Q & A With Sacramento City College Wrestling Coach Dave Pacheco

The Sac City College Wrestling Team is thrilled to kick off its 2013 season. The team is full of talented athletes who are driven, focused, and determined to be the best in the state.   The team is coached by Dave Pacheco who has built Sacramento City College Wrestling into one of the best programs in California.

UCA: How long have you been the wrestling coach at Sac City College?

DP: This is my 31st year at SCC as a paid coach, my 30th as the head coach.  Before that, I coached one year at Idaho State University as the Head Assistant Coach and two years at Luther Burbank HS, also as the Head Assistant coach.

1979-80 – Idaho State University – Head Assistant Coach
1980-82 – Luther Burbank HS – Head Assistant Coach
1982-83 – Sacramento City College – Head Assistant Coach
1983 to Present – Sacramento City College = Head Coach

UCA:Who else is a part of the Sac City Wrestling coaching staff?

DP: We have a great coaching staff and facility. Walter Ulrich (17th Year) has been a tremendous help to our program as the main technique coach over the years.  Lawrence Saenz (7th Year) has been a big help both on and off the mat and was a part of our 1996 Championship team. We have picked up great help in Mark Pfeifer (3X All American), Todd Dilbeck (Sports Psych Specialist) and Joe Pacheco over the past two years.  We continue to get support from former SCC wrestlers like Danny Castillo (2X All American and UFC Fighter), Jose Reyes (State Champ and Businessman), Freddie Aquitania (All American and UFC Fighter) and so many more. This helps develop the program as well. This year we have been fortunate to have Matt Sanchez (2X All American for CSU Bakersfield) helping us a couple of days a week.  It is just a great team chemistry from the wrestlers to the coaches and support staff.

UCA:With so much talent on the team you have to be excited about this upcoming year?

DP: We have a very talented and deep team top to bottom. You never know what the future holds, but we expect to be in the hunt for the state championship.

UCA: How has the Sac City College Wrestling program become one of the best in the state?

DP: Our program is well known for developing student / athletes to send to the next level.  We have more academic All Americans than any other team in our state by more than 50%.  We have more wrestlers competing at the four year level after they finish with us than any other team in the state. This year alone we will have 15 or 16 young men competing for the four year schools. We also send former wrestlers onto the next level for academics if they choose not to wrestle any further. A good example is Blair Kittle who went on to UC Berkley this year on an academic scholarship and is currently on the Bears Marching Band. We take pride in all of our student / wrestlers to strive to be the best at the next level and beyond.

The team’s first tournament of the season will be Saturday Sept 21, at Sac City College.