One present coach of two sports and a former four-time state wrestling champion are among the newest members of the Adams State University athletic hall of fame.
Jared Deaguero, the football and wrestling coach at Adams City High School, and Kyle Sand, who competed at Arvada West High School, received their honors during a ceremony at the Alamosa-based university late last month.
Deaguero
Deaguero was a two-time All-American at Adams State. He won the 184-pound NCAA Division II title in 2007 and was a fourth-place finisher at the same weight in 2008. He’s a two-time state wrestling coach of the year.
In a Facebook post, Deaguero said his induction was “an honor.”
“That was a special time in my life, and I will always cherish the friendships and memories that were made there,” he said. “A huge shout out to coach Jason Ramstetter for taking in this stray guy when I didn’t have a wrestling home anymore after leaving UNC (the University of Northern Colorado). I would have never achieved my dream of winning an NCAA national championship if it wasn’t for you.”
Sand
In addition to his four state titles at Arvada West and sailing through his prep career undefeated in 125 matches –the only Colorado wrestler to do so – Sand won the 184-pound national title in 2009.
The three-time All-American won the state’s Collegiate Wrestler of the Year award in 2009. Sand also won the 2007 National Junior College Athletic Association national title while attending North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Sand also became the first coach of women’s wrestling in Adams State’s history this spring.
Congratulations to these local northern-area athletes.