The Takedown Report Honors Six GWU Grapplers
TARBORO, N.C. - The postseason honors continue to roll in for
Gardner-Webb's wrestling team as seniors Daniel Elliott and Josh
Pniewski were named first team All-Carolina by The Takedown Report.
The Tarboro, N.C., based website also recognized Brandon Beach (184),
Brent Blackwell (197), Adam Glaser (157) and Jordan Lowe (165) for
their accomplishments on the mat during 2005-06.
Elliott is a repeat selection to the All-Carolina Team, and recently
completed one of the finest seasons in the history of Gardner-Webb
wrestling. During his senior campaign, Elliott set a new school record
with 40 wins in just 44 matches and became the first GWU grappler to
garner a top ten national ranking. The Fuquay-Varina, N.C., native
placed second at this year's Carolina Open and third at the Southern
Scuffle and was the second wrestler in school history to become a
two-time NCAA East Regional Champion and national qualifier.
The 149-pound Elliott became Gardner-Webb's first wrestler to win 100
matches in his career, notching his 100th victory with a pin over The
Citadel's Nick Orio in his next to last home match and was recently
named the Male Athlete of the Year for Gardner-Webb.
Pniewski's selection to the All-Carolina Team adds to a growing list of
accolades for the 133-pound senior. Since becoming the only wrestler in
school history to win three regional titles en route to making three
separate appearances at the NCAA Division I National Tournament,
Pniewski has been honored as the Male President's Senior Athletic
Achievement Award Winner for Gardner-Webb and repeated as a selection
on the NWCA All-Academic Team.
These honors have been well deserved for Pniewski, who posted an
impressive 33-11 record over his final collegiate season. The Spencer,
Ohio, native won 23 of his final 25 matches heading into the NCAA
Tournament and was ranked in the top 30 of his weight class for the
majority of the year. Pniewski closed his outstanding career by picking
up a first-round victory over Ohio State's Reece Humphrey to become the
school's first grappler to win a match at nationals in two separate
seasons
.Gardner-Webb Wrestling Honored for Academic Achievements
MANHEIM, Pa. - The National Wrestling Coaches Association recently
announced its All-Academic Teams for the 2005-2006 season. For the
second-straight year, Gardner-Webb took the team honor and Josh
Pniewski was named to the NWCA All-Academic D-I Team.
Gardner-Webb was one of 30 NCAA Division I programs to post a team GPA
of 2.80 or higher during the 2005-06 campaign. The Bulldogs posted a
team mark of 2.899 this year to rank 21st in the nation, up from 26th
one year ago.
Pniewski owns a cumulative grade point average of 3.54 and is a repeat
selection after taking the same honor one year ago. The senior business
administration major will graduate on May 13.
To qualify for selection on the NWCA All-Academic Team, an individual
wrestler has to post a 3.2 GPA or higher, be a NCAA national qualifier
and win over 60 percent of his total schedule for the season.
Pniewski easily surpassed those standards on and off the mats, joining
67 other wrestlers on the list. The Spencer, Ohio, native was dominant
all season long for the Bulldogs in the 133-pound division, posting a
sparkling 33-11 record and winning his third-consecutive NCAA East
Regional title. Pniewski ripped off 23 wins over his final 25 matches
leading up to his third trip to the NCAA Division I National Tournament
and became Gardner-Webb's first wrestler to win a match in two separate
years at nationals after defeating Ohio State's Reece Humphrey in the
first round.
This marks the second postseason honor for Pniewski who also won the
President's Senior Athletic Achievement Award Winner for being
Gardner-Webb's top male student-athlete over the 2005-2006 athletic
year.
GWU Wrestling Season Comes to an End at Nationals
OKLAHOMA CITY - Josh Pniewski and Adam Glaser each suffered losses in
their first matches of the afternoon on Friday to end their run at
Nationals and close out the 2005-2006 season for Gardner-Webb
wrestling. GWU set a school record by sending four individuals to
Nationals and picked up a pair of wins for the second-straight year.
Pniewski wrapped up his season with a 10-1 loss to No. 10 Darrell
Vasquez of Cal-Poly in his third match of the tournament. Pniewski ends
the season with a 33-11 record and is the only grappler in GWU's
history to reach the NCAA Division I National Tournament three times.
With his win over Ohio State's Reece Humphrey in the first round,
Pniewski had his second win in as many years at Nationals and became
the first GWU wrestler to accomplish the feat.
Glaser got bumped into the consolation bracket in his only match on
Thursday by the third-seeded Alex Tirapelle of Illinois and did not get
much of a break in his Friday match. Glaser went up against the No. 8
seeded Craig Henning of Wisconsin and fell by a 7-1 score to end his
season. Glaser entered the Nationals on a nine-match winning streak but
suffered a pair of losses to two highly touted wrestlers to end his
season with a 19-17 record.
Pniewski (133), Glaser (157), No. 10 Daniel Elliott (149) and Brent
Blackwell (197) made school history with their trip to Nationals,
marking the largest amount of national qualifiers for Gardner-Webb in
its Division I history. The group of seniors also helped GWU to a 12-13
season, its highest win total in the Division I era.