Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Wrestling camp participants race on their hands and feet during a practice drill. (Photos by Andrew Lewis)
Wrestling camp features record number of participants, highly competitive tournament
7/24/2026 5:40:00 PM | Women's Wrestling, Men's Wrestling
More than 200 wrestlers turned out for Saturday’s Liberty Open Tournament, a number Head Coach Chris Williams expects to exceed in campers next year.
"It was a new camper record, and the camp filled up two to three weeks early," said Liberty men's wrestling Head Coach Chris Williamson, who noted that the previous record turnout was around 120 wrestlers. He expects the camp to reach 200 participants next year. "It was one big camp, with both guys and girls of all ages. Our numbers were so large that we had to hold the camp at the LaHaye Multipurpose Center (connected to the LaHaye Recreation & Fitness Center)."
Those campers were automatically registered into Saturday's Liberty Open Tournament, which drew a record total of 212 competitors in a wide range of ages, weight classes, and skill levels, from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
"Having more campers allowed us to do more dual meets before the tournament," Williamson said, noting prizes were awarded to the champions this year, as was the case when it was part of the Virginia Commonwealth Games held on Liberty's campus.
"We had a great camp and were able to bring in a lot of our freshmen, which allowed them to introduce themselves and hang out with some of the current guys and to interact a little bit," Williamson said. "Being able to be around each other for four days in a row was good for them, and for me."
Williamson and the staff expanded the extracurricular engagement for overnight campers this year, with a more immersive experience of what campus has to offer.
"We did change the format," he said. "We brought kids ice skating (at the LaHaye Ice Center) one night and the campers loved it. It was awesome. We also did more calisthenics, sprints, early-morning runs, and drill sessions, to break it up and change the pace of the camp."
Though it is not a recruitment camp, the Liberty Wrestling Camp does give prospective students an inside look at the university.
"The campers got to experience campus life, to get out a little bit and walk through campus to their dorms," Williamson said. "Campers want to come and check it all out, and the school does really good job of selling itself."
While technical, tactical, and physical training offered many benefits for campers, the spiritual component of the camp was even more fruitful, leading several participants to commit or rededicate their lives to the Lord.
"That was an obvious highlight, that we were able to overtly and very clearly share the Gospel with them every single day at camp, and the campers and their parents and coaches were thankful for that," Williamson said, noting many more interactions took place in between those sit-down sessions, at the dining hall and in the dormitories. "Everything in camp was done in-house from our counselors and coaches."
According to the camp brochure, "A major aspect of this camp is the integration of biblical principles into a variety of life skills. It is our desire that each camper will leave camp with not only a better grasp on their skills but also a deeper faith in their walk with Christ."
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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