2012-13 Gardner-Webb Wrestling Season Preview
October 30, 2012 | Wrestling
Boiling Springs, N.C. - A new, but familiar face will be in charge of the Gardner-Webb wrestling program in 2012-13, as long time assistant and associate head coach Daniel Elliott has taken over the reigns as head coach following the retirement of Dick Wince who had been on the bench for the previous 22 years. Elliott, who is a 2006 graduate of Gardner-Webb University, has been a part of the Runnin' Bulldog wrestling program since stepping on campus as a freshman in 2001.
Coach Elliott takes over a team in 2012-13 that is a mixture of young and old, recent and new, experienced and inexperienced, as the top-six grapplers over the last two seasons return and are joined by 14 newcomers, all of which are true freshman.
Returning for the Runnin' Bulldogs are redshirt-seniors Justin Guthrie, Alex Medved, Ryan Medved, Travis Porter and Blake Salyer, who will all be looked upon to not only have strong seasons at their respective weight classes, but also to mentor the newcomers as Gardner-Webb enters its second season as an associate member of the Southern Conference.
In the lower weight classes, 125, 133 and 141, Coach Elliott's line up will include a handful of freshmen looking to compete for mat time right away. The 125-pound position is up for grabs, as a trio of newcomers in Tyler Ziegler, Cortez Starkes, and Alex White will battle for starts all season long.
At 133 pounds, redshirt-sophomore Robbie Golde, who made 23 starts last season, will be the favorite, while Ziegler and fellow freshman Gerod Kimble will be looked upon to provide depth at the position.
Sophomore Davante Andujar will once again suit up for the Runnin' Bulldogs at 141 pounds, as last year as a freshman he started the year off at 141, but was bumped up to 149 due to an injury to Ryan Medved early in the season. Andujar, who posted 11 wins last year as a true freshman, will be pushed this season at 141 pounds by freshman Ryan Mosley and redshirt-freshman Travis Fulk.
At the middleweight classes, 149, 157 and 165, there will be three familiar faces in Ryan Medved, Alex Medved and Guthrie. Ryan Medved returns to the 149-pound class after suffering a season-ending knee injury early last season, while his twin brother, Alex, will get the start at 157 pounds where last season he posted 18 wins overall. Guthrie, who was named to the Southern Conference Preseason All-Conference Team this season, will once again compete at 165 pounds where last year he led the team with 18 wins, posting 19 wins overall on the year.
Depth at the middleweight positions will come from redshirt-freshmen Josh Burns and Matt Kowalski, as well as newcomers Austin Trott, Kyle Ash and Justin Stanley.
While junior Erin O'Dell, who lined up for GWU most of the season last year at 174 pounds, attends to redshirt this season, the upper weight classes of 174, 184 and 197 are perhaps the deepest positions for Coach Elliott and his squad this season.
Redshirt-sophomore Aaron Rabin and sophomore Julian Ming return this season, as both competed at 174 and 184 pounds last season for GWU. Coach Elliott also added newcomers Hunter Gamble, Gray Jones, Joseph Evans and Jake Terrell who will compete for time on the mat immediate at all three spots.
Returning to the lineup this season after sitting out last year is Salyer who will compete at either 184 or 197 pounds this season. Salyer, who is perhaps one of the most experienced wrestlers on the entire roster this season, will not only be pushed, but will also be asked to guide and mentor freshman newcomer Boyce Cornwell.
Moving up from 197 pounds to the heavyweight position is Porter, as the redshirt-senior is coming off a season in which he posted 15 wins overall. Behind Porter at the heavyweight position is returning starter and sophomore Justin Kozera, who had 13 wins a year ago as a true freshman, sophomore Chris Frampton and freshman Tony Mendez.
Despite the youth at many positions, Coach Elliott, his staff and his team, have high ups in the 2012-13 season, which includes eight home contests on the year.
After starting the season at the Hokie Open in early November, GWU will return home to host both Virginia and George Mason at the Movember Duals on November 10th.
GWU will remain at home to host Belmont Abbey in a dual match on November 19th, before hitting the road to compete at the Hoosier Duals (Dec. 1), at Appalachian State (Dec. 4), at the CSU Open (Dec. 15) and at the Brute Invitational (Dec. 29).
The Runnin' Bulldog grapplers will then kick-off the new calendar year with home bouts versus N.C. State (Jan. 12), Davidson (Jan. 22) and VMI (Jan. 25).
After traveling to Campbell for a Southern Conference match on January 28th, Gardner-Webb again will return home to host Chattanooga (Feb. 1) and Duke (Feb. 5) in the Runnin' Bulldogs' final two home matches of the year.
On February 10th, GWU will take on The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., before traveling to Cleveland, Ohio to compete in a tri-match with Cleveland State and Ohio on February 23rd.
This year's Southern Conference Wrestling Championship will be held on March 9th in Lexington, Va., as the Runnin' Bulldogs will look for a strong showing in order to send some wrestlers to the 2013 NCAA Championships on March 21-23 in Des Moines, Iowa.
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