2025 Scholarship Awards
Ben Brown of Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado, earned the $10,000 RBS&HF scholarship.
The Ray Barron Strength & Honor Fund is proud to announce the recipients of its fourth-annual scholarship. Established in 2020 in honor of legendary Colorado wrestling Coach Ray Barron, the scholarship fund recognizes Colorado wrestlers who demonstrate strength and honor in all they do, on and off the mat.
In 2025, the fund will support two outstanding wrestlers. The $10,000 scholarship goes to Ben Brown of Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Colorado, nominated by Arapahoe High School head wrestling coach Steve Sisler. Brown found wrestling in high school after completing the football season and looking for something to keep him busy and in shape. His friends recommended wrestling, and he’s been wrestling varsity since, along with being a lineman for the varsity Warrior football team and a thrower for the track team. He’ll continue his education at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado, where he’ll play football.
Brown’s qualifications for this recognition go beyond the mat, as leader of his team, a member of the National Honor society ranking in the top 10% of his class, and a volunteer for youth football and wrestling programs.
“Ben is not only a standout athlete and student, but he might be the very best student leader that I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with,” Coach Sisler commented. “Ben’s leadership hasn’t gone unnoticed as he lends his skills within our school and community. He’s also dedicated significant time to coaching younger athletes through football camps, mentoring students, and volunteering over 40 hours through National Honor Society activities. Ben's leadership and service to others are integral to who he is and how he impacts the people around him. His leadership has also been tapped by the football and wrestling teams as a captain, an honor that is not taken lightly by our school, teams, and administrators. Ben's athletic accomplishments are equally impressive. Since his freshman year, he has lettered in three varsity sports—football, wrestling, and track and field. Knowing Coach Barron personally, he would’ve been a fan of Ben Brown as he embodies the character and grit that Coach Barron so loved in student athletes, especially his linemen, wrestlers, and throwers.”
The RBS&HF board was impressed by Brown’s mentality toward the role Coach Barron’s values of strength and honor play in his life.
“To live your life with strength and honor means to take pride in whatever you do,” Brown wrote. “Whether it's a miniscule part of your daily routine or when you achieve a great goal, you must be able to have the strength to take pride in taking care of the little details in what you do. By taking care of the little things, the big things will take care of themselves. By taking pride in what you do, you can honor the achievement you have made for it means so much more when you earn something.”
Nathan Ozuk of Denver North High School receives the runner-up $2,500 scholarship.
Runner-up and receiving a $2,500 scholarship is Nathan Ozuk of Denver North High School, nominated by Denver North head wrestling coach Jeremy DeHerrera. Ozuk has wrestled all his life and served as a captain, as well as participating in the school’s ROTC program and volunteering to help with the youth wrestling program. Ozuk will continue his education in the fire science technology program at Red Rocks Community College and aims to become a firefighter.
“Nathan personifies what it truly means to be a student/athlete. He’s ranked close to the top of his class in academics, and he’s also a state-qualifying wrestler that serves as the captain of our team,” DeHerrera shared. “He's as hard of a worker as you can get on the mat, plus he's also very respectful to his coaches, teammates, and opponents. He's a great role model for our younger athletes and donates his time helping our youth program.”
Ozuk is proud of his accomplishments on the mat and what his attitude and work mean to his family.
“I have to carry my family’s honor and grow on it to be a better student and a better wrestler than all of my opponents combined,” he said.
This year’s applicant class included six wrestlers from all over Colorado, representing diverse backgrounds. The scholarship process begins with a coach nomination, includes a rigorous wrestler application, and concludes with interviews with the top candidates—a highlight of the process for the fund’s board of directors.
“It’s difficult for me to express how proud we all are—the RBS&HF Board and my family—of the 2025 class of scholarship applicants,” said board president and Coach Barron’s daughter, Jennifer Paulson. “On top of reading their applications, it was a great honor to learn about four of our applicants when we interviewed them. They all presented themselves with great poise, professionalism, and an open demeanor. The future of Colorado wrestling is bright with programs producing individuals of this caliber. My dad would be excited to congratulate each of the nominees.”
The Ray Barron Strength & Honor Fund is a 501(c)3 organization that raises funds to provide scholarships to universities, junior colleges, and trade schools to graduating Colorado wrestlers. Ray Barron was a wrestling coach for nearly 50 years, leading teams in Fort Lupton, Colorado; Worland, Wyoming; and Littleton, Colorado, at Heritage and Columbine High Schools. He received numerous honors, including being inducted into the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame and being named the 2020 5A Wrestling Coach of the Year. He passed away in 2020 due to glioblastoma brain cancer. Learn more about the Ray Barron Strength & Honor Fund and Coach Barron at www.RayBarronStrengthAndHonorFund.com, follow the fund on Facebook, and donate at https://gofund.me/9ec2ba72.