Pacific head wrestling coach Zach Binkerd wants his talented group of returners to face the best competition possible. 

And the gauntlet starts this weekend at home with the annual Mike Clock Open.

"We have a real solid group coming back and those folks are excited to compete at a high level," Binkerd said. "We're really trying to get them as many opportunities as possible and get matchups against better competition, so we can be ready when nationals comes around."

TJ Turner (133), who last season became the first Boxer to qualify for the Division III Wrestling Championships in 10 years, opens his senior campaign Sunday with the Mike Clock men's tournament.

"We're really excited for his senior year," Binkerd said of Turner. "He's really been working hard like always and I'm really excited to see what he can do this year. I know his goals are very high and my goals are very high for him. We want to make sure his year is as successful as possible and I think he has a real opportunity to make some noise at the national tournament at the end of the year."

Senior Paige Beals (180) and junior Audrey Diaz (145), who both won 20 matches last season, will make their 2025-26 season debuts on Saturday in the Mike Clock women's tournament.

Pacific has added four freshmen men and nine freshmen women to its wrestling room, who will see their first college action in the Mike Clock.

"We have newcomers on both the women's and men's side that will compete right away," Binkerd said. "We've got a really talented recruiting class, especially with the women that I think is going to have a real opportunity to make a name for themselves staring early."

Inspired by a lyric from Dylan Gossett's song Coal -- ":ove is tough but loneliness is twice as hard" -- Pacific is also focused on building the program's culture.

"We're really trying to unpack that as a group and get into what it means to be a good teammate and a good community member and have a positive culture," Binkerd said. "That's really the focus of the build this year and hopefully success comes along with it."

The Mike Clock Open will begin at 9 a.m. inside the Stoller Center on both Saturday and Sunday. 

"Hopefully, we'll have a party at the end of the year to celebrate some all-Americans and some really successful seasons," Binkerd said.

For the latest information on Pacific Athletics, make sure to check out GoBoxers.com. You can also find the Boxers on social media at @GoBoxers on Instagram and Twitter.

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