roll fashion, with the Beavers off to a 2-1 start and several athletes placing at multiple tournaments.

Good news arrived for Beaver wrestling fans even before the season began. Not only with the signing of many promising freshman recruits, but also with the return of well-known star Trey Munoz.

“All these guys are special, so if they can keep their minds in it, if they can stay hungry throughout the course of their college careers, they’re going to be very successful,” Munoz said.

Having graduated the previous year, Munoz officially rejoined the program as a graduate assistant coach prior to the start of the season.

“We talked about it not too long after my last season ended. I always knew Coach Pendleton would want to keep me around, it just wasn’t official until a couple weeks after,” Munoz said.

Munoz initially joined Oregon State after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Arizona State, but only competed in the 2021 season.

During his time with the Beavers, he captured three consecutive Pac-12 titles and finished third nationally in 2024 at the 184 weight class. He earned All-American honors in both 2023 and 2024 and qualified for the NCAA Championships each year of his Oregon State career.

Munoz now joins good company within OSU athletics. Another prominent Beaver-turned-coach is Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey, who recently joined the gymnastics staff.

Their continued presence in Corvallis provides invaluable leadership to their teams and keeps the spirit of Beaver Nation strong, as both have cemented their legacies in OSU athletic history.

This season marks Munoz’s first coaching experience at the collegiate level. While stepping back from his own competition schedule, he is pursuing a master’s degree, an experience that helps him relate closely to the other wrestlers.

“I’m in it with them. I’m going through the same schedule as they are. I’m going to in-person classes. I’m a student teacher at a high school right now. I go to school every morning before practice, and after practice I go home and do homework,” Munoz said.

Because of these commitments, Munoz has not been able to travel with the team for all out-of-state meets. However, he did join them for their tournament trip to Las Vegas, where he got to be in the corner for some of the matches.

“It kind of lit a competitive fire in me,” Munoz said.

This year, his responsibilities primarily include assisting during practices and providing support from the sidelines during competition. The role allows him to develop his coaching skills while learning under Head Coach Chris Pendleton, his former coach, and to prepare for possible future coaching opportunities at the collegiate level.

“Coaching forces you to break techniques down in a little bit more of an intricate way, and forces you to think about what made something successful for you, and you have to be able to articulate that to someone else and not just do it. It’s so different, and I feel like I’m getting better as a wrestler but also as a coach,” Munoz said.

For now, his focus is on serving as a capable practice partner and mentor to the younger wrestlers, especially the incoming freshmen. With years of experience against top national competition, Munoz’s insight and presence are invaluable to the program.

The future remains open for Munoz, who has not ruled out either returning to competition or pursuing a head coaching role once he completes his education.

“For right now, I’m just enjoying being a grad assistant, wrestling with these guys and helping them become better wrestlers. That’s not out of the realm of possibility for me, but I’m really focused on getting my degree right now,” he said.

The Beavers are coming off a challenging meet against Ohio State, losing 41-3 to a program featuring several top-ranked wrestlers within their weight class. Munoz and the staff will need to use that experience to prepare the team for the tough opponents still ahead this season.

“They get to do all the administrative stuff. I get to do all the fun stuff which is just coaching. That’s what I enjoy,” Munoz said.

With strong leadership and a roster full of young talent, Oregon State wrestling shows no signs of slowing down. The Beavers will now look to build momentum off of their recent loss as they advance towards Pac-12 competition before finishing off the season with a stretch of non-conference meets. They end their season on March 6, with the Pac-12 Championships in San Luis Obispo, California.