GWU's Dick Wince to Be Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on May 20th
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb wrestling head coach Dick Wince will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the State Chapter of North Carolina on May 20th, as part of the Class of 2012 to receive this honor during the Hall of Fame Honors Banquet at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
On top of the induction into the Hall of Fame, Coach Wince will also receive the "Lifetime Service to Wrestling" Award. The award acknowledges those individuals whose lives have been significant within the wrestling field and have left behind a benchmark and legacy that others can and will follow in regards to areas beyond the mat.
"First, I always thought you had to be a little "famous" to get into a "Hall of Fame," but I guess I was wrong!" commented Coach Wince. "I really am honored, though. I join the company of some men and women whom I know have made really significant contributions to wrestling, both here in N.C. and nationally. It's humbling and more than a little scary to be in their company. Many of these people are personal friends of mine, while others I only know by reputation. They are great, while I am…well…less than great."
GWU Wrestling Signs Seven For 2012-13
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb athletics department, in conjunction with the Gardner-Webb wrestling team, is pleased to announce the signing of seven student-athletes - Tyler Ziegler (Cincinnati, Ohio), Ryan Mosley (Stone Mountain, Ga.), Austin Trott (Kingsland, Ga.), Kyle Ash (Tulsa, Okla.), Hunter Gamble (Stockbridge, Ga.), Gray Jones (Kingsland, Ga.) and Boyce Cornwell, Jr. (Conyers, Ga.) - to National Letters of Intent to continue both their academic and athletic careers at GWU.
"We are extremely excited about the group we have coming in this fall," stated new head coach Daniel Elliott. "On paper this is one of the best classes we have had sign here at GWU. We have signed some of the best kids out of the Southeast, as well as, some quality student-athletes from the Midwest and some of the best high school programs in the country as four of our signees are from top-40 nationally ranked high school teams."
Ziegler, who comes to GWU from Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, which finished the season ranked 18th in the nation overall among the team rankings, posted a 40-13 overall record and finished sixth in the state at 126 pounds last year as a senior. Ziegler, who recorded an overall career record of 85-37 on the mat at Moeller High School, is a two-time First-Team All-GCL selection and an Academic All-Ohio honoree. Last year during his senior season, Ziegler, who served as the Team Captain, was a District Champion. He was named to the First-Team All-District Team, was tabbed as a SWOWCA All-Star, and was awarded the Crusader Award which is given to the individual who best displays the qualities of the wrestler and individual which the program aspires to produce: honesty, loyalty, respect, unselfishness and class.
Off the mat, Ziegler is a member of the National Spanish Honor Society and a four-year member on the honor roll.
Mosely, a 141-pound grappler from Shiloh High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., posted a perfect 59-0 record during his senior campaign last season. The all-time record holder for wins at Shiloh H.S. with a career record of 198-18 completed a perfect season last year by winning the Class AAAAA 138-pound state championship. Mosely was also the Area 8-AAAAA Champion, the Sectional Champion, the Gwinnett County Coaches Wrestler of the Year and the Gwinnett Daily Post Wrestler of the Year. The four-time Team MVP, placed third in the state at 130-pounds and was an Area 8-AAAAA Champion in both his junior and sophomore seasons to earn him All-Gwinnett County recognition both years.
The four-year Five Star General Award Winner also lettered in football and baseball where he was the starting quarterback for two years and both a catcher and pitcher on the baseball team for three years.
Trott, who came in at the end of the season ranked #14 in the nation among high school wrestlers at 152-pounds by InterMat Wrestling and was named as an InterMat All-American, comes to GWU from Camden County High School in Kingsland, Ga., which finished the season ranked 40th in the nation among all high school teams. In his senior season, Trott went 47-1 overall at 152-pounds and was a NHSCA Senior Nationals Runner-Up as well as a Georgia State Champion. As a junior, Trott went 52-0, was a Georgia State Champion and took fifth-place at the NHSCA Junior Nationals event. The three-time Team Captain was a Georgia State Champion as a sophomore and both a Georgia State Runner-Up and a Fargo Greco-Roman All-American during his freshman season. Over his four-year high school career, Trott, who was a four-time State Finalist and a three-time State Champion, posted a record of 193-8 in which he competed at 103-pounds, 130-pounds, 140-pounds and 152-pounds.
Ash, who hails from Tulsa Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, posted a record of 42-6 last year during his senior season. Ash, who is a state champion, a two-time state placer and a two-time Geary Champion, won the Outstanding Senior Award last season and helped to lead his team to a top-20 national ranking by InterMat Wrestling. The Cadet All-American and Junior All-American in Fargo posted a career record of 158-24 over his four years at Union High. He is a four-time state placer who took second-place at the Reno Tournament of Champions in 2011 and fourth-place in 2010. Ash twice posted the most falls on his team and won both the Outstanding Junior and Outstanding Freshman Awards. DIcollegewrestling.net ranked the senior grappler the 97th overall recruit in the class of 2012.
Gamble, another grappler from the state of Georgia, comes to GWU from Union Grove High School in Stockbridge, Ga. The three-time state finalist posted an overall career record of 194-28 during his four seasons at Union Grove. Last year as a senior, Gamble went 49-1 overall and won the AAAA State Championship at 160-pounds. The two-time Team MVP and two-time Wolverine Award winner, was a AAAA State Runner-Up his junior season and a AAAAA State Runner-Up as a sophomore. The 2012 NWCA Dream Team selection was also a recipient of the 2012 Coca-Cola Scholar Athlete Award.
Jones, a high school teammate of Trott at the nationally ranked Camden County High School in Kingsland, Ga., is a two-time state champion and a state duals champion. Jones, who went 40-2 during his senior season at 182-pounds, won the Georgia State Championship in both his senior and junior seasons, after finishing as a state qualifier his sophomore year. Jones, who recorded 40 wins or more in each of his three years on the varsity team, also lettered in football for one year at Camden County.
In the classroom, Jones graduated 13th overall in his class, was on the A-Honor Roll all four years and has already accumulated college credits from the College of Coastal Georgia.
Cornwell, Jr., a 197-pound grappler from Heritage High School in Conyers, Ga., posted a record of 44-3 last year as a senior at 195-pounds. Last season, he was a State Champion, a East Sectional Champion, an Area Champion and a Flonationals All-American. Cornwell, Jr., who was also named to the GWCA Dream Team in 2012, is a three-time Team MVP and Team Captain. The two-time All-Area Honorable Mention, placed sixth at the state championships at 215-pounds and won the Area Championship, earning First-Team All-Area recognition as a junior.
Cornwell, Jr., who posted 117 wins overall during his four-year career at Heritage H.S., is a National Honor Society member and ranks in the top-10 percent of his senior class academically.
"We are looking forward to working with and helping to develop these athletes both in the classroom and on the mat," continued Coach Elliott. "While we are ecstatic about this class already, we still have some loose ends to tie up with recruiting and hope to add some more kids to this class."
Gardner-Webb Promotes Daniel Elliott to Wrestling Head Coach
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb Athletics Department is pleased to announce the promotion of Daniel Elliott to Head Coach of the Wrestling program. Elliott served as the Associate Head Coach for the last two seasons and has been on the GWU wrestling coaching staff for the last seven years.
Elliott will take over for former head coach Dick Wince who retired at the conclusion of the 2011-12 season after 22 years at Gardner-Webb University.
"Daniel came here as a student-athlete in 2001, and it has been a pleasure to watch him mature and grow into a coach worthy of this position in just over 10 years," said Vice President for Athletics Chuck Burch. "His drive and enthusiasm will serve him well, as will his love for this University and wrestling program.
"I am extremely excited about the opportunity to be the next head wrestling coach at Gardner-Webb University. It is a special feeling to be able to coach at one's alma mater and I am truly thankful for the chance to continue to be a part of the development of this program," commented Coach Elliott.
Since moving over to the bench as a coach, Elliott has seen at least one GWU wrestler make it to the NCAA Championships in five of the last six years, including watching a record-tying four student-athletes qualify for nationals in 2010-11.
In 2010, Dustin Porter, who reached the NCAA Championships in each of the four years from 2007-10, became GWU's first four-time qualifier, while fellow GWU grappler Rob Tate reached the Championships in 2006-07, earning the Runnin' Bulldogs lone victory at the national event that season.
In the classroom, redshirt-sophomore Alex Medved was tabbed as a 2011 National Wrestling Coaches Association National Academic All-American, one of 92 student-athletes across the nation to receive this academic recognition.
Redshirt-senior Jonathan Velazquez was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2011 NCAA East Regional Championships, as he helped lead GWU to a second-place overall team finish with a total of 74.5 points at the meet. Velazquez, along with Travis Porter and both Alex and Ryan Medved, were crowned East Regional Champions in their respective weight classes and qualified for the national championship tournament.
In 2010-11, Gardner-Webb had four grapplers' record over 20 wins on the season, while six wrestlers posted winning records on the year.
"Daniel has learned and gained a wealth of knowledge and wisdom from one of his mentors, Coach Dick Wince, as both a student-athlete and a coach," added Burch. "We continue to be grateful to Coach Wince for his tireless efforts in building our wrestling program over the past two decades. We are excited for Daniel to be able to continue building on that foundation."
Elliott has worked hard in raising money for the GWU Wrestling program and its new facility. His fundraising efforts allowed the Runnin' Bulldog wrestling program to move into a new building for the 2010-11 season, which when fully renovated will be one of the nicest wrestling only facilities in all of NCAA Division I with offices, locker room, team room, bathrooms and a large practice area.
"The wrestling program has undergone several changes in the recent year ranging from our move into the Southern Conference to the current training facility. During my past few years as associate head coach, Coach Wince has given me the trust and guidance to take over several areas of the program," added Coach Elliott. "I am excited to continue to grow as a coach and as a program. We will continue to work to bring quality people to Gardner-Webb who will buy into the goals of the wrestling program as we work to improve. This is a very vital time in a young person's growth, and I look forward to helping our athletes grow into citizens that Gardner-Webb will be proud of."
During his career for the Runnin' Bulldogs, Elliott was a two-time NCAA Qualifier. He was also a two-time regional champion at 149 pounds. In his last regional meet, Elliott was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler. He finished the regular season with a record of 39-2 during his senior campaign and was ranked 10th in the nation in the final standings.
Elliott holds the school record for career wins, single-season wins in addition to consecutive wins. He also led the team in each of his last three seasons in takedowns.
In the spring of 2008, Elliott competed in the USA Wrestling Northeast Regional and placed third in his weight class, marking the first time that he had placed at a senior-level event.
"Gardner-Webb University holds a very special part of my heart. I have been associated with this university for over ten years now, starting as a student and now becoming the head coach of the wrestling program. I believe wholeheartedly in the mission of the school, the athletic department and the wrestling program. I have been changed as a person during my time here at Gardner-Webb and look forward to helping our team members grow as men," remarked Elliott.
Elliott graduated in May 2006 with a double major in history and communications. Elliott then went on to earn his masters in sports sciences and pedagogy from Gardner-Webb in the summer of 2008.
"I would like to thank Dr. Bonner, Mr. Burch and the rest of the Gardner-Webb administration for putting their trust and faith into me as I take over the wrestling program. This is an exciting time in the program's history and I am thankful to be a part of this transition," continued Coach Elliott.
Last season, the Gardner-Webb wrestling program's first year as associate members of the Southern Conference, the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers posted a 6-12 dual match record and a 2-5 record in conference dual match action for the season.
Battling injuries all season long, the Runnin' Bulldogs were able to post a sixth-place finish at the 2012 Southern Conference Wrestling Championship in March, scoring a team total of 21 points as three wrestlers placed in fourth-place or higher in their respective weight classes. However, for the first time in the program's 12-year Division I history, the Runnin' Bulldogs did not send a wrestler to the NCAA National Championships.
In the program's first ever postseason conference championship tournament, redshirt-junior Travis Porter, who suffered a fall in the True Second match at 197 pounds at the conference championship tournament, took third-place overall, while fellow teammates Alex Medved (157 pounds) and Justin Guthrie (165 pounds) each placed fourth in their weight classes.
Alex Medved and Guthrie each posted 19 overall wins on the season to lead the team, while redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter finished his career out at GWU on a high note with 16 total combined wins at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively.
GWU- Dick Wince To Retire After 22 Years at Gardner-Webb University
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb wrestling head coach Dick Wince, who has been a part of Gardner-Webb Wrestling for 22 years, 20 years overall as the head coach of the GWU wrestling program, has officially announced his retirement.
"Our wrestling program has been positively impacted by Coach Wince during his outstanding career," said Vice President for Athletics Chuck Burch. "His leadership and influence has been instrumental in the lives of dozens of young men who have gone on to success after college. He is a pillar of our wrestling program's history, and will be missed. We wish him well in his retirement."
Wince, who has overseen the program from its days as a small NAIA competitor all the way to its current status as a competitive mid-major program at the NCAA Division I level and its first year in the Southern Conference, has steadily built a winning tradition in Boiling Springs, N.C.
"I came here in 1990 with every intention of staying five years and moving on…instead, I fell in love with the people in this institution, and with college coaching. I learned many years ago that the joy of coaching was not in wins and losses, but in relationships. There are so many more important things than winning wrestling matches. I've been blessed far beyond what I deserve in so many ways that it's difficult to know where to start," commented Coach Wince."
Under his tutelage, the GWU program has seen at least one wrestler make it to the NCAA National Division I Championships in eight of the last nine seasons, including having four grapplers qualify for the national tournament both in 2011 and 2006, both school records.
In fact, Wince's first NCAA Division I national qualifier was his son Erik in 2002-03.
During GWU's 12-year Division I history, the Runnin' Bulldogs have had a total of 16 national qualifiers, while grapplers Dustin Porter, Josh Pniewski and Daniel Elliott all earned top-20 national rankings during their time as Runnin' Bulldogs.
In GWU's NAIA and NCAA Division II history, Wince had four wrestlers earn All-America honors, the first being James Short in 1997, while Kenny Wince, another of Coach Wince's sons, was GWU's first of eight Academic All-Americans in 1999.
"It has been amazing seeing young men go through the most profound maturation of their lives and being a part of it. It has been amazing to be able to use our great sport as a vehicle for introducing people to the Gospel. It has been amazing to hear from alumni that even decades later they believe that being a part of Gardner-Webb wrestling has helped them to become great husbands, fathers…etc. and that they are grateful for having been here," stated Coach Wince.
On more than one occasion, Coach Wince's squad has been honored for their work in the classroom, being honored numerous times by the National Wrestling Coaches Association as one of the top-30 NCAA Division I programs in team grade point average throughout various seasons under his tenure.
"I've been blessed to become friends with some of the greatest names in our sport. I've been especially been blessed to have alumni who are now dear and longtime friends and hunting buddies," continued Wince.
GWU Wrestling Falls to Ohio, 28-18, in Regular Season Finale
Boiling Springs, N.C. - In Gardner-Webb's final home match of the season, the Runnin' Bulldogs posted wins at 133, 157, 165 and 197 pounds, yet suffered four falls over the other six matches to ultimately fall to Ohio 28-18 on Saturday night in Bost Gymnasium.
Prior to the start of the match, Gardner-Webb recognized head coach Richard Wince, who after 23 years overall with the Runnin' Bulldog wrestling program is retiring at the conclusion of this season.
After Gardner-Webb took a 9-0 match lead with a Michael Slaughter forfeit win at 125 pounds and a 6-3 decision by sophomore Robbie Golde over Andrew Hammer at 133 pounds, Ohio posted back-to-back pins at 141 and 149 pounds to take a 12-9 lead over the Runnin' Bulldogs.
GWU's Alex Medved continued his winning streak at 157 pounds, as he scored two early points and held on for a 3-1 win at 157 pounds over Harrison Hightower.
With the match scored knotted up at 12-12, GWU's Justin Guthrie used a two-point takedown late in the third period to post a 5-2 win over Casey Gordon and put the home team in front by three at 15-12.
The match lead would not last long, as Ohio posted a major decision win at 174 pounds and a pin at 184 pounds to take a 22-15 lead over the Runnin' Bulldogs with two bouts remaining.
Redshirt-junior Travis Porter earned a 6-0 shutout at 197 pounds over Beau Wenger to put the score at 22-18 in favor of the Bobcats.
Ohio's Jeremy Johnson tallied a fall over Gardner-Webb freshman Justin Kozera at the 285 pounds, giving the Bobcats the 28-18 match win.
Gardner-Webb (6-12, 2-5 SoCon) will next be in action on March 3rd, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will compete at the 2012 Southern Conference Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Ohio 28, Gardner-Webb 18
125 - Michael Slaughter (GWU) wins by forfeit. (GWU 6-0)
133 - Robbie Golde (GWU) dec. Andrew Hammer (Ohio) - 6-3 (GWU 9-0)
141 - Darrin Boing (Ohio) Fall over Alex Hamm (GWU) - 5:16 (GWU 9-6)
149 - Andrew Romanchik (Ohio) Fall over Davante Andujar (GWU) - 2:07 (Ohio 12-9)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) dec. Harrison Hightower (Ohio) - 3-1 (Tied 12-12)
165 - Justin Guthrie (GWU) dec. Casey Gordan (Ohio) - 5-2 (GWU 15-12)
174 - Nick Purdue (Ohio) maj. dec. Erin O'Dell (GWU) - 13-2 (Ohio 16-15)
184 - Ryan Garringer (Ohio) Fall over Jason Porter (GWU) - 0:50 (Ohio 22-15)
197 - Travis Porter (GWU) dec. Beau Wenger (Ohio) - 6-0 (Ohio 22-18)
285 - Jeremy Johnson (Ohio) Fall over Justin Kozera (GWU) - 4:02 (Ohio 28-18)
GWU Wrestling Dominates Davidson in 36-3 Southern Conference Win
Davidson, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team snapped a three-match losing streak in dominating fashion on Thursday night, as the Runnin' Bulldog wrestlers won nine out of the 10 bouts to defeat the Wildcats 36-3 in Southern Conference action in Davidson, N.C.
Redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter led off the Southern Conference match with a hard fought decision, as he edged out Matt Zarth to earn a 2-1 decision at 125 pounds. Slaughter's 14th overall win of the season put the Runnin' Bulldogs up early at 3-0 to start the match.
After a loss at 133 pounds tied the score up at 3-3, the Runnin' Bulldogs went on a roll, winning the eight final matches of the bout en route to the 36-3 conference win.
At 141 pounds, sophomore Alex Hamm posted his second straight win, defeating Benjamin Hartshorn 5-4, while freshman Davante Andujar posted a win over Kevin Birmingham at 149 pounds by the same score, 5-4, pushing Gardner-Webb in front by six in the match at 9-3.
Alex Medved did not waste any time in adding to his winning streak to, pushing his streak to seven straight matches with a pin over Dan Hagemann at 1:08 in the 157 pound bout.
The fourth straight win came by way of redshirt-junior Justin Guthrie at 165 pounds, as he controlled the match from the start, earning a 10-2 major decision win over Tyler Mullen to put the visitors in front at 19-3 for the match.
GWU's Erin O'Dell continued the Runnin' Bulldogs run, as the sophomore held off the Wildcats' Ian Solcz for an 11-8 win at 174 pounds, while redshirt-junior Jason Porter posted a 10-3 decision over Christopher Cirenza at 184 pounds to essentially put the match away at 25-3 in favor of GWU.
After a 19-3 technical fall win at 5:59 by GWU's Travis Porter at 197 pounds over Eddie Isola, GWU freshman Justin Kozera drew a forfeit victory to put the final score at 36-6.
Gardner-Webb (6-11, 2-5 SoCon) will wrap up its 2011-12 regular season slate this Saturday night, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will host the Ohio Bobcats at 7 p.m. in Bost Gymnasium on the campus of Gardner-Webb University.
Gardner-Webb 36, Davidson 3
125 - Michael Slaughter (GWU) dec. Matt Zarth (DAV) - 2-1 (GWU 3-0)
133 - Anthony Elias (DAV) dec. Robbie Golde (GWU) - 12-7 (Tied 3-3)
141- Alex Hamm (GWU) dec. Benjamin Hartshorn (DAV) - 5-4 (GWU 6-3)
149 - Davante Andujar (GWU) dec. Kevin Birmingham (DAV) - 5-4 (GWU 9-3)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) FALL over Dan Hagemann (DAV) - 1:08 (GWU 15-3)
165 - Justin Guthrie (GWU) maj. dec. Tyler Mullen (DAV) - 10-2 (GWU 19-3)
174 - Erin O'Dell (GWU) dec. Ian Solcz (DAV) - 11-8 (GWU 22-3)
184 - Jason Porter (GWU) dec. Christopher Cirenza (DAV) - 10-3 (GWU 25-3)
197 - Travis Porter (GWU) tech. fall Eddie Isola (DAV) - 5:59 19-3 (GWU 30-3)
285 - Justin Kozera (GWU) forfeit win. (GWU 36-3)
GWU- Slaughter and Alex Medved Post Wins in Loss at Home to Indiana on Sunday Night
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter and redshirt-junior Alex Medved each earned a decision in their respective weight classes on Sunday night, yet the Hoosiers of Indiana would take wins in the other eight matches to defeat the Runnin' Bulldogs 36-6 in Paul Porter Arena.
Slaughter led off the match for the Runnin' Bulldogs with an 8-3 win over Zach Zimmer, as the redshirt-senior led the bout from start to finish at 125 pounds, recording his 13th overall win on the year.
GWU quickly lost their 3-0 match lead, as Indiana posted a major decision win at 133 pounds and a pin at 141 pounds to take a 10-3 lead after the first three bouts.
At 149 pounds, GWU's Davante Andujar and Indiana's Geno Capezio battled to a 4-4 tie after three periods with each wrestler scoring points in the final 30 seconds of the final period. In the overtime period, Capezio recorded a two-point takedown to edge Andujar for the 6-4 overtime decision and put the Hoosiers up by 10 at 13-3.
Alex Medved jumped out to an early lead at 157 pounds and took advantage of the riding time to hold on for the 7-2 decision over Sawyer Morris, giving him seven straight wins in a row.
Much like at 149 pounds, at 165 pounds GWU's Justin Guthrie used a two-point takedown with less than 45 seconds to go in the third period to knot the score up at 8-8 and force the match into overtime. However, in overtime Indiana's Preston Keiffer scored a two-point takedown with 28 seconds left on the clock to defeat Guthrie 10-8 and put the Hoosiers back on top by 10 at 16-6.
Gardner-Webb fell in each of the last four bouts, as the Hoosiers earned a 36-6 win over the Runnin' Bulldogs.
The loss is the Runnin' Bulldogs third straight, as GWU falls to 5-11 overall in dual match action on the season.
Gardner-Webb (5-11, 1-5 SoCon) will return to the mat this Thursday night, February 16th, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will travel to Davidson, N.C. to take on the Davidson College Wildcats at 7 p.m.
Indiana 36, Gardner-Webb 6
125 - Michael Slaughter (GWU) dec. Zach Zimmer (IU) - 8-3 (GWU 3-0)
133 - Joe Duca (IU) major dec. Robbie Golde (GWU) - 15-5 (IU 4-3)
141 - Matt Ortega (IU) Fall Jake Reinemund (GWU) - 0:52 (IU 10-3)
149 - Geno Capezio (IU) dec. Davante Andujar (GWU) - 6-4 (OT) (IU 13-3)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) dec. Sawyer Morris (IU) - 7-2 (IU 13-6)
165 - Preston Keiffer (IU) dec. Justin Guthrie (GWU) - 10-8 (OT) (IU 16-6)
174 - Ryan LeBlanc (IU) tech. fall Erin O'Dell (GWU) - 22-5 (IU 21-6)
184 - Luke Sheridan (IU) dec. Jason Porter (GWU) - 5-4 (IU 24-6)
197 - Joe Fagiano (IU) dec. Fall Travis Porter (GWU) - 4:04 (IU 30-6)
285 - Adam Chalfant (IU) Fall Justin Kozera (GWU) - 2:31 (IU 36-6)
GWU- Alex Medved Wins His Sixth Straight, as GWU Falls at Home to The Citadel
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb redshirt-junior Alex Medved posted his sixth straight win on Friday night, as the Runnin' Bulldog wrestling team fell to the Citadel 36-10 in Southern Conference action in Paul Porter Arena.
The loss drops Gardner-Webb to 5-10 overall and 1-5 in Southern Conference dual match action, while with the win the Citadel improves to 6-8 overall and 2-2 in conference action
After recognizing seniors Michael Slaughter and Jason Porter prior to the match on "Senior Night", the Runnin' Bulldogs got off to a sluggish start suffering two pins and a major decision loss over the first three matches to find themselves down 16-0 early.
Freshman Davante Andujar got the Runnin' Bulldogs on the scoreboard, as he posted a 12-2 major decision win over Shane Lee at 149 pounds.
Medved followed with a 5-4 decision in double overtime over Pierre Frazile, as neither wrestler could score over the final four minutes of the match. Medved picked up a one-point escape and held on for the 5-4 decision, his sixth straight victory and 14th overall on the year.
Fellow redshirt-junior Justin Guthrie recorded his team leading 15th win on the season in the next bout, as he defeated Michael Harper 8-3 at 165 pounds.
With the three straight victories, GWU cut the Citadel lead to six at 16-10 with four bouts remaining.
However, the Citadel finished the match out strong, posting a tech fall win at 174 pounds and falls at both 184 and 285 pounds en route to the 36-10 win over Gardner-Webb.
With his loss at 197 pounds, Travis Porter, the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for last week, had his winning streak snapped at five in a row.
Gardner-Webb (5-10, 1-5 SoCon) will return to action this Sunday night, February 12th, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will host the Hoosiers of Indiana out of the Big Ten at 7 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
Citadel 36, Gardner-Webb 10
125 - Richard Alarcon (Citadel) Fall Michael Slaughter (GWU) - 6:52 (Citadel 6-0)
133 - Kyle Casaletto (Citadel) maj. dec. Robbie Golde (GWU) - 10-2 (Citadel 10-0)
141 - Jordan Dix (Citadel) Fall Jake Reinemund (GWU) - 1:50 (Citadel 16-0)
149 - Davante Andujar (GWU) maj. dec. Shane Lee (Citadel) - 12-2 (Citadel 16-4)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) dec. Pierre Frazile (Citadel) (2OT) - 5-4 (Citadel 16-7)
165 - Justin Guthrie (GWU) dec. Michael Harper (Citadel) - 8-3 (Citadel 16-10)
174 - Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (Citadel) tech fall Erin O'Dell (GWU) - 23-7 (6:30) (Citadel 21-10)
184 - Josh Tuck (Citadel) Fall Jason Porter (GWU) - 2:20 (Citadel 27-10)
197 - Kelby Smith (Citadel) dec. Travis Porter (GWU) - 10-3 (Citadel 30-10)
285 - #15 Odie Delaney (Citadel) Fall Justin Kozera (GWU) - 1:20 (Citadel 36-10)
Four GWU Grapplers Post Wins in Loss to Duke on Tuesday Night
Durham, N.C. - Gardner-Webb redshirt-juniors Alex Medved, Justin Guthrie and Travis Porter, as well as freshman Justin Kozera, all posted wins in their respective weight classes on Tuesday night, as the Runnin' Bulldog wrestlers fell to the Duke Blue Devils, 22-13, in dual match action in Durham, N.C.
At 125 pounds, redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter saw his winning streak come to an end as he suffered a 7-4 loss to Peter Terrezza to start the dual.
After a major decision loss at 133 pounds and a fall at 141 pounds, the Runnin' Bulldogs found themselves down 13-0 after three bouts.
Duke then extended their lead to 16-0, as Andrew Guardado held off GWU freshman Davante Andujar for a 3-2 decision, keeping the Runnin' Bulldogs off the scoreboard.
Alex Medved then recorded his fifth straight win and 13th overall on the season, as the redshirt-junior controlled the match from start to finish in an 11-3 major decision win over Immanuel Kerr-Brown at 157 pounds.
With the Runnin' Bulldogs now on the scoreboard, Gardner-Webb's Guthrie followed with a 6-4 win over Ryan Harding at 165 pounds, cutting the Blue Devils' lead to nine at 16-7 with four matches remaining.
Back-to-back losses at 174 and 184 pounds put the Blue Devils in front big at 22-7 with two bouts remaining.
Travis Porter posted his fifth straight win at 197 pounds, as he held off Brian Self for a 7-3 win to give the Runnin' Bulldogs 10 points for the match.
With the match out of hand, Kozera still fought hard in the 285 pound bout, posting a 7-6 win over Robby Mello of Duke to put the final score at 22-13 in favor of the Blue Devils.
Gardner-Webb (5-9, 1-5 SoCon) will return home to host The Citadel in a Southern Conference dual match on Friday night in 6 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena on the campus of Gardner-Webb University.
Duke 22, Gardner-Webb 13
125 - Peter Terrezza (Duke) dec. Michael Slaughter (GWU) - 7-4 (Duke 3-0)
133 - Brandon Gambucci (Duke) major dec. Jacob Reinemund (GWU) - 16-2 (Duke 7-0)
141 - Tanner Hough (Duke) Fall Robbie Golde (GWU) - 2:59 (Duke 13-0)
149 - Andrew Guardado (Duke) dec. Davante Andujar (GWU) - 3-2 (Duke 16-0)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) major dec. Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke) - 11-3 (Duke 16-4)
165 - Justin Guthrie (GWU) dec. Ryan Harding (Duke) - 6-4 (Duke 16-7)
174 - Randy Roden (Duke) dec. Erin O'Dell (GWU) - 5-1 (Duke 19-7)
184 - Diego Bencomo (Duke) dec. Jason Porter (GWU) - 13-7 (Duke 22-7)
197 - Travis Porter (GWU) dec. Brian Self (Duke) - 7-3 (Duke 22-10)
285 - Justin Kozera (GWU) dec. Robby Mello (Duke) - 7-6 (Duke 22-13)
GWU Wrestling Splits Two Matches at Home on Saturday
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb led off the day with a tough 17-16 loss to the Campbell Fighting Camels, yet bounced back to wrap up the full day of competition with a 36-12 win over Millersville in Paul Porter Arena on the campus of Gardner-Webb University.
In Gardner-Webb's first match of the day, the Runnin' Bulldogs battled Campbell from start to finish, only to lose the match by a one-point tiebreaker, as the Fighting Camels totaled three more points (70-67) over the Runnin' Bulldogs to pick up the 17-16 conference match win.
GWU redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter led the match off with a 5-1 decision over Tanner Bidelspach at 125 pounds.
After the Fighting Camels posted a major decision win and back-to-back decisions over the next three bouts to take a 10-3 lead over the home team, redshirt-junior Alex Medved dominated his match from start to finish, posting a 13-2 major decision win over Daniel Luty at 157 pounds.
Campbell then recorded two straight wins over the Runnin' Bulldogs at 165 and 174 pounds to take a nine point lead at 16-7.
Refusing to quit, the Runnin' Bulldogs posted three straight wins over the last three bouts, starting with a 10-6 victory by Jason Porter over John Merickel at 184 pounds.
Redshirt-junior Travis Porter then held on for an 11-9 decision win over John Weakley at 197 pounds to put the Runnin' Bulldogs in striking distance for the match win at 16-13 with one match to go.
GWU freshman Justin Kozera then earned an 8-5 win over John Nolan at 285 pounds to end the match in a 16-16 tie. However, the Fighting Camels scored 70 total points for the match, three points more than the Runnin' Bulldogs, to earn the one-point tiebreaker and the 17-16 win.
Against Millersville, Slaughter again led off the match for the Runnin' Bulldogs with a win, picking up a forfeit victory at 125 pounds.
After a pin at 133 pounds by Millersville tied the match score up at 6-6, Gardner-Webb blew the match wide open with seven straight victories.
Sophomore Alex Hamm earned a 6-3 decision over Brock Thompson at 141 pounds, which was immediately followed up by a big 3-2 win by freshman Davante Andujar over Steve Hess at 149 pounds.
At 157 pounds, Medved recorded the first of three straight falls for Gardner-Webb, as he put Zack Wawrzyniak-Bush's shoulders to the mat at the 1:21 mark of the first period.
Fellow redshirt-junior Justin Guthrie posted a fall over Kyle Toth at 2:37 at 165 pounds, while sophomore Erin O'Dell followed up with a pin at 2:12 over Zack Pincus at 174 pounds.
With a 30-6 lead over Millersville, Jason Porter picked up his second win of the day at 184 pounds, shutting out Shane Smith for the 4-0 decision, while his cousin and teammate Travis Porter picked up a pin over Josiah Huyard at the 2:06 mark to give GWU 39 points overall in the 39-12 victory.
Overall Campbell went 2-0 on the day with wins over GWU and Millersville, while Davidson went 1-0 on the day with a win over Millersville. Gardner-Webb went 1-1 overall, while Millersville dropped all three of their matches to go 0-3 overall.
Gardner-Webb (4-8, 1-4 SoCon) will return to action this Tuesday night, February 7th, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will hit the road to take on the Duke Blue Devils at 7 p.m. in Durham, N.C.
Campbell 17, Gardner-Webb 16 (1-point tiebreaker for total points)
125: Michael Slaughter (GWU) dec. Tanner Bidelspach (CU) - 5-1; (GWU 3-0)
133: Joey Rizzolino (CU) major dec. Robbie Golde (GWU) - 15-4; (CU 4-3)
141: Jordan Tolbert (CU) dec. Alex Hamm (GWU) - 10-4; (CU 7-3)
149: Mark Hartenstine (CU) dec. Davante Andujar (GWU) - 5-3; (CU 10-3)
157: Alex Medved (GWU) major dec. Daniel Luty (CU) - 13-2; (CU 10-7)
165: Ryan Krecker (CU) dec. Justin Guthrie (GWU) - 12-8; (CU 13-7)
174: James Cook (CU) dec. Erin O'Dell (GWU) - 6-0; (CU 16-7)
184: Jason Porter (GWU) dec. John Merickel (CU) - 10-6; (CU 16-10)
197: Travis Porter (GWU) dec. John Weakley (CU) - 11-9; (CU 16-13)
285: Justin Kozera (GWU) dec. Joe Nolan (CU) - 8-5; (Tied 16-16)
Total Points: CU 70, GWU 67
Davidson 23, Millersville 21
125 - Matt Zarth (Dav) wins by Forfeit; (Dav 6-0)
133 - Joshua Ruppert (Mil) Fall Anthony Elias (Dav) - 0:22; (Tied 6-6)
141 - Benjamin Hartshorn (Dav) dec. Trimpey (Mil) - 9-7; (Dav 9-6)
149 - Kevin Birmingham (Dav) dec. Steve Hess (Mil) - 8-4; (Dav 12-6)
157 - Bush (Mil) Fall Dan Hageann (Dav) - 2:04; (Tied 12-12)
165 - Tyler Mullen (Dav) dec. *Brandon Vernalli (Mil) - 8-7; (Dav 14-12)
174 - Sults (Dav) dec. Zach Pincks (Mil) - 11-6; (Dav 17-12)
184 - Smith (Mil) dec. Sorenza (Dav) - 6-3; (Dav 17-15)
197 - Eddie Isola (Dav) Fall Fisher (Mil) - 1:47; (Dav 23-15)
285 - Brad Lad (Mil) wins by forfeit (Dav 23-21)
*165 Unsportsmanlike Conduct Millersville (-1 Team pt. Davidson)
Campbell 39, Millersville 9
125: Tanner Bidelspach (CU) wins by forfeit; (CU 6-0)
133: Joshua Ruppert (MU) dec. Joey Rizzolino (CU) - 7-2; (CU 6-3)
141: Jordan Tolbert (CU) dec. Aaron Trimpey (MU) - 4-2; (CU 9-3)
149: Mark Hartenstine (CU) pinned Steve Hess (MU) - 2:38; (CU 15-3)
157: Daniel Luty (CU) dec. Zac Wawrzyniak-Bush (MU) - 3-2; (CU 18-3)
165: Paul Duggan (CU) dec. Kyle Toth (MU) - 6-0; (CU 21-3)
174: James Cook (CU) pinned Zack Pincus (MU) - 3:42; (CU 27-3)
184: Matt Cox (CU) pinned Shane Smith (MU) - 0:44; (CU 33-3)
197: John Weakley (CU) pinned Miles Fischer (MU) - 3:44; (CU 39-3)
285: Bradley Ladd (MU) pinned Joe Nolan (CU) - 1:00; (CU 39-9)
Gardner-Webb 36, Millersville 12
125 - Michael Slaughter (GWU) wins by forfeit. (GWU 6-0)
133 - Joshua Ruppert (Mil) Fall Robbie Golde (GWU) - 5:27 (Tied 6-6)
141 - Alex Hamm (GWU) dec. Brock Thompson (Mil) - 6-3 (GWU 9-6)
149 - Davante Andujar (GWU) dec. Steve Hess (Mil) - 3-2 (GWU 12-6)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) Fall Zack Wawrzyniak-Bush(Mil) - 1:21 (GWU 18-6)
165 - Justin Guthrie (GWU) Fall Kyle Toth (Mil) - 2:37 (GWU 24-6)
174 - Erin O'Dell (GWU) Fall Zack Pincus (Mil) - 2:12 (GWU 30-6)
184 - Jason Porter (GWU) dec. Shane Smith (Mil) - 4-0 (GWU 33-6)
197 - Travis Porter (GWU) Fall Josiah Huyard (Mil) - 2:06 (GWU 39 -6)
285 - Bradley Ladd ((Mil) Fall Justin Kozera (GWU) - 1:21 (GWU 39-12)
GWU Grapplers Fall Short at VMI, Fall to the Keydets 22-15 in Southern Conference Action
Lexington, Va. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team got off to a strong start on Friday night, winning three of the first five bouts, yet dropped four of the last five matches to come up just short in a 22-15 Southern Conference dual match loss at VMI in Lexington, Va.
After redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter put the Runnin' Bulldogs up 6-0 early after a forfeit win at 125 pounds to kick the bout off, the Runnin' Bulldogs dropped back-to-back matches at 133 and 141 pounds to fall behind VMI 7-6 only three matches into the dual.
The Runnin' Bulldogs then posted back-to-back 6-3 decisions at 149 and 157 pounds, as freshman Davante Andujar defeated David Yost and Alex Medved downed Michael Burnett, to put GWU back in front in the match at 12-7.
After a loss at 165 pounds cut the GWU lead to two at 12-10, VMI's Matthew Brock posted a pin at 174 pounds to put the Keydets in front once more at 16-12 with three bouts remaining in the dual.
VMI pushed its lead out to seven at 19-12 with a win at 184 pounds, while Gardner-Webb redshirt-junior Travis Porter got those three points back in the next bout, defeating Urayoan Garcia 7-2 at 197 pounds to put GWU in striking distance at 19-15 heading into the final match.
Looking for a major decision, a technical fall or a pin, in order give the Runnin' Bulldogs the win, freshman Justin Kozera battled VMI's Juan Adams to a 0-0 scoreless draw after the first two periods, before Adams edged Kozera 3-2 in the final period to secure the 22-15 match win for the VMI Keydets.
Alex Medved's win was his 10th of the season, while the forfeit at 125 pounds gave Slaughter his 10th victory of the year as well. Travis Porter improved to 8-8 overall with his win at 197 pounds, while Andujar's decision at 149 was his eighth win overall and seventh at the 149 pound weight class.
The loss was Gardner-Webb's third straight loss to the Keydets, last defeating VMI 20-17 at home back in 2008-09.
Gardner-Webb (4-7, 1-3 SoCon) will return home to host both Campbell and Millersville in dual match action on Saturday, February 4th, at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena on the campus of Gardner-Webb University.
VMI 22, Gardner-Webb 15
125 - Michael Slaughter (GWU) wins by forfeit. (GWU 6-0)
133 - Ryan Goodsell (VMI) dec. Robbie Golde (GWU) - 5-3 (GWU 6-3)
141 - Zeb Stewart (VMI) maj. dec. Alex Hamm (GWU) - 10-0 (VMI 7-6)
149 - Davante Andujar (GWU) dec. David Yost (VMI) - 6-3 (GWU 9-7)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) dec. Michael Burnett (VMI) - 6-3 (GWU 12-7)
165 - Carry Joseph (VMI) dec. Justin Guthrie (GWU) - 8-2 (GWU 12-10)
174 - Matthew Brock (VMI) Fall Aaron Rabin (GWU) - 3:35 (VMI 16-12)
184 - John Dommert (VMI) dec. Jason Porter (GWU) - 5-2 (VMI 19-12)
197 - Travis Porter (GWU) dec. Urayoan Garcia (VMI) - 7-2 (VMI 19-15)
285 - Juan Adams (VMI) dec. Justin Kozera (GWU) - 3-2 (VMI 22-15)
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Downs Shippensburg; Fall to N.C. State and Bloomsburg at the Wolfpack Duals
Raleigh, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team started out the day with a dual match win over Shippensburg, then fell to host North Carolina State and Bloomsburg in their next two bouts to finish the day at 1-2 overall at the Wolfpack Duals hosted by N.C. State in Raleigh, N.C.
Gardner-Webb got off to a great start, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers posted five wins, highlighted by pins at 165 and 197 pounds, to down Shippensburg, who was ranked as high as No. 20 overall among the NCAA Division II national polls, 29-17 in their first match of the day.
Redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter opened up the dual with a 13-4 major decision win over Colten Keck at 125 pounds.
After a forfeit victory for GWU's Jake Reinemund at 133 pounds and a major decision loss at 141 pounds put the score at 10-4 in favor of the Runnin' Bulldogs, freshman Davante Andujar posted a 13-1 major decision win over James Reilley at 149 pounds to push GWU in front by 10 at 14-4.
Redshirt-juniors Alex Medved and Justin Guthrie followed up with back-to-back wins at 157 and 165 pounds, as Medved downed Kenny Stank 11-6 at 157, while Guthrie recorded a fall at 5:00 over Neil Grundi at 165 pounds.
Back-to-back losses, which included a major decision and a fall, put the score at 23-14 in favor of the Runnin' Bulldogs with two bouts left.
At 197 pounds, redshirt-junior Travis Porter pinned Keith Dahlheimer at 4:22, as GWU held on for the 29-17 dual match win.
In the second match of the day for GWU, the Runnin' Bulldogs got wins once more from Medved and Guthrie, yet it wasn't enough as Gardner-Webb fell to the host N.C. State, 32-12.
Down 17-0 to the Wolfpack after the first four matches, Medved earned a 7-3 decision over Colton Palmer at 157 pounds to put the Runnin' Bulldogs on the scoreboard.
Guthrie followed up with a 5-3 win over Steven Ramos at 165 pounds to put the score at 17-6 in favor of N.C. State.
The Wolfpack scored wins in each of the next three contests to push their lead to 32-6 with one match to go.
In the final match, GWU freshman Justin Kozera refused to quit, posting a pin over Josh Davis at 5:31 in the heavyweight match, putting the final score at 32-12 in favor of the Wolfpack.
Gardner-Webb's third match of the day was a rematch with Bloomsburg, who had defeated GWU at the UB Quad Meet back on December 18th.
Gardner-Webb took an early 3-0 lead with a win at 125 pounds, as Slaughter earned a 3-1 win decision over Sean Boylan, however, the Runnin' Bulldogs would not win another match in the dual, ultimately falling to Bloomsburg 39-3.
Gardner-Webb (3-6, 0-2 SoCon) will return to action on Friday, January 20th, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will take on familiar foe and fellow Southern Conference associate member VMI at 7:30 p.m. in Lexington, Va.
Gardner-Webb 29, Shippensburg 17
125- Michael Slaughter (GWU) major dec. Colten Keck, 13-4
133- Jake Reinemund (GWU) won by forfeit
141- Simon Rice (SU) major dec. Alex Hamm, 10-2
149- Davante Andujar (GWU) major dec. James Reilley, 13-1
157- Alex Medved (GWU) dec. Kenny Stank, 11-6
165- Justin Guthrie (GWU) pinned Neil Grundi at 5:00
174- Luke Etter (SU) major dec. Aaron Raybin, 10-2
184- Tyler Zittle (SU) pinned Jason Porter at 0:46
197- Travis Porter (GWU) pinned Keith Dahlheimer at 4:22
Hwt- Dan Estricher (SU) dec. Justin Kozera, 10-5
NC State 32, Gardner-Webb 12
125- Coltin Fought (NCS) tech. fall Michael Slaughter, 15-0
133- Ben Elliott (NCS) pinned Jake Reinemund at 4:29
141- #12 Darrius Little (NCS) major dec. Alex Hamm, 16-5
149- Thomas Gantt (NCS) dec. Davante Andujar, 7-3
157- Alex Medved (GWU) dec. Colton Palmer, 7-3
165- Justin Guthrie (GWU) dec. Steven Ramos, 5-3
174- Quinton Godley (NCS) pinned Julian Ming at 2:36
184- Robert O'Neill (NCS) tech. fall Jason Porter, 19-4
197- KaRonne Jones (NCS) dec. Travis Porter, 6-2
Hwt- Justin Kozera (GWU) pinned Josh Davis at 5:31
Bloomsburg 39, Gardner Webb 3
125- Michael Slaughter (GWU) dec. Sean Boylan, 3-1
133- Craig Barker (BU) pinned Jake Reinemund at 2:30
141- Derek Shingera (BU) pinned Alex Hamm at 2:11
149- Bryce Busler (BU) major dec. Davante Andujar, 12-3
157- Frank Hickman (BU) dec. Alex Medved, 7-2
165- Kevin Hartnett (BU) tech. fall Justin Guthrie, 19-3
174- Mike Desino (BU) pinned Julian Ming at 2:52
184- Sam Shirey (BU) dec. Jason Porter, 12-6
197- Richard Perry (BU) dec. Travis Porter, 10-6
Hwt- Zac Walsh (BU) dec. Justin Kozera, 3-2
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Set to Compete at the Wolfpack Duals This Saturday
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team will return to dual meet action this weekend, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will travel to Raleigh, N.C. to compete in the Wolfpack Duals hosted by North Carolina State University.
Gardner-Webb is slated to take on Shippensburg at 12 p.m., host N.C. State at 2 p.m. and host SIU-Edwardsville at 4 p.m. in a full day of competition.
Gardner-Webb, who is 2-4 on the season in dual match action, are led by redshirt-junior Justin Guthrie (165-pounds) and freshman Justin Kozera (285-pounds) who have nine wins and eight wins apiece, respectively.
Redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter has posted seven wins on the season, six of which have come at 125-pounds, while redshirt-junior Alex Medved (157-pounds) and freshman Davante Andujar (149-pounds) have posted six wins apiece on the year.
The Raiders of Shippensburg University are 2-4 overall on the year in dual match action and will enter competition on Saturday after a month hiatus from competition.
Redshirt-sophomore Cody Myers leads the Raiders with an overall record of 7-2 and 6-0 in dual match action, while fellow teammate Dan Estricher has posted a 5-2 overall record and is 5-1 in dual match action.
Gardner-Webb will then go head-to-head against host North Carolina State at 2 p.m. The Wolfpack are 0-1 in dual meet action with a loss against The Citadel back on December 17th.
N.C. State has eight grapplers with double-digit wins headlined by Darrius Little (141-pounds) with 19 wins and Quinton Godley (174-pounds) with 18 victories.
GWU will wrap up the day with a bout versus SIU-Edwardsville, another new associate member of the Southern Conference.
The Cougars are 1-6 overall on the year in dual match action with losses to Indiana, Northern Illinois, Campbell, Indianapolis, Northwestern and Purdue.
SIUE is led by Josh Wood, who is 8-7 overall at 197-pounds, and Patrick Myers, who is 5-4 overall at 125-pounds.
Also competing at the Wolfpack Duals is George Mason, Campbell, Bloomsburg and Anderson (S.C.).
GWU Wrestling Competes at the Southern Scuffle on New Year's Day
Chattanooga, Tenn. - Gardner-Webb had five wrestlers each pick up one win on the day at the Southern Scuffle on Sunday, however, the wrestling team saw all eight of their grapplers bow out on day one of the two day event hosted by UT-Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Sophomore Alex Hamm went 1-2 on the day at 141-pounds, as after a first round bye, he dropped his first match 13-3 to Alex Johnson of Navy to fall into the consolation bracket. There Hamm upended Michael Akins of Chattanooga 4-1, before falling to Matt Ortega of Indiana in the next round, 12-4.
Like Hamm, freshman Davante Andujar went 1-2 on the day picking up a win in his first bout in the consolation bracket. After falling to Mike Mencini of Cleveland State 8-4 in the first round and taking a bye in the first round of the consolation bracket, Andujar defeated Joe Locksmith of Navy 9-5 to advance in the consolation bracket. In his third bout of the day, Andujar suffered a pin at 1:45 to Savva Kostis of Appalachian State to end his day at 149-pounds.
Redshirt-junior Alex Medved also went 1-2 on the day, as he advanced to the third round of the championship bracket at 157-pounds by way of a first round bye and a 9-2 decision over Immanuel Kerr-Brown of Duke. However, Medved was then pinned by Kyle Dake of Cornell at 3:44 to fall into the consolation bracket, where he then was edged by James Rafferty of Army in a 5-2 loss to end his day.
At 184-pounds fellow redshirt-junior Jason Porter also went 1-2 on day one, falling into the consolation bracket after a second round fall at 2:27 to Stephen Bosak of Cornell. After a second round bye in the consolations, Porter went on to defeat TeShaun Johnson of Campbell 9-3 to move on to the fourth round of the consolation bracket. There Jason Porter met up with Antonio Giorgio of North Carolina who picked up a 15-7 major decision win over GWU's Porter to end his day at 1-2 overall.
Like his cousin Jason, Travis Porter also went 1-2 on the day at 197-pounds. After a first round bye and a fall at 3:12 to Matt Powless of Indiana in the round two, the redshirt-junior fell into the consolation round where he earned a 5-1 decision over Darren Hankins of Virginia Tech to move into the fourth round of the consolation bracket. There Travis Porter fought hard, yet suffered a 2-1 loss to Joe Budi of Old Dominion to have his day end at 1-2 overall.
At 125-pounds, redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter advanced on a first round bye, only to drop his next match by way of a pin at 5:53 by Zachary Sanders of Minnesota to fall into the consolation bracket where after a bye he then suffered a 5-3 loss to Jake Corrill of North Carolina to end his day at 0-2 overall.
Like Slaughter, Justin Guthrie and Justin Kozera both went 0-2 on the day. At 165-pounds, Guthrie suffered a fall at 1:59 to David Taylor of Penn State and then lost 7-3 to John Lampe of Chattanooga in the consolation bracket. Kozera was handed a 3-1 loss to Bobby Lavelle of Virginia Tech and then lost a tough decision 7-4 to Brock Durfee ofAppalachian State.
Gardner-Webb (2-4, 0-2 SoCon) will return to dual meet action this Saturday, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will compete at the Wolfpack Duals against George Mason, Shippensburg and N.C. State. The event is slated to start at 12 p.m. on Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, N.C.
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Goes 1-2 at UB Quad Meet
Sanborn, N.Y. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team went 1-2 overall at the UB Quad Meet on Sunday, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers suffered a 43-9 loss to Buffalo, then defeated Niagara County Community 29-21, before finishing the day with a 34-6 loss to Bloomsburg University in Sanborn, New York.
In GWU's first match of the day, the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers struggled from start to finish against the host institution in the Buffalo Bulls, suffering a fall in four of the 10 bouts.
The Runnin' Bulldogs' lone win came at 149-pounds, as redshirt-junior Ryan Medved earned a 6-1 win over Chris Conti of Buffalo.
At 133-pounds, sophomore Robbie Golde battled Justin Farmer of Buffalo for all three periods before dropping the decision 14-8, while redshirt-junior Travis Porter was handed a tough 3-1 loss at 197-pounds by way of Justin Heiserman.
Freshman Justin Kozera had his eight-match winning streak snapped, as he was pinned at 4:55 by Jed Mason of the Bulls.
Six different Runnin' Bulldog wrestlers posted wins in GWU's second match of the day, as the Runnin' Bulldogs defeated Niagara Community College 29-21.
Slaughter posted a first period pin at 2:13 over Dwann Hall to get the match on track for GWU.
After a Golde 6-2 decision at 133-pounds over Caleb Green put GWU in front 9-0 early, the Thunder Wolves picked up 12 straight points on a pin at 141-pounds and an injury default victory at 149-pounds to take a 12-9 lead over Gardner-Webb.
Redshirt-juniors Alex Medved and Justin Guthrie each posted dominating performances in the next two bouts to put the Runnin' Bulldogs back on top at 19-12. Alex Medved recorded a fall at 4:56 over Irvin Buck at 157-pounds, while Guthrie earned an 11-3 major decision win over David Lyons at 165-pounds.
A fall at 174-pounds put Niagara Community back into the match at 19-18, however, back-to-back wins by GWU at 184-pounds and 197-pounds put GWU in front at 29-18 and the match out of reach for the Thunder Wolves.
At 184-pounds, freshman Julian Ming shutout Joe McGrath for a 9-0 major decision win, which was immediately followed up by a third period pin by Travis Porter at 197-pounds over Aireol Harper.
Despite a loss at the heavyweight spot, GWU held on for the 29-21 match victory.
Gardner-Webb then suffered another tough loss, falling to Bloomsburg University 34-6, as the Runnin' Bulldogs took wins at 125 and 133-pounds.
At 125-pounds, redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter edged Sean Boylan of Bloomsburg for a 3-2 win, while Golde held on for a 5-2 decision over Craig Barker at 133-pounds.
Gardner-Webb (2-4, 0-2 SoCon) will next compete at the 2012 Southern Scuffle, which will be hosted by Chattanooga in Chattanooga, Tenn. on January 1-2.
GWU Wrestling Falls to Appalachian State in First-Ever Home Southern Conference Match on Monday Night
Boiling Springs, N.C. - In Gardner-Webb's first-ever home Southern Conference match, the Runnin' Bulldog wrestling team struggled, dropping nine of the 10 total bouts to the Mountaineers of Appalachian State in a 41-2 loss on Monday night in Paul Porter Arena.
The loss drops GWU to 1-2 in dual meet action and 0-2 in conference bouts, while Appalachian State improves to 3-1 in dual match action and 1-0 in the Southern Conference with the win.
Appalachian State took the lead from the start, as junior Tony Gravely earned a pin over GWU's Michael Slaughter at 125-pounds to start the match.
After a point was taken away from the Runnin' Bulldogs due to unsportsmanlike conduct, the Mountaineers then recorded three straight decisions at 133, 141 and 149 to push their lead to 15 to -1 heading into the middleweight bouts.
Gardner-Webb then suffered a fall at 157-pounds, a forfeit at 165-pounds and then a 7-4 loss at 174-pounds, in which redshirt-junior Justin Guthrie looked to score and tie the match up as time wound down in the third period.
After a pin at 184-pounds and a technical fall loss at 197-pounds, Gardner-Webb freshman Justin Kozera overcame an early 2-0 deficit at 285-pounds to score a three-point near fall in the third period and earn a 6-3 decision over Brock Durfee of the Mountaineers.
The win at the heavyweight spot was Kozera's fourth straight victory and eighth on the season, while it also spoiled the Mountaineers shutout attempt, putting the final match score at 41-2.
Gardner-Webb (1-2, 0-2 SoCon) will have a few weeks off before returning to the mat on Sunday,
December 18th, to compete at the UB Quad Meet hosted by the University of Buffalo at the Niagara County Community College in Buffalo, New York. The event, which includes Bloomsburg, Gardner-Webb, Pitt-Johnstown and Buffalo, is set to start at 11 a.m.
GWU's Reilly and Goods Lead Runnin' Bulldog Grapplers at 2011 Davidson Open
Davidson, N.C. - Gardner-Webb freshman Scott Reilly and newcomer Matt Goods each posted three wins apiece in their respective weight classes to lead the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers at the 2011 Davidson Open on Saturday afternoon in Davidson, N.C.
Reilly bounced back from a first round loss to Trey Adamson of Duke 10-4, to win three straight bouts at 174-pounds in the consolation bracket. In the consolation bracket, Reilly defeated Kendall Hemmings of The Citadel 8-5, earned a 10-3 decision over Jacob Fahlfeder of Limestone and then recorded a fall at 2:34 over Chris Sloat of Belmont Abbey to advance to the quarterfinals.
There Reilly's winning streak ended at three, as Levi Clemmons of Chattanooga edge the GWU freshman for the 5-3 win, ending his day at 3-2 overall.
Seeing his first action of the season, Goods, who is a defensive lineman on the football team, competed at 285-pounds, and like Reilly, suffered a first round loss only to win three straight in the consolation bracket.
After a 12-7 loss to Eric Badertscher of Limestone in the first round to drop into the consolation bracket, Goods went on to record back-to-back pins over Daniel lovino-Ortiz of St. Andrews at 1:20 and over Jake Wright of Liberty at 1:38. In his fourth match of the day, Goods earned a 7-2 decision over Joshua Davis of N.C. State before suffering a 12-4 major decision loss to Robert Wade of Newberry to finish his day at 3-2 overall.
Senior Blake Salyer and freshman Josh Burns each posted one win on the day, as at 184-pounds Salyer defeated Jack Neblett of Liberty by way of a pin at 1:53, while at 157-pounds Burns recorded a 9-3 decision over Davis Bagwell of Newberry.
Gardner-Webb freshmen Ray Farnsworth and Matt Kowalski also competed on Saturday, as each went 0-2 on the day.
Gardner-Webb (1-1, 0-1 SoCon) will host its first-ever Southern Conference match on Monday night, as the Runnin' Bulldogs welcome the Mountaineers of Appalachian State to town for a Southern Conference showdown at 7 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
GWU Has Eight Wrestlers Compete at 31st Annual Pembroke Classic
Pembroke, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team had eight wrestlers compete at the 31st Annual Pembroke Classic hosted by UNC-Pembroke on Saturday afternoon in Pembroke, N.C.
The Runnin' Bulldogs had eight grapplers compete in seven different weight classes at the open tournament against competition from schools such as N.C. State, Duke, Campbell, Limestone, Appalachian State, The Citadel, St. Andrews, Old Dominion, Newberry and UNC-Pembroke.
Gardner-Webb had three grapplers post multiple wins on Saturday in Scott Reilly, Robbie Golde and Josh Burns.
At 174-pounds, Reilly, who led the Runnin' Bulldogs with three wins on the day, bounced back from a second round fall 40-second s into the match to No. 3 seeded Bryce Sopko of Limestone to earn a pin at 1:54 in the consolation bracket over Bret Peltier of N.C. State. Reilly then recorded a 7-3 win over Jake Ferguson of UNC-Pembroke and a 14-3 major decision victory over No. 5 seeded Ridge White of UNC-Pembroke to move to 3-1 on the day.
However, in his next bout, Reilly drew Sopko once more with the winner advancing to the consolation finals. Reilly battled Sopko much closer the second time, before suffering a 7-3 loss to end his day at 3-2 overall.
At 133-pounds, Golde started his day off with a 7-3 decision over Anthony Thompson of Limestone to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Golde was handed a 9-2 loss to the top-seeded Matt Oliver of Newberry to fall into the consolation bracket.
In the consolation bracket, Golde earned an 11-1 major decision win over the No. 4 seeded Casey Gashaw of St. Andrews before having his day come to an end in the very next round to No. 3 Tanner Bidelspach of Campbell, who eventually took third-place overall, in an 8-4 loss.
Burns, who wrestled at 157-pounds, suffered a 7-2 loss to Davis Bagwell of Newberry in the first round to fall into the consolation bracket, where after a bye, he went on to defeat Andrew Hayes of Limestone 4-2. After a medical forfeit win over Robert Munro, Burns battled the No. 4 seeded Jeremy Bomarrito to a near stalemate, before Bomarrito escaped with a 1-0 win.
Sophomore Aaron Rabin went 1-2 on the day at 174-pounds, as in the consolation bracket he earned a medical forfeit win over Chris Grimes before falling to No. 5 White 9-3.
Fellow newcomer Julian Ming also went 1-2 on the day, as after a first round loss to the top-seed at 197-pounds, the freshman earned a 3-1 victory over Demetri Logouri of Limestone in the first round of the consolation bracket. In his next bout, Ming was defeated by Dylan Ryan of Duke, 3-1, to end his day at 1-2 overall.
At 125-pounds, sophomore Jake Reinemund bounced back from a first round fall, to defeat Chauncey Foster of St. Andrews 10-4 in the second round of the consolation bracket. In his next match, Reinemund suffered a 19-2 tech. fall loss to Pat Seidel of Limestone to see his day also end at 1-2 overall.
Alex Hamm and Matt Kowalski each went 0-2 on the day in their respective weight classes.
Gardner-Webb (1-1, 0-1 SoCon) will return to action after the Thanksgiving Holiday Break, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will host Appalachian State in a Southern Conference dual match on Monday, December 5th, at 7 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
GWU Wrestling Falls at Chattanooga in Southern Conference Opener
Chattanooga, Tenn. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team suffered its first dual match loss of the season on Friday night, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers fell to Chattanooga, 40-3, in GWU's Southern Conference Opener in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Gardner-Webb started the match off on the right track, as at 125-pounds, redshirt-senior Michael Slaughter earned a hard-fought 12-9 decision over Daniel Gallagher of Chattanooga to give the Runnin' Bulldogs an early 3-0 match lead.
However, that would be the only win for Gardner-Webb on the night, as the Mocs swept the final nine bouts in the win.
At 157, redshirt-junior Alex Medved battled Daniel Waddell for all three periods before suffering a 6-2 loss, while sophomore Erin O'Dell lost a close match to Robert Prigmore of Chattanooga, 4-0, at 184-pounds.
While, It was the first Southern Conference match for GWU who joined the league in wrestling only in the offseason, the win was the 36th straight league victory for the Mocs who have not lost a SoCon bout since 2004 and have won 21 straight dual bouts at home dating back to 2003.
Gardner-Webb (1-1) will return to competition next weekend, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will take part in the Navy Classic hosted on Saturday, November 19th, in Annapolis, Maryland.
Eight GWU Wrestlers Compete at The Citadel Open
Charleston, S.C. - Headlined by freshmen Justin Kozera and Davante Andujar, who each posted multiple wins, the Gardner-Webb wrestling program had eight sophomores and freshmen compete at The Citadel Open on Sunday, November 6th, in Charleston, S.C.
At the heavyweight position, Kozera started the tournament off with three straight wins - a 13-6 decision over Will Robinson of Belmont Abbey, a 10-3 victory versus Tracy Jewett of Darton and an 11-5 win against David Lopez of Limestone - to advance to the semi-finals of the championship round.
In the semi-finals, Kozera battled for all three periods, yet fell to Chris Rowland of Shorter College, the eventual champion, 4-3 to fall into the wrestleback bracket where he took a medical forfeit to eventual third-place finisher Chris Giddens, Jr. of UNC-Pembroke.
GWU's Andujar posted a 4-3 decision over Curt Jones of UNC-Pembroke and then pinned Lorenzo Gonzalez of Georgia Southern 29-seconds into the match in the second round to begin his day at 2-0 at 149-pounds.
After suffering a 1:47 fall of his own to Immanuel Kerr-Brown of Duke, the eventual champion at 149-pounds, in the third round, the freshman bounced back to record a 14-2 major decision win over Collins Creech of Appalachian State to continue in the wrestleback bracket.
Andujar then drew Jones of Pembroke once more, this time defeating him 3-1 to advance to the wrestleback semi-finals, where he then suffered a 10-7 loss to Seiji Borja of Newberry, who took third-place overall.
At 133, sophomore Jake Reinemund bounced back from a first round loss to Shon Topper of UNC-Pembroke 6-2, to earn an 11-1 major decision win over Matt Dunton of South Florida of South Florida in the fourth round of the wrestleback bracket.
However, in his next bout, Reinemund was shutout by Adrian Thomas of Chattanooga, 7-0, to end his day at 1-2 overall.
At 174, Aaron Rabin went 1-2 overall on Sunday, earning a forfeit win over Brent Silva of Central Florida before by being eliminated Ethan Ruby of Duke by way of a pin at 3:20 in the fourth round of the wrestleback bracket.
Fellow newcomer Julian Ming also competed on Sunday, dropping back-to-back decisions to finish the day at 0-2 at 184-pounds.
Wrestling unattached for Gardner-Webb were freshman Scott Reilly, Josh Burns and Matt Kowalski.
Seeing his first action of the season, Reilly went 3-2 at 174. After a first round by, Reilly was handed a 13-6 loss to Trey Adamson of Duke in the third round of the 174-pounds championship bracket.
The freshman then went on a tear, posting an 8-3 win over Jacob Fahlfeder of Limestone, a 13-5 major decision victory over Kendall Hemmings of The Citadel and then held on for a 7-6 decision over Jesse Johnson of Appalachian State to move into the quarterfinals of the wrestleback.
His winning streak would be stopped at three, as Dominick Vetell of Appalachian State downed Reilly 7-4, putting him just one bout short of a rematch with Adamson of Duke.
At 165, Burns posted a 2-2 day on Sunday, as after a first round bye, Burns lost a close 4-2 decision to Kyle Frieberg of Limestone, who finished third in the event overall. Burns bounced back to earn a 4-3 decision over Hunter Allen of Mercer and then held on for an 8-6 win over Matthew Smith of Limestone to continue through the wrestleback bracket.
The freshman failed to make it three wins in a row, as Max Redfoot of Limestone defeated Burns 5-2 in the sixth round of the wrestleback bracket.
Kowalski went 0-2 on the day at 174-pounds, dropping an 11-3 major decision to Nick Christian of Central Florida and then suffering a fall to Hemmings of The Citadel at 1:32 in the wrestleback bracket.
Gardner-Webb (1-0) will return to dual match action next Friday night, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will hit the road to take on fellow Southern Conference member Chattanooga in GWU's first-ever Southern Conference match. The bout is slate for 6 p.m.
GWU's Guthrie and Ryan Medved Headline a Group of Runnin' Bulldog Grapplers at the 2011 Hokie Open
Salem, Va. - Gardner-Webb redshirt-juniors Justin Guthrie and Ryan Medved each posted multi-wins to headline a group of seven Runnin' Bulldog grapplers at the 2011 Hokie Open in Salem, Va. on Sunday.
Guthrie, who at 165-pounds, went 5-3 overall on the day, took sixth-place overall. Guthrie started his day off with a 10-2 major decision win over Sean Byrnes of Newberry. In his first victory of the day, Guthrie posted three two-point takedowns, a two-point near fall and a reversal to dominate from start to finish.
A one-point escape in the third period would be all that Guthrie would record in his second match, as he dropped a decision to Miles Chapman of Ohio University 8-1, putting the redshirt-junior in the consolation bracket where he went on to use a four-point third period to hold on for a 7-4 decision over Mike Harvey of North Carolina to advance to the consolation quarters.
In the consolation quarterfinals, Guthrie overcame an early 1-0 deficit to score three points on an escape and a two-point takedown to defeat Issaih Meade of Virginia Tech 3-1 and continue through the consolation bracket.
After posting a six second pin over Nick Rex of Campbell in his next match, Guthrie continued his winning ways with a 10-4 win over Patrick Spano of King College, posting four takedowns and one escape in the win.
In the consolation semifinals, Guthrie suffered an 8-2 loss to Johnm Staudenmayer of North Carolina and then a 6-2 defeat to Miles Chapman of Ohio University to finish sixth-place overall at the 165-pound weight class.
After a first round bye at 149-pounds, Ryan Medved recorded an 8-2 win over David Wesley of Virginia in the second round, posting three two-point takedowns, one point on an escape and one point due to riding time in the win.
The redshirt-junior then scored two early two-point takedowns in the first period and a one-point reversal in the third to down Nic Stella of King College 7-2 in the third round, moving Medved into the championship quarterfinals at 149.
Medved would take an early 2-1 lead in the first period of his quarterfinals match, yet would not score again until the third period, as he fell to Nick Murray of Virginia Tech 10-4 to fall into the consolation round.
In his very next bout, Medved tried to overcome a 4-1 deficit by posting three points of his own in the third period, however, an escape by Nick Brascetta of Virginia Tech allowed him to escape with a 5-4 decision over Medved, ending his day at 2-2 overall.
Sophomore Alex Hamm also wrestled at 149 for GWU, posting a 2-2 overall record on Sunday. Hamm started the tournament off with a 6-3 win over Lee Shane of The Citadel, recording an escape in the first period and a two-point near fall in period two in the victory.
After suffering a pin in the second round to Liberty's Scott Clymer, Hamm picked up a 2-0 forfeit win over Alex Hudson of Chattanooga to advance to the third round of the consolation bracket. There, Hamm was shutout by Pete Baldwin of Old Dominion University 8-0 to be eliminated from the tournament.
At 133, GWU sophomore Robbie Golde went 0-2 for the day. Golde, who scored a two-point takedown in the first period, suffered an 11-2 major decision loss to Scott Festejo of Old Dominion University in his first match of the day to fall into the consolation bracket. After a bye, Golde battled Justin Branham of Liberty, picking up a two-point reversal in the first-period in a 4-2 loss.
Fellow sophomore Erin O'Dell also went 0-2 at the Hokie Open, as he suffered a fall to Ryan Garringer of Ohio University in the championship prelims, then after a bye, lost a close 8-6 decision to Royal Brettrager of Liberty in the consolation bracket at 184. O'Dell scored five points on a two-point takedown and a three-point near fall in the first period, yet endured the loss because Brettrager held an advantage in riding time.
Wrestling unattached at the event was freshman Ray Farnsworth and redshirt-junior Jason Porter.
Farnsworth went 0-2 at 125-pounds, as he suffered a 4-1 loss to Brian Bokoski of North Carolina in the first round and then lost a close match to Travis Laxton of Newberry 7-4 in the consolation bracket.
At 197, Porter went 1-1 on the day and didn't allow a single point before suffering an injury in the third period of his second match to end his day on Sunday.
In his first round match, Porter used a strong second period, scoring five points by way of an escape, takedown and near fall, to blank Andrew Barksdale of North Carolina 5-0. In his second bout of the day, Porter recorded four points in the third period on a two-point reversal and a two-point near fall to take a 4-0 lead before having to withdraw from the match due to an injury.
Gardner-Webb (1-0) will return to dual match action next Friday night, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will hit the road to take on fell Southern Conference member Chattanooga in GWU's first-ever Southern Conference match. The bout is slated for a 6 p.m. start.
GWU Wrestling Posts Three Pin Fall Wins to Down Belmont Abbey 28-12 in Season Opener
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb's Ryan Medved, Justin Guthrie and Justin Kozera each posted pin fall wins on Wednesday night, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers defeated Belmont Abbey 28-12 in the two teams' 2011-12 season opener in Boiling Springs, N.C.
Freshman Justin Kozera got the Runnin' Bulldogs off on the right foot, as the heavyweight wasted no time in picking up his first career win at GWU, pinning Will Robinson of Belmont Abbey at 1:50 to give the home team an early 6-0 match lead.
After both teams forfeited at 125, GWU's Michael Slaughter tallied four two-point takedowns and one three-point near fall at 133 en route to recording a 14-5 major decision win over Jake Nelson of Belmont Abbey.
Belmont Abbey cut the GWU's match lead to four at 10-6 with back-to-back decisions at 141 and 149, yet ran into trouble at the middle weights.
At 157, Ryan Medved earned a pin fall victory at 1:59 over Dylan Moses, while at 165 his twin brother Alex Medved used five two-point takedowns and a two-point reversal to hold on to defeat Joseph Maumoynier 13-8, and push the Runnin' Bulldogs back in front by 13 at 19-6.
Fellow redshirt-junior Justin Guthrie followed with a late pin fall win over Kwame Seymour at 5:43 of the match at 174, while sophomore Erin O'Dell used a one-point escape and riding time to edge Belmont Abbey's Jerami Bartley 2-1 at 184.
Despite suffering a pin fall loss at 197 to finish the match, Gardner-Webb was able to lead from start to finish in the 28-12 dual match victory over the Crusaders.
The Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will return to action this weekend, as a number of wrestlers will compete as individuals at the 2011 Hokie Open hosted by Virginia Tech this Sunday, November 6th, in Blacksburg, Va.
Gardner-Webb 28, Belmont Abbey 12
285 - Justin Kozera (GWU) pin fall Will Robinson (BAC) - 1:50 (GWU 6-0)
125 - Both teams Forfeit. (GWU 6-0)
133 - Michael Slaughter (GWU) major dec. Jake Nelson (BAC) - 14-5 (GWU 10-0)
141 - Will James (BAC) dec. Robbie Golde (GWU) 9-4 (GWU 10-3)
149 - Brandon Wilkins (BAC) dec. Davante Andujar (GWU) - 8-5 (GWU 10-6)
157 - Ryan Medved (GWU) pin fall Dylan Moses (BAC) - 1:59 (GWU 16-6)
165 - Alex Medved (GWU) dec. Joseph Maumoynier (BAC) - 13-8 (GWU 19-6)
174 - Justin Guthrie (GWU) pin fall Kwame Seymour (BAC) - 5:43 (GWU 25-6)
184 - Erin O'Dell (GWU) dec. Jerami Bartley (BAC) - 2-1 (GWU 28-6)
197 - Nick Rees (BAC) pin fall Julian Ming (GWU) - 2:06 (GWU 28-12)
Gardner-Webb Picked Fourth in Southern Conference Wrestling Preseason Coaches Poll
Spartanburg, S.C. - Heading into their first season as members of the Southern Conference this season, the Gardner-Webb wrestling program was picked to finish fourth overall in the Southern Conference Wrestling Preseason Coaches Poll, announced today by the Conference office.
The Runnin' Bulldogs received a total of 17 points, edging out fellow newcomer Campbell who came in fifth-place with 16 total points.
For the eighth straight season the Chattanooga Mocs were picked as the preseason favorites to win the League's wrestling title, receiving four first-place votes and 34 total points.
Appalachian State came in second-place with three first-place votes and 33 total points, while The Citadel received 26 total points to be selected third overall.
Davidson rounded out the poll coming in at seventh-place with six total points.
SIU-Edwardsville, which was also granted admittance to the Southern Conference as a wrestling member in June, will begin league competition in the 2012-13 after completing its final season of reclassification to NCAA Division I status.
The 2011-12 Southern Conference wrestling season begins on Wednesday, November 2 when Gardner-Webb entertains Belmont Abbey, while all seven teams will be in action by Sunday, November 6.
Chattanooga will host the 2012 Southern Conference Wrestling Championship in at the McKenzie Arena on March 3, 2012.
2011-12 SoCon Wrestling Preseason Coaches Poll
School (First-place votes) Points
1. Chattanooga (4) 34
2. Appalachian State (3) 33
3. The Citadel 26
4. Gardner-Webb 17
5. Campbell 16
6. VMI 15
7. Davidson 6
A Trio of GWU Wrestlers Receive Preseason National and Regional Recognition
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb redshirt-junior grapplers Alex Medved, Travis Porter and Ryan Medved are all receiving both national and regional preseason attention heading into the upcoming 2011-12 wrestling season.
Alex Medved, who was the East Regional Champion and an NCAA Qualifier last season at the 157-pound weight class, is ranked in two different national rankings and one regional rankings poll. He is ranked No. 18 overall at the 157 weight class by the Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine's 2011-12 Preseason Tournament Power Index rankings and comes in at No. 20 overall at 157 in the Amateur Wrestling News NCAA Division I Preseason Rankings.
The redshirt-junior is also ranked No. 14 overall in the Atlantic Region by Wrestlingreport.com.
Like Alex Medved, Porter was also ranked nationally in two publications and also received regional recognition by Wrestlingreport.com. Porter is ranked at No. 23 overall at 197 on the DICollegewrestling.net Division I rankings list and received honorable mention recognition at 197 by Wrestling USA Magazine.
Porter also received honorable mention recognition in the Wrestlingreport.com Atlantic Region Rankings at the 197-pound weight class.
Not to be overlooked, Ryan Medved, who like his brother Alex and Porter is a returning East Regional Champion and NCAA Qualifier from a year ago, also received regional honorable mention honors at 149-pounds by Wrestlingreport.com.
The Gardner-Webb wrestling team will open up its 2011-12 season at home, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will host Belmont Abbey at 7 p.m. on November 2nd.
GWU Wrestling Releases 2011-12 Schedule
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb wrestling head coach Dick Wince is pleased to announce the release of the 2011-12 Gardner-Webb wrestling schedule, which includes seven home matches and includes conference matches as Runnin' Bulldog grapplers join the Southern Conference this season.
"As usual, we have a very challenging schedule. The most dramatic development, of course, is our official entry into the Southern Conference, which is something I've coveted for most of the 22 years I've been at GWU," commented head coach Dick Wince. "Although this does mean three trips to Chattanooga, Tennessee, this year, it means that most of our matches will have meaning. One highlight is that we have a Big Ten opponent in Indiana coming into our arena for the first time. We also have always tough Citadel and Ohio University coming into Porter Arena, as well as the usual suspects we've been wrestling for years."
Gardner-Webb will open up its 2011-12 slate with a home match against NCAA Division II powerhouse Belmont Abbey on November 2nd.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will then have a number of individuals travel up to Blacksburg, Va. to compete in the annual Hokie Open hosted by Virginia Tech on November 6th.
GWU will remain on the road for its next two matches, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will do battle with the Chattanooga Mocs in Chattanooga, Tenn. on November 11th at 6 p.m. in the two teams' Southern Conference opener and then will head north to Annapolis, Md. to compete at the Navy Classic on November 19th.
Coach Wince's squad will return home for a showdown with Appalachian State on December 5th and will then wrap up the 2011 part of the schedule with a quad match at the UB Quad Meet in Buffalo, N.Y. where the Runnin' Bulldogs will square off with Buffalo, Bloomsburg and Old Dominion.
Gardner-Webb will kick off the new year at the Southern Scuffle on January 1st and 2nd in Chattanooga, Tenn. before returning to dual match action on January 7th to compete against N.C. State, George Mason and Shippensburg in Raleigh, N.C.
After a road bout at VMI on January 20th, the Runnin' Bulldog wrestlers will return home to host both Campbell and Millersville on February 4th before hitting the road once more to take on the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, N.C. on February 7th.
GWU will then host back-to-back matches at home versus the Citadel on February 10th and Indiana of the Big Ten on February 12th.
A Southern Conference road match up at Davidson on February 16th wraps up GWU's road season, while its final regular season match on the year will come at home against Ohio on February 18th.
As members of the Southern Conference this season, the Runnin' Bulldogs will compete in the 2012 Southern Conference Championship Tournament on March 3rd in Chattanooga, Tenn.
"Our schedule, as always, is designed to get us ready for the NCAA National Championships, and we firmly believe we can at least equal last year's four qualifiers, perhaps even get five to make the trip to St. Louis this year," continued Coach Wince.
The 2012 NCAA Championships will begin on March 15th in St. Louis, Missouri.
GWU Wrestling to Host 2011 Fall Technique Clinic on September 3rd
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling program will hold its 2011 Bulldog Wrestling Fall Clinic on Saturday, September 3rd, in Bost Gymnasium on the campus of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C.
The fall clinic will offer campers two technique sessions starting at 9 a.m. and will feature Joe Nord, the GWU graduate assistant coach, and graduate of the University of Minnesota where he was a four-year letter winner, a four-year All-Big Ten Academic Team selection and a member of the 2007 National Championship Team.
Along with the two technique sessions, campers will be provided with a camp T-shirt, lunch and a pass into the Gardner-Webb vs. Brevard football game later that night.
Fees for the camp are $40 per individual or $30 if you are coming with a team of ten or more.
Additionally, the GWU wrestling team will be hosting a tailgate party starting at 3 p.m. Tickets for the tailgate party are $7.
For more information, please call Associate Head Coach Daniel Elliott at (704) 406-2139 or email him at <mailto:delliott@gardner-webb.edu>delliott@gardner-webb.edu
Gardner-Webb's Ryan Medved Named a 2011 NWCA Academic All-American
Manheim, Pa. - Gardner-Webb redshirt-sophomore grappler Ryan Medved was tabbed as a 2011 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-American this week for the 2010-11 wrestling season.
Ryan Medved, who is majoring in Chemistry at GWU, was one of four Gardner-Webb wrestlers to represent the Runnin' Bulldogs at the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The NCAA qualifier and East Regional Champion at 149 was 20-12 overall on the season and 13-7 in dual match action.
Medved led the team with six technical fall wins and posted three major decision victories on the season.
"Being able to recognize our coaches and their teams for the accomplishments that they have made academically is always a high point at the end of the season for our staff. All of the athletes that have made this year's team are setting themselves up for success once they leave college, they are becoming leaders of the future," said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director.
On this year's Individual All-Academic Team there are 92 total athletes, three NCAA Champions, five NCAA Runner-Ups, 28 All-Americans and 83 NCAA Qualifiers.
The Individual All-Academic Team also has qualifying standards by GPA and season record/accomplishment. Ninety-two wrestlers take this honor home with them; out of that group 83 of them competed at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Gardner-Webb Wrestling's Conor Beebe and Dustin Porter Compete at 2011 Asics U.S. Open Men's Freestyle Tournament
Cleveland, Ohio - Gardner-Webb wrestling graduate assistant coach Conor Beebe and Gardner-Webb graduate Dustin Porter both competed at the 2011 Asics U.S. Open Men's Freestyle Tournament this weekend in Cleveland, Ohio.
While Beebe just missed out on a chance to earn a bid to the world team trials in June, Porter, GWU's only four-time NCAA qualifier and East Regional Champion, finished seventh overall to earn a trip to the world team trials, going 3-2 on Saturday.
In the international freestyle rules, in order for a wrestler to win the match, he must win two periods which last two minutes long.
At the 120 KG weight class, Porter suffered a first round pin fall loss to Steve Mocco of Lehigh Valley AC, a former two-time national champion at Iowa and Oklahoma State, to fall into the consolation round.
Porter bounced back to defeat Mike McClure of Michigan WC 1-0, 1-0 and then Dom Bradley of Sunkist Kids 1-0, 0-1, 1-1 to advance to third round, where he then suffered a close 3-0, 3-0 loss to Jarod Trice of Central Michigan University, who placed fourth at the NCAA Wrestling National Championships this year.
However, Porter posted a huge 1-0, 2-0 win over Ryan Tomei of Pittsburgh WC in the seventh-place match to finish seventh overall at 120 KG and earn an invitation to the world team trials this June.
Beebe started the day off on Friday, April 8, with a 1-2, 2-0, 6-1 decision over Benjamin Sprunger of Boiler Elite in the first round of the men's freestyle 60 KG bracket to advanced to the quarterfinals, where Beebe posted a 4-2, 6-1 win over Jarrod Garnett of NRV Mat Club to finish the first day of competition at 2-0.
In the round of 12 on day two of competition, Beebe suffered a pin fall loss to Coleman Scott of Cowboy WC, a former national champion at 133-pound class at Oklahoma State, to fall into the consolation round.
After defeating Erik Spjut of NRV Mat Club 1-0, 1-0, in round one of the consolation round, Beebe again faced a tough challenge, falling to Drew Headlee of Sunkist Kids, who is ranked seventh in the nation, 3-0, 4-2, to finish the open with a 3-2 overall record.
Gardner-Webb Grapplers Drop Final Dual Match of the Season to UNC Greensboro, 37-6
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb picked up wins at 141 and 157, yet suffered three pin fall wins and a technical fall win in a 37-6 loss to UNC Greensboro on Tuesday afternoon in Paul Porter Arena.
After falling behind 9-0 early with losses at 125 and 133 to start the match, redshirt-sophomore Richie Spicel used a one-point escape in the first period and a two-point takedown in the second to come away with a 3-1 win over Michael Crowley at 141 and get GWU on the board.
At 157, redshirt-sophomore Alex Medved took an early 4-2 lead in the first period before picking up a two-point reversal and a one-point escape in the second period to pull out to a 7-4 lead. Medved then used a two-point take down in the third en route to holding off Justin Rice for a 9-5 win, cutting the UNC Greensboro match lead to nine at 15-6.
GWU redshirt-sophomore Justin Guthrie used a two point takedown in the early stages of the third period to tie the score up at 6-6 before the Spartan's Brett Miller tallied a one point escape to earn a 7-6 win at 165 and push UNC Greensboro out in front by 12 at 18-6.
Down 22-6 in the match, redshirt-senior Jonathan Velazquez took an early 2-0 advantage in the first period, yet ultimately fell to Elijah Adams 5-4 at 184 in his final home match.
The Runnin' Bulldogs would drop the final two bouts of the day to suffer a 37-6 match defeat to the Spartans.
Gardner-Webb (6-15-1) will now set its sights for the 2011 NCAA East Regional Championships which will be held on Sunday, March 6th, at 2:30 p.m. in Lynchburg, Va.
UNC Greensboro 37, Gardner-Webb 6
125 - Manny Ramirez (UNCG) maj. dec. Brett Kostern (GWU) 25-10 - (UNCG 4-0)
133 - Jamel Johnson (UNCG) tech. fall Alex Hamm (GWU) - 19-9 (5:55) (UNCG 9-0)
141 - Richie Spicel (GWU) dec. Michael Crowley (UNCG) - 3-1 (UNCG 9-3)
149 - Ivan Lopouchanski (UNCG) pin fall Morgan McDaniel (GWU) - 3:10 (UNCG 15-3)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) dec. Justin Rice (UNCG) - 9-5 (UNCG 15-6)
165 - Brett Miller (UNCG) dec. Justin Guthrie (GWU) - 18-6 (UNCG 18-6)
174 - Byron Sigmon (UNCG) maj. dec. Erin O'Dell (GWU) - 12-0 (UNCG 22-6)
184 - Elijah Adams (UNCG) dec. Jonathan Velazquez (GWU) - 5-4 (UNCG 25-6)
197 - Caylor Williams (UNCG) pin fall Blake Salyer (GWU) - 1:46 (UNCG 31-6)
285 - Peter Sturgeon (UNCG) pin fall Tyler Arrowood (GWU) - 0:46 (UNCG 37-6)
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Falls to the Citadel, 29-9, on Saturday Night
Charleston, S.C. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team suffered a 29-9 loss in dual match action against the Citadel on Saturday night, as only three Runnin' Bulldog grapplers recorded wins in the dual match in Charleston, S.C.
GWU found themselves behind early, as the Runnin' Bulldogs fell behind 7-0 after suffering a loss at 125 and a major decision defeat at 133.
Redshirt-sophomore Richie Spicel put the Runnin' Bulldogs on the board, as he held off Jordan Dix of the Citadel for a 4-2 win at 141.
After a major decision loss at 149, GWU's Alex Medved picked up a 4-1 victory at 157 to cut the Citadel's lead to five at 11-6.
GWU would pick up only one more win for the remainder of the match, as freshman Erin O'Dell earned a 7-3 decision over Kenneth Radford at 174.
Gardner-Webb (6-14-1) will return home to host UNC Greensboro at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 22nd, in Paul Porter Arena. The afternoon match is scheduled to be video streamed by the Big South Network and can be viewed by going to www.bigsouthsports.com.
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Downs Davidson, 31-9, On Senior Night
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb redshirt-senior Jonathan Velazquez was one of seven Runnin' Bulldogs to pick up a win on Wednesday night, as GWU defeated Davidson 31-9 in Paul Porter Arena.
GWU and Davidson started the match off in a dead heat, as at 125 GWU's Brett Kostern and Davidson's Matt Zarth battled to a 6-6 draw after three periods. However, Kostern had the advantage in the riding time which propelled him to a 7-6 decision over Zarth.
After tying the score up at 3-3 with a win at 133, Davidson's Vitaly Radsky used a one point escape with 1:10 to go in the third period to pick up a 5-4 decision over GWU's Richie Spicel at 141 and put the Wildcats in front for the first time in the match at 6-3.
At 149, GWU's Ryan Medved picked up his 18th win on the year in dominating fashion, controlling the match from start to finish en route to a 14-3 major decision win over Scott Ray, pushing the Runnin' Bulldogs in front at 7-6.
The Runnin' Bulldogs then picked up back-to-back forfeit wins at 157 and 165 to take a demanding 19-6 lead heading into the 174 bout.
After suffering a loss at 174, GWU's Velazquez stayed unbeaten on the year, defeating Ike Crews 6-2 at 184.
Gardner-Webb's Blake Salyer picked up a forfeit win at 197, putting the score at 28-9 in favor of the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Redshirt-sophomore Travis Porter moved up to the heavyweight spot where he battled Charlie Wolff of Davidson to a 1-1 tie after three periods. In the overtime period, Porter picked up a two-point takedown to earn a 3-1 decision and give GWU a dominating 31-9 match win.
Gardner-Webb (6-13-1) will return to action this weekend, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will travel to Charleston, S.C. to take on the Citadel Bulldogs on Saturday night, February 19th, at 7 p.m.
Gardner-Webb 31, Davidson 9
125 - Brett Kostern (GWU) dec. Matt Zarth (DAV) - 7-6 (GWU 3-0)
133 - Alex Radsky (DAV) dec. Alex Hamm (GWU) - 7-2 (Tied 3-3)
141 - Vitaly Radsky (DAV) dec. Richie Spicel (GWU) 5-4 (DAV 6-3)
149 - Ryan Medved (GWU) maj. dec. Scott Ray (DAV) 14-3 (GWU 7-6)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) wins by forfeit. (GWU 13-6)
165 - Justin Guthrie (GWU) wins by forfeit. (GWU 19-6)
174 - Chris Cirenza (DAV) dec. Erin O'Dell (GWU) - 5-3 (GWU 19-9)
184 - Jonathan Velazquez (GWU) dec. Ike Crews (DAV) - 6-2 (GWU 22-9)
197 - Blake Salyer (GWU) wins by forfeit. (GWU 28-9)
HVY -Travis Porter (GWU) dec. Charlie Wolff (DAV) 3-1 OT (GWU 31-9)
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Downs Campbell 32-12 in Dual Match Action
Buies Creek, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team used three pin fall wins to defeat Campbell 32-12 on Tuesday night in Buies Creek, N.C.
GWU redshirt-sophomore Alex Medved started the match off with a pin fall win at 3:57 over Darien Peele at 157 to give the Runnin' Bulldogs an early 6-0 lead in the match. The win was Alex Medved's 20th overall win on the year.
Fellow redshirt-sophomore Justin Guthrie carried over the momentum from his huge win versus Duke on Friday night, as he scored a 5-4 decision of Jake Fose to push GWU in front by nine at 9-0.
The momentum was clearly on the Runnin' Bulldogs side, as freshman Erin O'Dell picked up his second win of the year, edging Ryan Ham of Campbell for the 3-2 win at 174.
With a 12-0 lead, junior Blake Salyer earned his first pin fall win of the year at 184, pinning Peter Comis 3:58 seconds into the match, giving the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers a huge 18-0 match lead.
Redshirt-sophomore Travis Porter continued GWU's winning ways, posting a 5-1 decision win over John Merickel at 197, increasing the GWU lead to 21-0.
After Campbell's Peter Burns earned a pin fall win at 285 to put the Camels on the board,
Campbell picked up back-to-back wins at 125 and 133 to cut the GWU lead to 21-12 with two matches remaining.
However, the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers refused to lose, as Richie Spicel picked up his third pin fall win of the year over Michael Jordan at 3:28 at 141, while GWU's Ryan Medved wrapped up the match with a technical fall 20-4 victory over Brad Merriman at 149 to give Gardner-Webb the 32-12 win.
With the win, GWU improves to 3-12-1 on the year in dual match action.
The Gardner-Webb wrestling team will look to carry over the momentum from Tuesday night's win to this Saturday, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will compete at the Appalachian Open on Saturday, January 29th, in Boone, N.C.
Gardner-Webb 32, Campbell 12
125 - Tanner Bidelspach (CU) decision Brett Kostern (GWU) 5-4, 21-9 GWU
133 - Gabe Gardner (CU) decision Alex Hamm (GWU) 7-5 in first OT, 21-12 GWU
141 - Richie Spicel (GWU) fall Michael Jordan (CU), 3:28, 27-12 GWU
149 - Ryan Medved (GWU) technical fall Brad Merriman (CU) 20-4 in
5:49, 32-12 GWU
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) fall Darien Peele (CU)*, 3:57, 6-0 GWU
165 - Justin Guthrie (GWU) decision Jake Fose (CU) 5-4, 9-0 GWU
174 - Erin O'Dell (GWU) decision Ryan Ham (CU) 3-2, 12-0 GWU
184 - Blake Salyer (GWU) fall Peter Comis (CU), 3:58, 18-0 GWU
197 - Travis Porter (GWU) decision John Merickel (CU) 5-1, 21-0 GWU
285 - Parker Burns (CU) fall Tyler Arrowood (GWU), 1:59, 21-6 GWU
*denotes starting weight
Gardner-Webb Wrestles Duke to a 22-22 Draw
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb's Justin Guthrie picked up an 11-7 win at 165 to put the Runnin' Bulldogs up by seven at 19-12, while fellow redshirt-sophomore Travis Porter used a 5-2 win in the final match at 197 to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a 22-22 tie with the Duke Blue Devils on Friday night in Bost Gymnasium.
After Duke took a forfeit win at 285 to start the match, Gardner-Webb's Brett Kostern and Alex Hamm were awarded back-to-back forfeit wins at 125 and 133, respectively, to put the Runnin' Bulldogs in front at 12-6.
The Blue Devils then secured back-to-back wins at 141 and 149 to retie the match score up at 12-12 with five matches to go.
At 157, redshirt-sophomore Alex Medved dominated the match for most of the three periods, picking up a 17-5 major decision win over Ryan Harding, giving Alex Medved his team leading seventh major decision win on the year, and pushing the Runnin' Bulldogs in front at 16-12.
GWU's Guthrie then battled back from an early 2-0 deficit and used a two-point takedown and a two-point near fall with less than 18 seconds left in the third period to come away with an 11-7 win over Willy Mello at 165.
With a 19-12 lead, GWU looked to hold on for the match win, only to suffer a pin fall loss at 174 and a 10-2 major decision loss at 184 to push the Blue Devils in front by three at 22-19 with only one match to go.
In the final match, Porter held onto a slight 3-2 lead heading into the third period. In the third, Porter picked up a two-point takedown and was pushing for a pin fall win as time expired, giving him a 5-2 win and ending the match in a 22-22 draw.
The 22-22 draw snaps GWU's dual match losing streak at eight.
With the forfeit wins, Kostern and Hamm pick up their sixth and seventh wins, respectively. Alex Medved posted his team-high 19th win of the year, while Porter earned his 16th overall victory on Friday night.
Gardner-Webb (2-12-1) will return to the mat on Tuesday, January 25th, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will face off with the Fighting Camels of Campbell University at 7 p.m. in Buies Creek, N.C.
###
Gardner-Webb 22, Duke 22
285 - Andrew Fulk (DU) wins by forfeit. (DU 6-0) *
125 - Brett Kostern (GWU) wins by forfeit. (Tied 6-6)
133 - Alex Hamm (GWU) wins by forfeit. (GWU 12-6)
141 - Mike Bell (DU) dec. Richie Spicel (GWU) - 3-2 (GWU 12-9)
149 - A.J. Guardado (DU) dec. Ryan Medved (GWU) - 7-5 (Tied 12-12)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) maj dec. Ryan Harding (DU) - 17-5 (GWU 16-12)
165 - Justin Guthrie (GWU) dec. Willy Mello (DU) - 11-7 (GWU 19-12)
174 - #32 Bret Klopp (DU) pin fall Erin O'Dell (GWU) - 2:11 (GWU 19-18)
184 - Diego Bencomo (DU) maj dec. Blake Sayler (GWU) - 10-2 (DU 22-19)
197 - Travis Porter (GWU) dec. Brian Self (DU) - 5-2 (Tied 22-22)
*starting match
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Falters at Wendy's Classic in Ashland, Ohio
Ashland, Ohio - Gardner-Webb struggled on the mat at the 22nd Annual Wendy's Classic, falling to Purdue, Olivet and Eastern Michigan in dual match action at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio.
In the first match of the day, the Runnin' Bulldogs were overmatched from top to bottom, as Gardner-Webb fell to nationally ranked Purdue of the Big Ten, 48-0.
In the match versus the Boilermakers, GWU suffered four pin fall losses and a technical foul loss.
At 133, freshman Alex Hamm suffered an 11-4 loss to Akif Erin of Purdue, while Richie Spicel suffered a 13-6 loss to Jake Fleckenstein at 141 and Alex Medved lost a tough 11-8 decision to Sam Patacsil of Purdue to have his winning-streak snapped at four in a row.
At noon the Runnin' Bulldogs matched up with Olivet on the mat and found themselves down early 7-0 with back-to-back losses at 125 and 133.
Spicel then picked up a 12-5 win over Tucker of Olivet at 141, which was followed by a 7-4 decision win by Ryan Medved at 149.
At 157 Alex Medved defeated Fuller 8-0 to earn a major decision win and put GWU up for the first time at 10-7.
However, Olivet ran off three straight wins to take a 17-10 lead heading into the final two matches.
At 197, redshirt-sophomore Travis Porter defeated Leonard 4-3 to cut Olivet lead to four at 17-13.
However, the Runnin' Bulldogs would ultimately suffer a 23-13 loss due to a forfeit at the heavyweight spot.
In Gardner-Webb's third match of the day, the Runnin' Bulldogs went up against a very tough Eastern Michigan team that nearly swept GWU, taking nine of the 10 bouts to earn the 43-3 win.
Spicel was the lone victor for GWU, as the redshirt-sophomore picked up a 6-1 win over LeHolm at 141.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will return to action on Friday night, January 21st, as Gardner-Webb will host the Duke Blue Devils at 7 p.m. on the campus of Gardner-Webb University. The match is scheduled to be video streamed over the Big South Network and can be viewed for a fee at www.bigsouthsports.com.
Purdue 48, Gardner Webb -1
125 - Eppert (PU) maj. dec. Kostern (GWU), 15-4 4-0, PU
133 - Fleckenstein (PU) dec. Spicel (GWU), 13-6 7-0, PU
141 - Eren (PU) dec. Hamm (GWU), 11-4 10-0, PU
149 - Churchard (PU) pins R. Medved (GWU), 0:47 16-0, PU
157 - Patacsil (PU) dec. A. Medved (GWU), 11-8 19-0, PU
165 - Mosier (PU) pins Guthrie (GWU), 4:16 25-0, PU
174 - Manuel (PU) pins O'Dell (GWU), 3:35 31-0, PU
184 - Kissel (PU) pins Salyer (GWU), 0:50 37-0, PU
197 - Brown (PU) tech. fall Porter (GWU), 20-5 42-0, PU
285 - Vukobratovich (PU) wins by forfeit 48-0
Gardner-Webb deducted one team point
Olivet 23, Gardner-Webb 13
125 - Wilson (OC) dec. Kostern (GWU), 5-3 3-0, OC
133 - Richmond (OC) maj. dec. Hamm (GWU), 11-1 7-0, OC
141 - Spicel (GWU) dec. Tucker (OC), 12-5 7-3, OC
149 - R. Medved (GWU) dec. Pederson (OC), 7-4 7-6, OC
157 - A. Medved (GWU) maj. dec. Fuller (OC), 8-0 10-7, G-W
165 - Jaynes (OC) dec. Guthrie (GWU), 3-2 10-10
174 - Tyler (OC) dec. O'Dell (GWU), 11-4 13-10, OC
184 - Neal (OC) maj. dec. Salyer (GWU), 11-1 17-10, OC
197 - Porter (GWU) dec. Leonard (OC), 4-3 17-13, OC
285 - Renas (OC) wins by forfeit 23-13, OC
Eastern Michigan 43, Gardner-Webb 3
125 - Germaine (EMU) pins Kostern (GWU), 4:00 6-0, EMU
133 - Colon (EMU) pins Hamm (GWU), 2:53 12-0, EMU
141 - Spicel (GWU) dec. LeHolm (EMU), 6-1 12-3, EMU
149 - Phillips (EMU) dec. R. Medved (GWU), 5-2 15-3, EMU
157 - Sulzer (EMU) pins A. Medved (GWU), 0:43 21-3, EMU
165 - Hendrick (EMU) dec. Guthrie (GWU), 5-4 24-3, EMU
174 - Eggert (EMU) dec. O'Dell (GWU), 7-1 27-3, EMU
184 - Ortman (EMU) maj. dec. Salyer (GWU), 12-0 31-3, EMU
197 - Whiteburg (EMU) pins Porter (GWU), 6:23 37-3, EMU
285 - Wade (EMU) wins by forfeit 43-3, EMU
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Goes 0-3 at IU Quads on Sunday Afternoon
Bloomington, Ind. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team dropped three matches on Sunday afternoon, falling to SIUE, Cleveland State and Indiana in dual match action at the IU Quads in Bloomington, Indiana.
Gardner-Webb started off the day with a 21-17 loss to Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville, in which the Runnin' Bulldogs posted five wins in the match.
Sophomore Brett Kostern led off the match with a 5-4 win over Paul Meyers at 125 to give the Runnin' Bulldogs an early 3-0 lead.
After SIUE tied the score up with a win at 133, redshirt-sophomore Richie Spicel scored a 12-4 major decision win over Lawrence Blackful III at 141 to give GWU a 7-3 lead.
GWU then picked up back-to-back wins by the Medved brothers, as Ryan Medved picked up an 11-4 win at 149 and Alex Medved secured an 11-0 major decision win at 157, to push the Runnin' Bulldogs out in front at 14-3.
However, the Cougars won the next three bouts, including picking up a pin fall win at 174 to take a 15-14 lead over the Runnin' Bulldogs.
GWU redshirt-sophomore Travis Porter held on for a 6-5 win over Robert Cooney at 191 to push the Runnin' Bulldogs in front at 17-15, however, with no heavyweight on the roster, GWU had to forfeit the match at 285 and thus suffered the 21-17 loss to SIUE.
In the second match of the day for GWU, the Runnin' Bulldogs fell behind early and had three wins at the middle weights before falling to Cleveland State 30-12.
GWU fell behind 12-0 early after back-to-back pin fall losses at 125 and 133, yet battled back to tie the score up at 12-12 with three straight wins by Richie, Ryan Medved and Alex Medved.
Spicel picked up a huge pin fall win at 4:20 over Josh Palivoda at 141 to give the Runnin' Bulldogs six points and cut the Viking lead in half at 12-6.
Ryan Medved then defeated Lawrence Cavello 4-1 at 149, while Alex Medved followed with an 11-5 win over Matt Donohoe at 157 to tie the match score up at 12-12.
Yet Cleveland State ran off five straight wins to end the match and come away with the 30-12 match victory over the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Gardner-Webb's final match of the day came against the host Indiana Hoosiers, as GWU fell to the Big Ten members 41-6.
The Hoosiers took an early 19-0 lead with two pin fall wins, which included a pin fall win by #15 Kurt Kinser over Ryan Medved at 149.
The lone win for GWU came at 157, as Alex Medved picked up a forfeit victory to give the Runnin' Bulldogs six points.
However, Indiana finished the match off with five straight wins to come away with the 41-6 win.
The Runnin' Bulldogs will return to action next Saturday afternoon, January 15th, as Gardner-Webb will take part in the Wendy's Classic hosted by Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio.
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Falls to VMI 22-15 at Home On Friday Night
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb picked up wins from Ryan Medved, Alex Medved, Jonathan Velazquez and Travis Porter, yet it wasn't enough as the VMI Keydets defeated GWU 22-15 in Bost Gymnasium on Friday night.
After dropping the first three matches and falling behind 9-0 to the Keydets, GWU's Ryan Medved got the Runnin' Bulldogs on the scoreboard using an escape and a good defensive game to pick up a 1-0 decision over Michael Young at 149.
Gardner-Webb's Alex Medved then scored a 13-2 major decision win over Nick Emison at 157 to move the Runnin' Bulldogs into two points of the Keydets at 9-7.
However, VMI picked up back-to-back wins at 165 and 174, including a 9-0 major decisions in at 174, to push the Keydets back in front at 16-7 with only three bouts left.
GWU's Velazquez remained perfect on the season, securing a 9-3 win in dominating fashion at 184 to pull the home team within six at 16-10.
Porter followed up Velazquez with a strong performance in which he controlled the match from start to finishing, including picking up several near falls, en route to a 16-0 technical fall win at 8:39 over Chris Gill at 197 to push GWU back into the match at 16-15.
Yet Porter was the last effort for GWU, as the Runnin' Bulldogs had to forfeit at 285, giving #19/#29 Josh Wine of VMI the 6-0 win and handing the Keydets a 22-15 match victory.
With the wins, Ryan Medved moves to 8-3 overall, while Alex Medved improves to 12-5 on the year, while also picking up his fourth major decision win of the season.
Velazquez stays unbeaten at 5-0 on the year, while Porter picked up his second tech fall win of the season and improves to 11-5 on the year.
Gardner-Webb (2-6) will not return to competition for three weeks, as the Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will next return to action at the 2010 Southern Scuffle on December 29-30 in Greensboro, N.C.
VMI (2-0) will also return to action at the 2010 Southern Scuffle hosted by UNC Greensboro.
###
VMI 22, Gardner-Webb 15
125 - Johnathan Pope (VMI) dec. Brett Kostern (GWU) - 5-3 (VMI 3-0)
133 - Luke Todd (VMI) dec. Alex Hamm (GWU) - 8-2 (VMI 6-0)
141 - David Yost (VMI) dec. Richie Spicel (GWU) - 5-4 (VMI 9-0)
149 - Ryan Medved (GWU) dec. Michael Young (VMI) - 1-0 (VMI 9-3)
157 - Alex Medved (GWU) maj. dec. Nick Emison (VMI) - 13 - 2 (VMI 9-7)
165 - Joseph Munno (VMI) dec. Justin Guthrie (GWU) - 7 - 3 (VMI 12-7)
174 - Matthew Brock (VMI) maj. dec. Erin O'Dell (GWU) - 9 - 0 (VMI 16 - 7)
184 - Jonathan Velazquez (GWU) dec. John Dommert (VMI) - 9 - 3 (VMI 16 - 10)
197 - Travis Porter (GWU) TF Chris Gill (VMI) - 16 - 0 (8:39) (VMI 16 - 15)
285 - #19/#29 Josh Wince (VMI) forfeit by GWU (VMI 22 - 15)
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Competes at 2010 Hokie Open
Salem, Va. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team had 12 different Runnin' Bulldogs, including former Gardner-Webb grappler and current volunteer coach Dustin Porter, compete at the 2010 Hokie Open hosted by Virginia Tech in Salem, Va. on Sunday.
The young Runnin' Bulldogs posted seven wins on the day, highlighted by two wins from redshirt-sophomore Travis Porter and his older brother and former Runnin' Bulldog Dustin Porter.
Gardner-Webb had two grapplers compete at the 125-pound weight class, as sophomore Brett Kostern posted a 1-2 record, while freshman Robbie Golde went winless in his two bouts. Kostern opened up with an 11-6 win over Johnathan Pope of VMI, before suffering a technical fall loss to eventual champion James Nicholson of Old Dominion to fall into the consolation bracket where he then suffered a pin fall loss at 6:16 to Brett Boston of Appalachian State to get eliminated from the invitational.
At 133, senior Michael Slaughter suffered two losses to go 0-2 on the day, while freshman Alex Hamm finished the day at 1-2, picking up a 6-2 win over Adam Wilson of CWC before falling in back-to-back matches including a 20-5 technical fall loss to Mike Rappo of UNC who took second-place overall at the 133-pound weight class.
Redshirt-sophomore Richie Spicel went 0-2 at 141, while sophomore Morgan McDaniel also fell in his lone two matches of the day at 149.
At 159, redshirt-sophomore Alex Medved bounced back from an 11-6 loss to Trent Weathermar of Iowa State to defeat Phil Ramirez of King College 5-1. In his next bout, Medved suffered his second loss of the day to Josh Condon of Chattanooga, 2-1, who ended up taking fifth-place overall for the 159-pound weight class.
Like at 141 and 149, the Runnin' Bulldogs failed to score a win at 165, 174 and 184, as redshirt-sophomore Justin Guthrie and freshmen Erin O'Dell and Taylor McClain all went 0-2 for the open.
At 197, Travis Porter started off with a 5-1 loss to Kelby Smith of the Citadel, only to win his next match 6-3 over Sam Kuntz of Chattanooga to stay alive in the consolation bracket. Porter then picked up his second win of the day in his next match, scoring a 4-1 decision over Zach Anderson of Newberry College. However, his run would end there, as Porter came up just short in his next bout, falling to Phil Hawes of Iowa State 3-2 to be eliminated from the field.
Former Runnin' Bulldog and current volunteer coach Dustin Porter, who wrestled unattached, picked up a 7-3 win over Derek Papagianopoulc of Virginia before suffering a 7-0 loss to Matt Gibson of Iowa State, who would go on to win the 285-pound weight class overall. Sitting at 1-1 and in the consolation bracket, Porter scored a 6-1 win over Matt Tourdot of Old Dominion before suffering his second loss of the day, dropping a 2-0 decision to Jake Elkins of Newberry College who finished fifth overall.
Gardner-Webb Wrestling: Six Different Runnin' Bulldogs Score a Win
Six Different Runnin' Bulldogs Score a Win on the Mat on Saturday
Charlottesville, Va. - The Gardner-Webb wrestling team opened up its 2010-11 season with a tri-meet hosted by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. on Saturday afternoon.
The Runnin' Bulldogs suffered three team losses on the day, as GWU fell to Virginia 50-0, to Rider 32-6 and Anderson (S.C.) 22-19 in the dual meet action.
Gardner-Webb had six different Runnin' Bulldog grapplers pick up wins on Saturday afternoon, highlighted by redshirt-sophomore Alex Medved's two victories at 157.
Alex Medved picked up an 8-5 decision over Ramon Santiago to put GWU on the board in the dual match versus Rider and then picked up his second win of the day by way of an injury default at 157 against Anderson (S.C.).
Redshirt-sophomore Travis Porter was the lone other GWU grappler to pick up a victory in the Rider match, as he registered a 6-0 shutout win over Chris Spagnola at 197.
The other four wins on the day for GWU came in the Anderson (S.C.) dual match, as the Runnin' Bulldogs had a slight 19-16 lead over the Trojans heading into the heavyweight match which GWU had to forfeit, giving Anderson (S.C.) five points and the 22-19 win.
Redshirt-sophomore Ryan Medved picked up a win at 149, defeating Dan Telhada of Anderson (S.C.) 8-2, while redshirt-sophomore Justin Guthrie scored a 9-3 decision over Anderson's Jordan Lide at 165.
Gardner-Webb's Richie Spicel earned an 11-3 major decision win over Calbe Swinson of Anderson (S.C.) at 141, while freshman Alex Hamm picked up his first career victory with a 7-3 win over the Trojans' Ian Harper at 133.
GWU will not have long to regroup, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will have a number of grapplers competing as individuals in the sinlge-elimination 2010 Hokie Open tomorrow, November 7, in Salem, Va.
###
Virginia 50, Gardner-Webb 0
125: Matt Snyder (UVa) pinned Brett Kostern (GW), :38; UVa 6-0
133: Joe Spisak (UVa) pinned Alex Hamm (GW), 3:25; UVa 12-0
141: Nick Nelson (UVa) major dec. Lucas Dutch (GW), 16-5; UVa 17-0
149: Derek Valenti (UVa) major dec. Morgan McDaniel (GW), 13-2; UVa 22-0
157: Shawn Harris (UVa) dec. Alex Medved (GW), 4-2; UVa 25-0
165: Conner Miller (UVa) pinned Justin Guthrie (GW), 1:49; UVa 31-0
174: Chris Henrich (UVa) tech fall Erin O'Dell (GW), 2:56, 17-2; UVa 36-0
184: Jon Fausey (UVa) pinned Taylor McClain (GW), 1:16; UVa 39-0
197: No. 17 Mike Salopek (UVa) major dec. Travis Porter (GW), 10-1; UVa 44-0
285: Jack Danilkowicz (UVa) wins by forfeit; UVa 50-0
Rider 32, Gardner-Webb 6
125: Chuck Zeisloft (RU) dec. Brett Kostern (GW), 7-4; RU 3-0
133: Jimmy Kirchner (RU) dec. Alex Hamm (GW) 3-2; RU 6-0
141: Aaron Nestor (RU) dec. Richie Spicel (GW), 5-4; RU 9-0
149: Zac Cibula (RU) dec. Ryan Medved (GW), 6-0; RU 12-0
157: Alex Medved (GW) dec. Ramon Santiago (Rider), 5-8; RU 12-3
165: James Brundage (RU) tech fall Justin Guthrie (GW), 19-4 (4:40); RU 17-3
174: Rob Morrison (RU) pinned Erin O'Dell (GW), (2:20); RU 23-3
184: Joseph Ferber (RU) dec. Taylor McClain (GW), 6-0; RU 26-3
197: Travis Porter (GW) dec. Chris Spagnola (RU), 6-0; RU 26-6
285: Evan Craig (RU) won by forfeit; RU 32-6
Anderson 22, Gardner-Webb 19
125: Andrew Rankin (AU) dec. Brett Kostern (GW), 16-11; AU 3-0
133: Alex Hamm (GW) dec. Ian Harper (AU), 7-3; 3-3
141: Richie Spicel (GW) major dec. Caleb Swinson (AU), 11-3; GW 7-3
149: Ryan Medved (GW) dec. Dan Telhada (AU), 8-2; GW 10-3
157: Alex Medved (GW) won by injury default; GW 16-3
165: Justin Guthrie (GW) dec. Jordan Lide (AU), 9-3; GW 19-3
174: Trevor Sanford (AU) pinned Erin O'Dell (GW), 4:17; GW 19-9
184: Sean O'Connell (AU) major dec. Taylor McClain (GW), 15-5; GW 19-13
197: Zoi Ouellette (AU) dec. Travis Porter (GW), 3-2; GW 19-16
285: Chase Duke (AU) won by forfeit; AU 22-19
Elliott Promoted to Associate Head Coach For Gardner-Webb Wrestling
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb graduate and assistant coach for wrestling Daniel Elliott has been promoted to the Associate Head Coach for Wrestling announced today by the Gardner-Webb athletics department.
"Naming Daniel Associate Head Coach is a natural progression of his involvement in the Gardner-Webb University wrestling program. First, as a student-athlete where he was a national qualifier, and most recently as an assistant coach, Daniel has worked tirelessly to improve his own skills and the abilities of the student-athletes on our wrestling team," stated Chuck Burch, Vice President for Athletics. "As Associate Head Coach, along with our Head Coach, Dick Wince, and Graduate Assistant Conor Beebe, I am confident that Daniel's number one goal will be the continued development of the wrestling program."
Elliott begins his fifth season with the Gardner-Webb program, having served the last three seasons as an assistant coach. Elliott served as a graduate assistant for his first two years on the GWU wrestling staff following a stellar collegiate career for head coach Richard Wince.
Since moving over to the bench as a coach, Elliott has seen at least one GWU wrestler make it to the NCAA Championships in each of the last four years, including Dustin Porter who has reached the NCAA Championships in each of the last four years. Fellow GWU grappler Rob Tate reached the Championships in 2006-07, earning the Runnin' Bulldogs lone victory at the national event.
Elliott, who is in charge of the practice schedules and working with the student-athletes on the mat, has worked hard in raising money for the GWU Wrestling program and its new building. His fundraising efforts have allowed the Runnin' Bulldog wrestling program to move into a new building, which when fully renovated will be one of the nicest wrestling only facilities in all of NCAA Division I with offices, locker room, team room, bathrooms and a large practice area.
During his career for the Runnin' Bulldogs, Elliott was a two-time NCAA Qualifier. He was also a two-time regional champion at 149. In his last regional meet, Elliott was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler. He finished the regular season with a record of 39-2 during his senior campaign and was ranked 10th in the nation in the final standings.
Elliott holds the school record for career wins, single-season wins in addition to consecutive wins. He also led the team in each of his last three seasons in takedowns.
Elliott graduated in May 2006 with a double major in history and communications. Elliott then went on to earn his masters in sports sciences and pedagogy from Gardner-Webb in the summer of 2008.
"This is a natural step in Daniel's progression toward being a great college head coach," commented Coach Wince. "His work ethic and dedication are exceptional."
The Gardner-Webb Wrestling to Hold a Fall Clinic on Saturday, September 18th
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb University wrestling program will host a 2010 Runnin' Bulldog Wrestling Fall Clinic on Saturday, September 18, in the LYCC on the campus of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C.
The camp, which features Conor Beebe, GWU's new addition to the coaching staff, will consist of two sessions, one morning session which is slated to start at 9:00 a.m. and an afternoon session which is set to begin at 1:00 p.m.
Along with the technique sessions, campers will be provided with a camp T-shirt, lunch and a pass into the GWU vs. Western Carolina football game later that night.
Fees for the camp are $40 per individual or $30 if you are coming with a team of ten or more participants.
Additionally, the GWU wrestling team will be hosting a tailgate party starting at 3:00 p.m. that afternoon prior to the 6:00 p.m. kickoff. Tickets for the tailgate party will be sold for $7.
For more information on the 2010 Runnin' Bulldog Wrestling Fall Clinic contact Daniel Elliott at delliott@gardner-webb.edu or at (704) 406-2139.
Gardner-Webb Wrestling Adds Conor Beebe to the Coaching Staff in 2010
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb wrestling head coach Richard Wince along with the Gardner-Webb athletics department is pleased to announce the addition of Conor Beebe to coaching staff in 2010.
Beebe, who graduated in August 2010 with a degree in Business Administration, excelled on the mat during his time at Central Michigan University. While at Central Michigan, Beebe was a four-time NCAA qualifier, while in 2010 he was the MAC Conference Champion and was named to the 2010 First-Team All-Conference.
In 2010, Beebe, a two-time Midlands Place winner, received the Coaches Award, as he served as the captain of the wrestling team.
Beebe, who has done various charity work through the Red Cross, Special Olympics and Adopt a Family Charity, has spent the last four summers working various wrestling camps at Holland High School, Loyola Academy and Central Michigan University.
"We are excited to have Conor join our staff," stated assistant coach Daniel Elliott. "His knowledge, skill set and experience will help our team tremendously."
Gardner-Webb University's Daniel Elliott to Participate in the 2010 NWCA Coaching Leadership Academy
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb University Athletics Department is pleased to announce that assistant wrestling coach Daniel Elliott has been chosen to participate in the Second Annual NWCA Coaching Leadership Academy in Delray Beach, Florida.
Elliott is one of 32 coaches representing all collegiate divisions selected to receive scholarships to by the NWCA to participate in the Second Annual NWCA Coaching Leadership Academy.
"With the success of the 2009 Academy, we are looking forward to mentoring another group of outstanding coaches," said NWCA President Jim Beichner. "Last year's coaches helped to pave the way and in the process helped us 'fine tune' the curriculum."
The purpose of this Academy is to utilize peer group discussion among college coaches, athletic administrators, and CEOs to develop "best practices" for protecting and strengthening intercollegiate wrestling programs through this challenging economy. Further, the NWCA wants to help coaches better align their programs with educational values.
Nationally renowned coaching development expert, Dr. Dan Gould from Michigan State University along with Senior Associate Athletic Director Derek van der Merwe of Central Michigan University, will be facilitating these discussions.
The NWCA is able to cover the airfare, lodging, meals and convention registration fees for all participants due to the generosity of several wrestling benefactors.
The 2010 Leadership Academy consists of the following coaches: Matthew Azevedo, Alaina Berube, Seth Bloomquist, Matthew Burlingame, Ken Caudell, Sevond Cole, Derek DelPorto, Timothy Dernlan, Ramon Diaz, Daniel Elliott, Ron Headlee, Josh Henson, Eric Keller, Dock Kelly, Jason Loukides, Mike Mendoza, Nick Mitchell, Bob Patnesky, John Petty, Ken Prophete, Ken Ramsey, Matt Sedivy, Nathan Shearer, Michael Simon, Chad Smith, Pat Sole, Walter Ulrich, Marcie Van Dusen, Andy Vogel, Robbie Waller, Kevin Ward, and Mauricio Wright.
Mentors for the 2010 Leadership Academy are as follows: Ron Beaschler, Jim Beichner, Coyte Cooper, Mark Gumble, Dan Harris, Todd Hibbs, Jay Jones, Dave Kemmy, Rob Koll, Jon Laudenslager, John Licata, Jim Makovsky, Jim Miller, Carl Poff, Archie Randall, Frank Romano, Brian Smith, Jack Spates, Rande Stottlemyer, Greg Strobel, Jeff Swenson, Alan Utter, and Billy Walker.
The following 2009 Leadership Academy Coaches have completed the course and will be recognized for their achievement on August 6th: JohnMark Bentley, Ben Berogen, Jason Borrelli, Mark Branch, Brandon Brissette, Shawn Charles, Dax Charles, Heath Eslinger, John Garriques, Trent Goodale, Scott Hawes, Scott Hinkle, Tim Homan, Greg Ilaria, Tony Islas, R.C. LaHaye, Tom Layte, Clint Manny, Risto Marttinen, Joe Pollard, Tom Prairie, Todd Roberts, Ryan Smith, Ben Stehura, Casey Stouffer, Beau Vest and Jason York.
"After our first year of the academy, we had an overwhelming response of coaches that wanted to be chosen for this year. It was hard to narrow down to these thirty-two individuals, but we feel that we have a great group who are willing and eager to learn," said Mike Moyer Executive Director of the NWCA.
"With the help of Dan Gould, Derek van der Merwe, our many program benefactors, and dedicated mentors, the 2010 Leadership Academy Class will undoubtedly be a fantastic experience."
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling.
The three core competencies of the NWCA Coaching Development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.
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.