BELL BUCKLE, Tenn. – Cascade’s Vayden Moore, the 2024-25 144lb State Runner-Up who finished with an incredible 53-1 record, officially announced his commitment to University of the Cumberlands (KY) on Thursday.

A private university located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, the Patriots saw 16 members of its wrestling program named as NAIA Men’s Scholar All-Americans this past season. 

Moore was also considering Cumberland University, King University, Campbellsville University, and UNC Pembroke, but in the end he chose Cumberlands in the bluegrass state.

“Their coach was really recruiting me hard and it seemed like he really wanted me there,” Moore explained, “He sees potential in me and wants me to do big things, and everybody there was very welcoming.”

“None of the other schools were recruiting me to the same level as he was, and that really set them apart.”

Moore went into a bit more detail about the day of his decision, saying that in the end, he simply enjoyed his visit to Cumberlands the most. Now that he has announced his commitment, he turns his eyes to what the college experience as it pertains to wrestling might look like for him.

“It’s definitely going to be tough with it being college guys instead of high school guys,” Moore said, “but it’s going to be a lot better because they will all make me that much better in practice.”

Moore also expressed how impactful and important it was for the support system around him in helping him get to the point he is at today.

“Everybody’s support, especially Coach Giel and my dad, they all believed in me more than I believed in myself at first,” he said. “If you had told me my freshman year that I would make it to the state finals, I would probably believe that it was possible, but if you had told me then that I would be undefeated up until that point, I don’t think I would have believed you.” 

“I think they always believed I had that capability, and I never really believed it until this year when I actually did it.” 

Lastly, Moore recounted one of his favorite moments while wrestling in a Cascade uniform that he will never forget.

“This year, I won in the semifinals, and everybody was going crazy and cheering for me, that was an awesome moment,” he said as a smile enveloped his face. 

Before he begins his college career in Kentucky, Moore still has a couple of goals for this summer with the biggest one being qualifying and competing in the USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Nationals in Fargo, ND in July. Until then, Moore just plans on continuing to practice and hone his craft.

An official signing day held at Cascade High School will be announced in the coming days.