TULSA, Okla. – Gardner-Webb wrestlers
RJ Mosley and
Jha'Quan Anderson each capped their seasons at the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Thursday.
Both men saw their run come to an end on Thursday night after a hard fought day at the BOK Center, with more than 30,000 fans attending both sessions.
Anderson was the first to wrestle on Thursday, falling 5-3 to West Virginia's Anthony Carman in overtime in the 184-pound opener.
The Conyers, Ga., junior bounced back in the consolation round, taking a 3-1 decision over Matthew Waddell of Chattanooga – his second win over Waddell in the postseason.
That set up a battle with Binghamton's Jacob Nolan, which saw Nolan score three times in the first period to take an early 8-0 lead. Anderson competed until the final horn, but fell in a 12-1 major decision.
Mosley, wrestling in his third NCAA Championships, opened his day in the 165-pound weight class against No. 9 seed Shane Griffith from Stanford. Neither wrestler scored until the second period, with Griffith escaping eight seconds in.
Mosley chose neutral to begin the third period and could not get the late score – falling 1-0 to move into the consolation bracket.
Matched up against Oregon State's Matthew Olguin, Mosley fell behind on an Olguin takedown with 1:36 left in the first period and would not be able to overcome the deficit in a 6-1 loss to end one of the most storied careers in Gardner-Webb wrestling history.
Anderson and Mosley each finished with more than 20 wins again win 2022-23 and were the 32nd and 33rd NCAA Division qualifiers for the Gardner-Webb program.