Montreat College announced the addition of Cheryl Baynard as its new women's wrestling head coach in late June of 2026. Baynard will enter her first season leading the Cavaliers in 2026-27.
PRIOR TO MONTREAT
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.
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.
