"I have known Yero for over 13 years now and could not be happier to bring him back to be a member of our coaching staff again," said Brendan Buckley, the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling.
"Although continually approached by other programs, he has once again decided to call Columbia home. He will be instrumental in working with our lightweights as well as serving as a mentor for the entire team."
Washington first joined the Columbia staff in 2002 as a graduate assistant under Buckley, his teammate and workout partner on Fresno State's wrestling squad in the mid-1990s. After a year as a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, pursuing a berth on the United States Olympic Wrestling Team, Washington returned to Columbia in 2004. Although he didn't make the Olympic Team, he traveled to Athens nevertheless as a member of the official party, serving as a training partner for Stephen Abas.
Washington also participated in the Olympic Trials for the 2000 Games after winning the Northwest Regional Qualifier. The 1998 Sunkist International champion, he has been a member of the U.S. National team, America's World Cup team and America's Nations Cup teams.
A native of Porterville, Calif., Washington was a California state champion in high school and a two-time junior college All-American at Fresno City College, winning the California State Junior College Championships. Transferring to Fresno State, he twice made All-American, in 1996, when he finished sixth in the nation at 134 pounds, and 1997, when he was third in the nation.
He served as chief assistant wrestling coach at Fresno City College from 1997 to 1999, and was on the 1999-2000 Fresno State staff, working closely with Abas, a three-time NCAA champion, along with Stan Greene, a two-time NCAA All-American.
Washington earned his bachelor of science from Fresno State in 1999, and spent two years as a pharmaceutical sales rep before joining Columbia's coaching staff. He lives in New Jersey.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now