Chris Ayres was appointed Stanford's Matt Gentry Head Wrestling Coach in September 2023 and entered 2025-26 in his third season with the Cardinal and 20th overall as a collegiate head coach. In his first two Stanford seasons, the program produced four All-America honors, multiple top-20 NCAA team finishes, ACC and Pac-12 conference experience, and strong academic recognition.
Before Stanford, Ayres spent 17 seasons leading Princeton, where he became a four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year and helped turn the Tigers into a national contender. His Princeton tenure included an individual national champion, NCAA finalists, four-time All-Americans, the program's first Ivy League title since 1986, and dozens of NCAA Championship bids.
