Wrestling
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
In Martinez’s first season as assistant coach in 2020-21, Oregon State went 4-5 in duals that included wins over Pac-12 foes Cal Poly and Little Rock.
OSU finished second at the Pac-12 Championships with 123.0 team points, just 15 points behind first-place Arizona State. Martinez assisted Devan Turner (133) and Grant Willits (141) as they earned their second individual Pac-12 Championship titles. He coached Hunter Willits (157), Ryan Reyes (184), and J.J. Dixon (197) who all earned a runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championships. Brandon Kaylor (125) also earned a top-three finish, third-place, at the Pac-12 Championships.
Six wrestlers -- Kaylor, Turner, Grant Willits, Hunter Willits, Reyes, and Dixon -- qualified for the 2021 NCAA Wrestling Championships in the first season with Martinez on staff. Beaver wrestlers posted a combined overall record of 88-80 (.524) and 44-46 (.489) in duals. In 2021, OSU went 51-45 in matches decided by decision and 23-16 in major decision matches.
He concluded his Illini wrestling career with the highest winning percentage in school history, winning 97.5 percent of his matches. The 116 victories by Martinez is also tied for 10th all-time in Illinois history.Â
Martinez, a two-time NCAA Champion and four-time Big Ten Champion, was named a 2018 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient. Additionally, Martinez is a two-time Illinois Dike Eddleman Male Athlete of the Year winner and a two-time Big Ten Wrestler of the Championships.
"I'm so excited to be working with Coach Pendleton and the OSU team," Martinez said. "I believe Oregon State has all the makings to be a special place for wrestling. I can't wait to get to work and help guys achieve their goals!"
"Isaiah is a unique hire because we both come from a blue collar town in the Central Valley of California," Pendleton said. "I previously had the distinction of being the best wrestler from Lemoore until he showed up. As a 2x NCAA Champion and 4x All American, Isaiah has been a force on the world level and will be a great guide for our athletes to follow. Personally, I've loved seeing his development as a scrappy young kid in the youth program to the man he is today"
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Career Highlights
4x NCAA Finalist (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
2x NCAA Champion (2015, 2016)
4x Big Ten Champion (2015, 2016,2017,2018)
2x Midlands Champion (2014, 2016)
US Open Champion (2018,2019)
U23 National Champion
3x CIF State Champion (2011, 2012, 2013)
USAW Junior National Champion (2012)
USAW Cadet National Champion (2010)
