Ray Bedford is entering his third season as head coach (2021-22) after being tasked with the program's creation beginning in February 2019.
In two seasons, Bedford has led both the men and women's program's into the national rankings while producing a conference championship, six individual conference champions, three All-Americans, 22 Academic All-Conference selections and 14 SAC Scholar-Athletes.
Bedford was named Sooner Athletic Conference Men's Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2020-21 after leading the Rams to their first SAC Championship. He holds an overall record of 17-9Â (.654) with the men and 4-6 (.400) with the women.
Last season (2020-21) the Rams made history by winning their first conference championship. Bedford was named Sooner Athletic Conference Coach the Year while La'Stot Pleasant, a freshman from Frisco, was named SAC Wrestler of the Year and SAC Freshman of the Year. Pleasant (141) and Enis Ida (157) won individual SAC titles. Those two along with Dracius McKee and Don Doyle earned individual bids to the NAIA National Championship.
Bedford had both the men and women's teams ranked among the nation's top program's. The Lady Rams were rated in all five NAIA Coaches' Top-20 Polls, reaching has high as No. 12 on the season, while the men received votes in all six of their polls.
The Lady Rams featured a pair of conference champions and the program's first three All-American selections. Camille Fournier (116) and Mea Mohler (130) won SAC Championships. Mohler went on to place third in the NAIA National Invitational while Fournier and Madison Brown (101) finished fourth and all-three earned All-American status.
In the classroom, Bedford's teams featured 14 Academic All-Conference selections and 12 SAC Scholar-Athletes.
Bedford came to Texas Wesleyan with extensive experience in coaching, mentoring and leading both men's and women's wrestling programs. He is the founder of Spartan Mat Club, one of the largest elite high school clubs in Texas, specializing in preparing high school athletes for national and international wrestling programs. Since Spartan Mat Club's founding in 2016, Bedford has helped place more than 90 wrestlers in the state tournament. The club boasts 12 champions and 44 placing, with more than 25 wrestlers in college programs throughout the U.S.
During this time, he has also served as coach with the Texas Men and Women's Cadet and Junior National Dual Teams, Fargo National Championship Teams and was asked to be an assistant coach on the Cadet Pan Am Team for 2019.
Bedford lives in Highland Villiage with his wife and two kids.Â
Scholarships available
Texas Wesleyan is the first to bring collegiate scholarship wrestling to the DFW metroplex, becoming the second such program in the entire state on any level to offer scholarships. This will provide the student-athletes competing in wrestling at more than 110 DFW public schools the chance to stay close to home with the sport they love to play.
Bedford at Texas Wesleyan
2020-21
Men: 12-7, Sooner Athletic Conference Champions, SAC Coach of the Year
Women: 3-2
In the program's second year, the Rams made history by winning their first conference championship. Bedford was named Sooner Athletic Conference Coach the Year while La'Stot Pleasant, a freshman from Frisco, was named SAC Wrestler of the Year and SAC Freshman of the Year. Pleasant (141) and Enis Ida (157) won individual SAC titles. Those two along with Dracius McKee and Don Doyle earned individual bids to the NAIA National Championship.
Bedford had both the men and women's teams ranked among the nation's top program's. The Lady Rams were rated in all five NAIA Coaches' Top-20 Polls, reaching has high as No. 12 on the season, while the men received votes in all six of their polls.
The Lady Rams featured a pair of conference champions and the program's first three All-American selections. Camille Fournier (116) and Mea Mohler (130) won SAC Championships. Mohler went on to place third in the NAIA National Invitational while Fournier and Madison Brown (101) finished fourth and all-three earned All-American status.
In the classroom, Bedford's teams featured 14 Academic All-Conference selections and 12 SAC Scholar-Athletes.
2019-20
Men: 5-2
Women: 1-4
Bedford got the Texas Wesleyan Wrestling program off to a dynamic start as the men and women's teams combined for six victories. After the men's team fell to sixth ranked Oklahoma City in their season opener, both teams took on Schreiner and fellow Sooner Athletic Conference member Wayland Baptist in a tri-match at the Sid Richardson Center. The men's team thrilled the crowd with a pair of wins (31-15 over Schreiner and 31-9 over Wayland) while the Lady Rams bounced back from a loss to Wayland to earn their first win, 24-14 over Schreiner.
The men's team made an immediate impact on the national scene, receiving votes in the final three regular season NAIA Coaches' Polls.
A pair of Rams earned Sooner Athletic Conference crowns as Dracius McKee won the men's 165 pound division and Madison Brown won the women's 101 pound class. McKee and Kobe Nelms went on to compete at the NAIA National Championships. McKee became the first ram to earn a win at the National Championship when he pinned Dakota Wesleyan's Marcus Urban in the second round of the consolation bracket. Unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic halted the season prior to the NAIA Women's National Championship which was set to play out March 14-15 in Kansas City.
The Rams also got the job done in the classroom with 8 (6Â Rams, 2 Lady Rams) earning Academic All-Conference honors. Dracius Mckee and Zan Miller were both named SAC Scholar-Athlete.
