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James Torres enters his fourth season as an assistant coach at George Mason in 2009-10. Last year, Torres helped coach Cayle Byers (197) and Mendbagana Tovuujav (174) to CAA titles at their respective weight classes. It marked the first time the Patriots took home an individual title at the CAA Championships since the 2004 season, when Adrian Austin won the 149-pound bracket, and the first time Mason won multiple championships since 2001, when the Patriots won a total of six weight classes. At the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Byers came within one win of earning All-America status. Both Byers and Tovuujav finished the season nationally ranked. In 2007-08, Torres helped lead the Patriots to one of their finest seasons in recent memory. George Mason posted a 13-5 overall record and 5-3 mark in CAA duals, while improving four spots to a fourth-place finish at the CAA Championships. The 13 wins were the most the program had reached since the 1991-92 season when the Patriots won their first of five CAA team titles. Two Mason wrestlers, freshman Cayle Byers and senior Randy Oates, qualified for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, while three freshmen - Brandon Bucher (149), Byers (197), who finished the season nationally ranked in both polls, and Frankie McLaughlin IV (157) - were all named to the CAA All-Rookie Team. In addition to their success on the mat, the Patriots were also recognized for their hard work in the classroom, earning 2007-08 NWCA Division I All-Academic Wrestling Team honors. In his first season as an assistant at Mason in 2006-07, the Patriots finished with a 9-10 overall record and 5-4 mark in CAA dual meets. During the 2005-06 season, Torres served as the head coach at Montclair State. Two of Torres' wrestlers - Derrick Goduto and Bill Beiermeister - qualified for the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships in Ewing, N.J., with Goduto earning All-America honors for a fifth-place finish at the 133-pound weight class. Prior to serving as the head coach at Montclair State, Torres was the head assistant wrestling coach at Menlo College in Atherton, Calif. from 2002-2005. The Oaks advanced to the NAIA National Tournament in each of Torres' three seasons, a run that included a team runner-up finish in 2004. Menlo also finished fourth (2003) and 13th (2005) at the national championships during Torres' tenure with the program. During his three years at the school, Torres assisted in coaching 17 wrestling All-Americans. He also was the Oaks' head cross country coach. Torres also served as an assistant coach at Indiana University, his alma mater, and the University of Indianapolis. While an undergraduate at Indiana, Torres was a four-year letter winner for the Hoosiers and served as the team captain for two seasons. He was a three-time place winner in the Big Ten Conference and also qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships three times. Since finishing his wrestling career in 2000 and pursuing coaching, Torres has helped a total of 25 student-athletes earn All-America honors, including four finalists and two National Champions. He holds a bachelor's degree from Indiana in social and behavioral sciences and recently received his master's degree in kinesiology from Saint Mary's College of California. |
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