NEW YORK - The 2015 World Wrestling Championships took center stage in Las Vegas from Sept. 7-12. Men and women were crowned as World Champions throughout the event.

Two prominent Columbia alumni were behind the scenes, helping to make this all happen.

Kyra Barry and Andy Barth are both serving as team leaders for USA Wrestling through the Rio Olympics in 2016. Barry has been leading a group of women for the USA National Freestyle team, while Barth has spent time leading the USA Men's Freestyle and Greco-Roman teams. The pair hold various duties within the role, primarily helping to provide support, encouragement and leadership to the team. Barry and Barth are also involved with many other wrestling focused organizations.

Barth last wrestled competitively in 1985, competing in Greco-Roman wrestling at the New York Athletic Club. After stepping away from wrestling for a few years, another Columbia supporter found a way to get him connected with the sport once again.

“It was Lew Fischbein, who has been a Columbia supporter for decades, that got me involved again,” Barth said. “In a way, you could say that it was Columbia that brought me back to the sport.”

“My first concern was that many colleges and universities around the country were dropping their wrestling programs. Columbia Wrestling had been an important element in my life and wrestling had influenced my everyday demeanor and attitude.”

After 91 years as a program, Yale dropped wrestling in 1991. Two years later in 1993, Princeton dropped their program, only to have it brought back after support from numerous alumni. Fearful that this movement may extend to another Ivy League program that was close to Barth's heart, he took action.

“I was hoping that by supporting Columbia's program, it's future could be safe,” Barth said. “This is what led me to make the donations that endowed the head coaching position and that allowed the wrestling room to be named after me. It took me a while to figure out that if there are endowed coaching positions, it makes it pretty hard to cut the program.”

Today, Carl Fronhofer serves as the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling at Columbia.

"The alumni support we have for our program is second to none,” Fronhofer said. “Andy Barth and the Barry family have continued to lead the way in support of our team. The remarkable thing about their support is that it does not end at the gates to our campus. They have been leading the wrestling world from top to bottom with their involvement in the Olympic movement, USA Wrestling as well as grassroots youth support through Beat the Streets.”

Fronhofer's top assistant coach, Roman Fleszar, is the David and Michael Barry Assistant Coach of Wrestling.

“The Barth and Barry families have been huge supporters of the Columbia wrestling team in every way possible,” Fleszar said. "Without their friendship and financial support, the program would not continue to strive and make the improvements it has on the mat."

David Barry '87CC served on the board for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. After Barth's contributions to Columbia, and his work with the Beat the Streets wrestling clubs in New York and Philadelphia, Barry and the Hall of Fame elected Barth as one of their Outstanding Americans.

Along with his work serving as team leaders for USA Wrestling with David's wife Kyra and his work for Beat the Streets, Barth started the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club. The TMWC supports both senior level athletes and youth development programs in Southern California.

Steve Santos '13CC is now in his first season as the John Huemer Second Assistant Coach of Wrestling. Santos is replacing Adam Hall, who recently accepted a position on the NC State wrestling staff as an assistant coach. Both Santos and Hall have wrestled for TMWC in the past, while also spending time at the Manhattan Regional Training Center, an Olympic regional training site located at Columbia.

“Having such great alumni support at Columbia has been essential for our program,” Santos said. “Andy's support of wrestling has been beneficial for me as a former Columbia wrestler and current team member of TMWC. Through his support, I was able to compete at the highest level at Columbia and continue to pursue my goals as a wrestler.” 

Perhaps the involvement in wrestling has led Barth's son, Andrew, to come to Columbia after growing up in Los Angeles. The younger Barth is a current member of the Lions wrestling program, stepping into his senior year.

“I am so happy that he had the experience of being involved with the team,” the older Barth said. “ I hope that he will feel as good about Columbia as I did and then continue to support the team after I am gone.“