While NCAA programs often dominate the collegiate wrestling conversation, the NAIA has quietly served as one of California’s most enduring and valuable pathways for student-athletes for more than five decades. Since the 1970s, institutions including Biola, Vanguard, California Lutheran, United States International University (San Diego), Menlo, Life Pacific, California Baptist, and Simpson have each played an important role in sustaining the sport, providing opportunities for countless wrestlers to continue their careers beyond high school. That tradition continues to evolve today with Hope International University in Fullerton, whose recent commitment to launching a wrestling program reflects a renewed investment in the sport and signals an encouraging future for collegiate wrestling opportunities throughout California.

California has long been recognized as one of America’s premier wrestling states. Every year, thousands of high school wrestlers compete in one of the nation’s deepest talent pools, yet comparatively few have the opportunity to remain in-state and continue their collegiate careers. Despite producing nationally ranked high school programs and elite individual talent year after year, California continues to offer a limited number of collegiate wrestling opportunities.

That reality makes the continued growth of programs like Hope International University especially significant.

Located in Fullerton, California, Hope International is quietly positioning itself to become one of the state’s emerging collegiate destinations. The university’s investment in both men’s and women’s wrestling represents more than simply adding roster opportunities—it represents a long-term commitment to developing a nationally competitive program built upon faith, academic excellence, and championship expectations.

Leading that vision is Head Coach Alex Driggers, whose coaching résumé, competitive background, and philosophy suggest Hope International intends to become much more than another NAIA wrestling program.

His goal isn’t simply to compete.

His goal is to build one of the nation’s premier programs.

A Vision That Extends Beyond Winning

Every successful wrestling program begins with culture.

Before championships, All-Americans, and national rankings come accountability. Trust. Daily discipline. Those are the principles Driggers believes ultimately separate good programs from great ones.

“My vision is to build a championship culture where excellence is expected in every aspect of our student-athletes’ lives,” Driggers explained. “Championships are built through daily habits of discipline, accountability, and continuous improvement—not just on competition day.”

That philosophy extends well beyond the wrestling room.

Hope International’s program emphasizes academic achievement, personal responsibility, leadership, faith, and service alongside athletic success. Driggers wants graduates who leave the university prepared not only to compete for championships but to become leaders within their professions and communities.

It is a holistic approach that reflects both the university’s mission and the culture the coaching staff is determined to establish from day one.

An Environment Where Student-Athletes Come First

One of Hope International’s greatest strengths is something that cannot be measured in tournament points.

According to Driggers, it is the people.

The university’s small class sizes allow professors to develop genuine relationships with students, often providing personal guidance and support beyond the classroom. That same philosophy carries into the wrestling program, where every member of the coaching staff is committed to investing personally in each athlete’s development.

Rather than simply recruiting talented wrestlers, the staff seeks young men and women who want to become part of a family.

Driggers is looking for student-athletes eager to grow in their faith, education, and wrestling while helping establish the foundation of a program they can someday proudly call their own.

Built on Four Unshakable Pillars

Culture isn’t created with slogans.

It’s created through consistent expectations.

At Hope International, everything revolves around four foundational pillars:

Hard Work. Toughness. Grit. Gratitude.

Driggers expects his athletes to become the hardest workers in every practice room they enter. Mental toughness is valued just as highly as physical toughness. Wrestlers are challenged to seek the nation’s toughest competition rather than avoid it, embracing adversity and fatigue as opportunities for growth.

The final pillar—gratitude—may be the most distinctive.

Driggers believes athletes should remain thankful for the opportunity to compete, appreciative of their teammates and coaches, and grounded in their faith throughout the journey.

Together, those four principles define the identity Hope International hopes to establish.

Competing Against the Nation’s Best

Building a nationally relevant program requires competing against nationally relevant competition.

Driggers has wasted little time assembling a schedule that will immediately challenge his roster.

The Royals are expected to compete at the Simpson Duals, Menlo Open, Roadrunner Open, Desert Duals in Las Vegas, Doane Open, Missouri Valley Invitational, along with conference duals against several nationally respected NAIA opponents.

The conference itself presents one of the toughest weekly challenges anywhere in the NAIA.

Southern Oregon. Eastern Oregon. Embry-Riddle. Corban.

Programs that consistently receive national recognition and produce All-Americans.

Rather than viewing that as an obstacle, Driggers sees it as an opportunity.

His immediate objective is to establish Hope International as a consistent top-four or top-five conference finisher. His long-range goal is considerably more ambitious.

“We want to become a perennial Top-10 program nationally,” Driggers said. “And ultimately become the best wrestling program in California—not just the best non-Division I program…the best program.”

It is a bold statement.

It is also exactly the kind of vision required to elevate a young program into national relevance.

Developing Complete Student-Athletes

Driggers believes wrestling should prepare athletes for much more than competition.

Hope International emphasizes academic accountability through faculty communication, structured study habits, time management, and university support services. Beyond graduation, the coaching staff plans to connect wrestlers with alumni, career mentors, internships, and leadership opportunities designed to prepare them for successful professional lives.

That commitment to development also extends onto the mat.

Through Assistant Coach Jeremy Thomas, who also serves as Head Coach of the Orange County Regional Training Center, Hope wrestlers gain access to one of Southern California’s premier high-performance training environments.

The combination of quality coaching, RTC access, and competitive scheduling provides a developmental model rarely available to first-year collegiate programs.

Recruiting California…and Beyond

California remains the foundation of Hope International’s recruiting strategy.

Driggers intends to build strong relationships with coaches throughout the state while maintaining an active presence at CIF championships, club tournaments, and regional events.

At the same time, he plans to aggressively expand the program’s national recruiting footprint by attending major tournaments across the country, utilizing established coaching relationships, and showcasing the university through digital media and social platforms.

For recruits seeking elite wrestling within a Christ-centered educational environment, Hope International hopes to become one of the nation’s premier destinations.

Building a Sustainable Wrestling Community

Successful collegiate programs require more than talented athletes.

They require community.

Driggers plans to strengthen the program through alumni engagement, youth clinics, booster involvement, fundraising initiatives, networking events, and community service projects that connect the university with the surrounding wrestling community.

His objective is to create a sustainable support system capable of helping Hope International compete for conference and national championships for decades to come.

A Coach Prepared for the Challenge

Driggers arrives at Hope International with a coaching résumé built upon consistent program development.

Most recently, he served as head coach at Cypress High School, guiding the Centurions to multiple Top-10 tournament finishes, a Top-7 CIF finish, ten CIF Masters qualifiers, and three CIF State qualifiers.

Before Cypress, he transformed Redondo Union High School into one of Southern California’s rising programs, leading the Sea Hawks to consecutive league championships while producing 38 CIF qualifiers, nine Masters qualifiers, and the school’s first CIF State medalist in fifty years. He also coached Redondo’s first-ever female CIF State placer.

His previous assistant coaching stops in Tennessee and Florida included multiple state placers, state champions, and nationally competitive teams.

As an athlete, Driggers competed collegiately in both Tennessee and Virginia before earning All-American honors at the national tournament—a competitive background that continues to shape his coaching philosophy today.

The Beginning of Something Special

Every successful wrestling program starts with a vision.

Some aim to become competitive.

Others aspire to win championships.

Hope International University is striving for something even larger.

Coach Alex Driggers is building a culture designed to develop exceptional wrestlers, outstanding students, servant leaders, and nationally respected teams. The championships, he believes, will follow.

In a state where collegiate wrestling opportunities remain limited despite an abundance of talent, Hope International represents something California wrestling has needed for years—a program with ambitious goals, unwavering values, and a coach determined to build a lasting legacy.

If that vision becomes reality, the wrestling world may soon be talking about Hope International not as a new program—but as one of the NAIA’s next great success stories.

For more information regarding academic opportunities or the Hope International wrestling program, prospective student-athletes may contact Head Coach Alex Driggers at adriggers@hiu.edu or Instagram: hiu_wrestling 

Photos courtesy of Alex Driggers, Hope International Wrestling.

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