After spending more than 50 years in the sport, Bob Freund, Kelso High School’s head wrestling coach and PE teacher, will be inducted into the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association (WSWCA) Hall of Fame on November 4.
Coach Freund has led the Kelso wrestling program for over 32 years. In that time, he also coached at Lower Columbia Community College, was the Women’s Director for female wrestling in Washington state, became president of the Washington State Coaches Association and the manager of the Thunder Mountain youth wrestling club.
“It is definitely an honor to be recognized for my years of coaching and working with kids by former Hall of Fame members,” said Freund. “I appreciate this recognition and realize this would not happen without the support of family, my wrestling staff, and members of the community supporting our program.”
Freund’s qualifications for induction into the WSWCA Hall of Fame are many. In addition to the above, they include:
- In Freund’s tenure, Kelso High has had more than 120 State medalists, 20 State champions, and 17 top-10 team finishes at State
- Helped start girls wrestling in Washington
- Grew the annual Kelso Girls Invite to be the largest girls high school tournament in the nation (drawing 96 schools and nearly 700 girls in 2023)
“Coach Freund has been the standard of excellence at Kelso High School for a long time,” stated KHS Athletic Director Bob Kickner. “His program has not only developed quality wrestlers, but has instilled a character of strength, persistence, and accountability to many young Kelso men and women. His passion for kids, his ability as a teacher, and his success through wrestling absolutely belongs in the Washington State Coaches Hall of Fame.”
Freund is the second KHS coach to be inducted into the WSWCA Hall of Fame. The first was James Schall, who coached Freund in his junior year. Kelso High has had three head wrestling coaches: Shall, Jerry Hamm, and Freund. Interestingly, two of the three are now honored as Hall of Famers, and the first KHS coach to be inducted coached the second to be inducted.
The WSWCA Hall of Fame Class of 2023 includes (in alphabetical order): Bryan Bartelson (Puyallup/Orting), Bob Freund (Kelso), Matt Jorgensen (Deer Park), Craig Iversen (Marysville Pilchuck), and Kevin Kalal (Bellarmine Prep). These coaches were selected through a voting system of current Hall of Fame members along with the WSWCA Executive Board. There were twenty-one nominees in the head coach category and four nominees in the assistant/middle level category.
The 2023 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on November 4 during the annual WSWCA Coaches Clinic in Yakima. This year’s honorees will bring the number of inductees to 158 over 38 ceremonies starting with the inaugural class in 1984.
Ceremony Details
November 4, 2023
Yakima Convention Center – 10 North 8th St, Yakima, WA 98901
No Host Social at 4:00 pm, Ceremony at 5:00 pm
Tickets can be purchased online prior to the event at wswca-hof.ticketleap.com/2023/
Contact WSWCA Hall of Fame Director Jim Meyerhoff at wswcahof@gmail.com for more information, or visit WSWCA Hall of Fame Website: washingtonwrestling.com/hof