Coker's Wainwright to be Inducted into Newberry Hall of Fame

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Coker College head wrestling coach Cy Wainwright will be inducted into the Newberry College Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 19, the Newberry College Letterman's Club announced Wednesday. He is one of six former Newberry student-athletes that will be inducted into the athletic hall of fame.

"This is truly an honor and a blessing," said Wainwright. "I just want to thank everyone that has helped me get to this point. I could not have done it without all the great support and encouragement I received from so many great people at Newberry." 

Wainwright is the only undefeated national champion in Newberry history, and his dominant run in his three years in a scarlet and gray singlet will be tough to approach.

The Green Cove Spring, Fla., native went an impressive 36-0 in the 2008-09 season with 14 pins, winning the heavyweight national championship.

The three-time national qualifier also earned All-American honors in 2008 with a third place finish.

At the time of his graduation in 2009, Wainwright was the school's all-time wins leader with 128 victories, all-time falls leader with 33 and all-time major decisions leader with 17.

Following his graduation from Newberry, Wainwright entered the collegiate coaching ranks. He earned his master's degree at St. Cloud State and was named the first head coach at Benedictine (Kan.).

Wainwright became Coker's first head coach in 2013, where he has led the Cobras to a 24-12 dual meet record in the program's first two years. The Cobras have also had two NCAA Division II National Qualifiers, two NCAA Division All-Academic Team selections and received a Top 5 Super Regional ranking under his leadership. For his efforts both on and off the mat, Wainwright was named Coker's Coach of the Year for 2014-15.

For more information on the 2015 Newberry College Hall of Fame Induction click here.