13 things about Salem, Oregon’s David Rubio

David Alexander Rubio is an alumnus of Corban University, a private Christian university in Salem, Marion County, Oregon, United States. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC).

BIOGRAPHY

Rubio is an American wrestler from Salem. His brother Andy Rubio is also a wrestler.

When David was an eighth-grader at Adam Stephens Middle School in Salem, he stood 5’4″ and weighed around 200 pounds. It was Andy who introduced David to Troy Thomas, who encouraged David to join the wrestling team when he got to high school.

David arrived at Douglas McKay High School in Salem with no wrestling experience and started wrestling during his freshman year there. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. He was born in 2001.
2. In 2015, he started lifting weights.
3. Two days before the 2017 Greater Valley Conference (GVC) district tournament in Oregon, where he was seeded number 3 at 152 lbs, he was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis.
4. From 2017 to 2018, he won 41 of his 47 wrestling matches.
5. In 2018, he made history as the second state wrestling champion in Douglas McKay High School’s history following Allan Mikolas who was the champion at 275 lbs in 2003.
6. In 2019, he joined Corban University’s inaugural men’s wrestling squad.
7. From 2021 to 2022, as a Corban University wrestler, he won 16 of his 19 matches at 165 pounds.
8. From 2022 to 2023, as a Corban University wrestler, he won 23 of his 25 wrestling matches.
9. In 2023, he was the champion of his weight class for the CCC.
10. From 2023 to 2024, as a senior member of Corban University’s men’s wrestling squad, he won 28 of his 30 matches at 174 lbs.
11. From 2024 to 2025, as a redshirt senior of Corban University’s men’s wrestling program, he won 26 of his 30 wrestling matches.
12. He is the 2024-2025 CCC Men’s Wrestler of the Year.
13. In 2025, he coached a wrestling clinic at the Rainer School District in Rainier, Oregon.

TIMELINE

David is 5’8″ tall. He is Corban University’s first ever wrestling recruit and first ever NAIA individual national champion.

2010s

• In April 2017, he won the state freestyle wrestling championship at 170 lbs in Oregon.
• In July 2017, he competed in the Cadet Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota, USA.
• On February 22, 2018, he was crowned 6A state champion in the 170 lbs division at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon.

2020s

• In March 2025, he made history as Corban University’s first ever NAIA individual national champion and named the 2024-2025 CCC Men’s Wrestler of the Year.
• On August 28, 2025, a Columbia County, Oregon grand jury indicted him after the police department of Scapoose, Columbia County received reports that he tried to solicit sexually explicit photos of a minor athlete he met at a wrestling clinic. 
• On September 16, 2025, he was arrested by Salem Police Department officers and detectives and booked into the Marion County Jail in Salem.
• On September 18, 2025, he was booked into the Columbia County Jail in St. Helens, Columbia County and charged with using a child in display of sexually explicit content, luring a minor, and second-degree encouraging child sexual abuse