Thomas Parsons

Dominic Chavez (left) and Braeden Baller (right) establish personal bond through wrestling, leadership, and camaraderie.

At Presbyterian College, Dominic Chavez did not feel the love or passion for the sport he grew up competing in.

The senior business management and accounting major struggled to connect with his head coach and clashed with him over style of play. However, at Texas Wesleyan, his relationship with Rams Head Wrestling Coach Jose Lazo blossomed, his leadership attributes sprouted and his desire to win wrestling matches flourished. As a result, he has achieved his biggest honor yet; one that not only captivated his team, but the entire university.

During the 2024-25 Rams wrestling season, Chavez was ranked the No. 1 NAIA individual wrestler in the country, becoming the first wrestler in Wesleyan history to do so.

“I was a little surprised to be honest,” Chavez said. “It was more like I was meant to be the guy I wrestled.”

Chavez is used to winning awards. At Martin High School (TX) he was a two-time state champion, and now at Wesleyan he has won multiple Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) ‘Wrestler of the Week’ awards. But for Chavez, winning isn’t a given. It’s a mentality.

“It’s more of a mindset thing,” Chavez said. “If he grabs my leg, he’s not scoring on me. That’s the mentality and the reason I win so many matches. Because when I’m in the idea of ‘this person’s not going to hold me down or take me down’, it’s that gap between giving away points and being stingy with points.”

In the eyes of senior business management major Braeden Baller, Chavez’s teammate, Chavez’s leadership skills have grown significantly. Baller said when he first met Chavez, he recognized that he was a good wrestler but not the greatest teammate.

“I grew up knowing about him. Funny story, he actually beat me in high school back when I was smaller,” Baller said. “My first impression of him was, ‘dang, he’s a good wrestler but doesn’t seem to care about his own people.’ Obviously, that has changed now. Dom is a great guy who does care about you.”

Chavez said that in his first year at Wesleyan, he was a guy who was straight forward and didn’t care about the feelings of others.

“I was a d***,” Chavez said. “I was straight forward; I was blunt about things. I really didn’t care a lot about people’s emotions. I was saying how it is, but now I’m more sympathetic, more understanding.”

When Coach Lazo recruits, he makes sure the athletes are not only a good fit for the mat but also for the team culture. He said that Chavez is a great leader that the team looks up to.

“He brings that intensity,” Lazo said.

For the future, Chavez looks to win conference. For next year, his main concern is bringing in people that will build upon the culture he helped build and extend the legacy that he has forged.

“I’m worried about bringing the wrong people in and them changing the culture,” Chavez said. “One person could break it all down, and you’d have to rebuild it all over again.”