Lennie Zalesky builds California Baptist wrestling program

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Wrestling is a major sport in Iowa and a handful of other states.

One person who would like to see that grow is former Cedar Rapids Prairie and University of Iowa standout Lennie Zalesky, now in his fourth year as the head coach at California Baptist University.

Zalesky, who graduated from Iowa in 1983 and was a three-time All-American for the Hawkeyes, said this an exciting time for the school, which is located in Riverside. The Lancers are coming off an 11-4-1 dual season with wins over two NCAA Division I programs and a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division II Super Regional.

'This is our second year competing in NCAA Division II,” said Zalesky. whose team won the National Collegiate Wrestling Association national title in 2013. 'Last year we finished 12th in the (national) tournament, and won a major academic award. We are proud of that, and hope to continue to move up.”

The goal, of course, is to win a national title in Division II, something Zalesky thinks can be done.

'There are great resources out here in California, and a lot of kids wrestle,” he said. 'Hopefully, we can recruit some of those kids and put it all together and win it all.”

There are some major differences between high school wrestling in California and Iowa. According to Zalesky, it's about opportunities. There are approximately 29 college wrestling programs in Iowa, compared to seven in California.

'Iowa kids know that if they want to continue in their wrestling, there are places to do that,” said Zalesky. who spent nine years coaching Division I wrestling at California-Davis, which dropped its program. 'That gives them something to strive for. It's a lot more difficult for a California kid to continue beyond high school.”

But as for the wrestling, it's comparable.

'I think Iowa wrestlers are better on the mat,” Zalesky said. 'But as far as work ethic and talent, that can carry over to both places.”

There is one thing sunny southern California can offer, that cold-weather Iowa cannot.

'In November, we set up a mat in the schools main courtyard, and hosted Stanford in a dual meet,” he said.

The crowd that day was the largest ever to watch an outdoor wrestling meet.

'Our attendance that day was 2,620,” Zalesky said. 'I had to call some experts to verify that it was actually a record. They said it was.

'We would like to see it become a tradition and do it every year.”

Zalesky would like to have some top programs visit Riverside in the future for an outdoor meet, possibly Oregon State, which is coached by his brother and former Iowa coach Jim Zalesky.

'We have talked about it, and I would like to get him out here for that,” Lennie. 'That would be a lot of fun.”