CORVALLIS, Ore. – Two national champions have earned the Cascade Collegiate Conference's highest individual honor, as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Kenneth Copley and Eastern Oregon University's Lizzy Grandle have been selected as the 2025-26 CCC Male and Female Athletes of the Year by the conference's athletic directors.
Kenneth Copley delivered one of the most dominant seasons in Embry-Riddle wrestling history, culminating in the first NAIA national championship of his career and cementing his status among the nation's elite heavyweights.
The junior from Sugar City, Idaho, opened the season with a perfect 4-0 performance at the ERAU Mile High Open, recording one technical fall and three pins while helping lead the Eagles to the team title. He followed with a standout showing at the Reno Tournament of Champions, one of the premier events in the western United States, advancing through the bracket with three consecutive pins before securing a third-place finish.
Copley's postseason run was nothing short of spectacular. At the Cascade Conference Championship, he captured his first career conference title, winning three hard-fought matches, including a sudden victory thriller in the championship bout. His dominant performance earned him Outstanding Wrestler of the Championship honors.
Carrying that momentum into the NAIA National Championships, Copley authored a memorable title run. After recording a technical fall in the quarterfinals and a narrow semifinal victory, he secured the national championship with a dramatic first-period pin in the title match, ending the bout with just six seconds remaining in the period. The victory earned him his first national title and third career NAIA All-America honor.
Copley finished the season with a 32-4 overall record, including 18 victories by pin, establishing himself as one of the most dominant wrestlers in the NAIA.
Other Male Nominees: University of British Columbia's James Kerr, College of Idaho's Keenan Blair, Corban University's Jack Gladfelter, Eastern Oregon University's Jace Naegler, Lewis-Clark State College's John Lustig, Northwest University's Josiah Jaquith, Southern Oregon University's Mason Weisgerber
Release from the Cascade Conference Office
