W. Wrestling: Dustin Kirk named the South Coast Conference's Women's Coach of the Year

In their first year as an intercollegiate sport, Cerritos College women's wrestling coach Dustin Kirk officially ended his season by being named the South Coast Conference Women's Coach of the Year. Although wrestling is part of the Southern California Wrestling Association, they were allowed to be included in the voting.

 

During the 2022 season, Kirk led the Falcons to the SCWA South Division championship, as well as the 3C2A State Dual Meet Championship and the 3C2A State Championship. Kirk was also named the state's Wrestling Coach of the Year.

Cerritos had seven wrestlers advance to the championship round, with four of them coming away with titles. In addition, Kirk was voted the state's Coach of the Year while freshman 148-pound division champ Aine Drury picked up Most Valuable Wrestler honors. 

He becomes the first SCC Coach of the Year to win the award in a non-sponsored SCC sport (women's wrestling falls in the state South Division, affiliated only with CCC Wrestling) in 28 years. The last was the late Larry Reisbig for Long Beach City College football when the Vikings were a member of the Mission Conference for the 1994-1995 school year.

Kirk is the first Cerritos coach to be named the conference's Coach of the Year since 2015 when Alvin Kim received the award for men's tennis.