About Lynchburg Wrestling
University of Lynchburg Director of Athletics Jon Waters announced the addition of men’s wrestling which will compete as an NCAA varsity sport during the 2025-26 academic year.
“We are excited to offer men’s wrestling here at Lynchburg,” Waters said. “Wrestling has grown dramatically with the addition of several ODAC programs in recent years and continues to thrive in many of the geographic areas where we are actively recruiting students.”
The Hornets will compete in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference along with seven other schools in 2025-26. Roanoke, Washington and Lee, Averett, Ferrum, and Shenandoah sponsor the sport along with Southern Virginia and Greensboro as associate members.
The new program will operate out of Crosswhite Athletic Club in Lynchburg, Va., just a few minutes from Lynchburg’s campus. The space features a newly enclosed 12,000-square-foot facility dedicated to the Lynchburg wrestling program, complete with locker rooms and a strength and conditioning area.
Men’s wrestling will be Lynchburg’s 26th intercollegiate sport and the sixth addition to the athletic department in the last five years. Lynchburg added men’s and women’s swimming in 2018 and women’s golf in 2019. Beach volleyball completed its second season in 2024, and the men’s volleyball program starts up January 2025.
Lynchburg has a history of wrestling on campus thanks to hall of fame athletic director, coach, and teacher Dr. James C. Fox. He brought wrestling to campus in the 1960s and coached until 1984. The Hornets won the ODAC championship in 1980, and Fox was a three-time ODAC coach of the year in the sport. Lynchburg produced 11 individual ODAC champions during its time in the league from 1976-80. The ODAC dropped the sport in 1980, and Lynchburg lost its wrestling program five years later. The ODAC began sponsoring the sport again ahead of the 2022-23 school year and has already seen nine ODAC athletes earn All-America honors since then.
Vinny Barber | Head Coach
Vinny Barber was announced to be the Lynchburg head men’s wrestling coach in April 2025. Barber brings extensive wrestling experience to Lynchburg, with a rich background in coaching and competition. Since September 2018, he has served as a coach for both the men’s and women’s wrestling programs at the University of the Ozarks in Arkansas, where he began as an assistant coach before being promoted to head coach after four years.
Under Barber’s leadership, the Eagles enjoyed notable success, including nine NWCA Academic All-Americans, seven NCAA D3 National Qualifiers, and 13 Conference Champions. He also coached the University’s first All-American in any sport as well as winning the first Conference Championships in Program History. He led the men’s team to victory in the 2024 as the 2025 SLIAC Team Conference Championship. His staff was awarded the SLIAC Coaching Staff of the Year in 2025 and Ozarks was awarded the Conference Wrestler of the Year. The Eagles also had their best performance at the Regional Championships in 2025 scoring a program high 77 points along with 7 All-Region Wrestlers and one NCAA D3 National Qualifier. He led Ozarks to their first ever National Tournament Ranking in 2019 and their first ever National Dual Meet Ranking in 2025.
During Barber’s tenure, the Eagles also saw improvements off the mats. In the 2024-2025 season his team was recognized as an NWCA Scholar All-American Team when they finished 22nd across all NCAA Division 3 Wrestling Teams with a 3.541 Team GPA.
In addition to his role at the University of the Ozarks, Barber has been the owner and coach of River Valley Wrestling Club-501c3 since 2018. There, he oversaw daily operations for USA Wrestling, designed training plans for club athletes, and competed in Olympic-style competitions at both age-level and senior-level events. The River Valley Wrestling Club helped develop 13 U-23 All Americans and an Olympic Trials Qualifier.
Before transitioning into coaching, Barber worked as an associate content producer for FloWrestling, where he contributed articles, edited video content for wrestling events nationwide, and served as a play-by-play commentator for live-streamed events. He also created weekly podcasts, studio shows, and led marketing and promotional efforts for wrestling events.
Barber was a collegiate wrestler at SUNY Oneonta and Centenary College in New Jersey, both NCAA Division III programs. He earned over 50 wins and 35 college falls at SUNY Oneonta, leading the Red Dragons in pins during his sophomore season. A native of Highland, New York, Barber graduated from the University of the Ozarks with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2019.
Sam Hillegas | Assistant Coach
Sam Hillegas joined the University of Lynchburg wrestling staff in July 2025 following a decorated Division I wrestling career and a strong foundation in student-athlete leadership.
A former NCAA D1 top-25 nationally ranked wrestler at both West Virginia University and Virginia Tech, Hillegas competed at the highest collegiate level while earning a B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in Sport Communication.
Coach Hillegas also saw some success in Freestyle wrestling with a 3rd place finish a UWW JR World Team Trials.
During his time at WVU, he served on the executive board of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as Social Media Chair and was selected to represent the university at the 2024 NIL Summit. He also gained experience in coaching, event coordination, and community engagement through internships and wrestling camps. Hillegas brings a deep understanding of athlete development, branding, and leadership to the Hornets’ program.
Hillegas had an extremely decorated prep career where he was a top recruit in the country at his weight class and a top-20 Pound for Pound recruit in the Nation. He compiled a career record of 157-5 and collected two Pennsylvania State Championships. He also was a two-time Powerade Champion, three-time Super 32 All-American, Fargo All-American, four-time District 7 Champion and a three-time WPIAL Champion.
Trung DUong | Volunteer Assistant Coach
The newest member of the Hornets’ coaching staff joins Lynchburg after three seasons at Lander University, where he played an integral role in the start up and rapid rise of the Bearcats’ wrestling program. During his time at Lander, he helped guide the program to historic milestones, including coaching the school’s first NCAA Individual Champion and first NCAA All-American in wrestling. His leadership also contributed to the development of four NCAA Division II All-Americans, helping to establish Lander as one of the Southeast’s premier emerging wrestling programs.
Before his collegiate coaching career, he made a strong impact at Brookville High School, where he coached multiple state placers and champions. As an athlete, he was a two-time Virginia state finalist and a four-year letter winner at NCAA Division II Newberry College. Competing at 125 pounds, he became a two-time NCAA Division II All-American for the Wolves, showcasing the same competitiveness and dedication he now brings to coaching.
“Coach Duong is going to have an immediate impact on our program,” said head men’s wrestling coach Barber. “Trung is a Lynchburg native who won two state championships before becoming a two-time NCAA DII All-American. He also brings a wealth of knowledge from his time coaching and building a program at NCAA DII Lander University.”
The Hornet wrestling program and the Lynchburg community are incredibly excited to welcome coach Duong onto the staff as the men’s wrestling crew continues to build into a championship-level group in preparation for its first competitions in the 2026-27 academic year.
Excited to welcome 2X NCAA All-American Coach Trung to the Hive!
#WonNation - #LYeah
Coach Barber is heading out to the Midwest looking for some young men who want to #BeGreat!
#WonNation - #LYeah
It’s Super 32 Time! We’re out to find the first group of Hornets who want to #BeGreat
#WonNation - #LYeah
Coach Hillegas is on the Road this weekend on the Beach looking for some future Hornets! #WonNation #LYeah
Our 1st Prospect Day Is In The Books!
- Incredible Facility ✅
- 90+ Wrestlers ✅
- 9 States Represented ✅
Lynchburg Wrestling - Enough Said #WonNation #LYeah
19 Days Away from our 1st Prospect Day! Come Check out what’s happening with Lynchburg Wrestling! Great tune-up heading to Super 32’s and High School Season! Registration Link in Bio! #WonNation
Fairfax here we come. On the hunt for some Hornets! #WonNation #LYeah
Coach Barber and Coach Hillegas are taking on a busy September on the hunt for future Hornets! #WonNation
