MONTREAT, N.C. — The Montreat College athletics department announced the hiring of Cheryl Baynard in late June, selecting the North Carolina native as its next head women's wrestling coach. Baynard is the women's wrestling team's fourth full-time head coach in program history, and she begins her duties leading the Cavaliers immediately.
 
"From our very first conversation, Coach Baynard's relationship-driven approach and deep commitment to developing student-athletes holistically stood out," said Garrett Jones, Director of Athletics at Montreat College. "Coach Baynard has a passion for competitive excellence, and I'm confident that she and her staff will continue building on the strong momentum our program has generated over the past few seasons."
 
Baynard comes to Montreat with the unique distinction of being the only female in North Carolina and one of just four women in the nation to hold USA Wrestling Gold Certification as a coach. With more than two decades of coaching experience, the Naples, N.C. native has had the honor of representing her home state and her country on the national and international levels. Since 2015, Baynard has served as a North Carolina National Team coach, and she's acted as the North Carolina USA Wrestling Junior Women's Director since 2017. Additionally, since 2021, Baynard has been chosen four times to coach Team USA's World Beach Team.
 
Regionally, Baynard's also made an impact as the head coach of BaynardTrained Wrestling Club and as the assistant coach at Erwin Middle School.
 
More than just a coach, Baynard has affected girls' and women's wrestling through multiple foundations and initiatives. The founder of SanctionNC, Baynard helped lead a statewide grassroots campaign that advocated for and helped sanction girls' high school wrestling in North Carolina. She's also the creator of the Women in Wrestling Initiative model and the Southeast Regional Representative for the NCAA Division I Women's Wrestling Initiative.
 
"Wrestling has never been just about winning matches to me. It's about building young women of faith, character and resilience who will make a difference long after their last match," Baynard shared. "I'm honored to join the Montreat College family and excited to help build something that reflects Christ, hard work and genuine love for one another."
 
No stranger to Montreat, Baynard's son, Alec, wrestled for the Cavs from 2021-23. Her daughter, Zebbi, also works with the school at the Carolina Cyber Center.
 
Baynard and her husband, S. Randall, currently reside in Naples, N.C.