Takedown Report

College Wrestling opportunities are on the rise

The sport of wrestling took a giant leap this past year with the number of male wrestlers increasing by about ten percent. Another eye-catching statistic is the increasing number of college wrestlers out there. In the recent past you would seldom find a local high school wrestler continuing the sport at the college level. That’s no longer true. The opportunity is there with more colleges offering the sport and the athletes are knocking on their doors.
Just a few local guys I can think of right off the bat are the members of WVU Tech’s wrestling squad. Jeff Bowles is a junior who holds down the 285-pound class. He is a former Liberty Raider and placed third in the state at 220 pounds in 2021. Max Underwood is from Oak Hill and has placed in one tournament for the Golden Bears this year at 197 pounds. Liam Lusher is a two-time state runner-up from Independence High and he has settled in at Tech, weighing 149 pounds. Then you have the M and M brothers, Zach and Thomas Mullins. They were both state qualifiers from Greenbrier East High school. Zach is a sophomore at 133 pounds and Thomas is a freshman at 197 pounds. Thomas was state runner-up in 2021. He recently placed in the Averett University Open wrestling in the 285-pound class.
So far, the most successful wrestler at Tech this season has been a Beckley boy, Jackson Evans. Jackson has placed in all three tournaments the Golden Bears have participated in — first at Cumberland, Ky., third at Averett University and fourth at the King Open in Bristol, Tennessee.
If you look to the north you’ll see three local guys currently wrestling at Glenville State University. Beckley’s Devin Gauldin, a junior, is starting at 197 pounds for the Pioneers. Gauldin was a two-time state placewinner at Woodrow Wilson and was state runner-up in 2020. Shady Spring’s Joshua Goode and Jay Jones of Woodrow Wilson are first-year wrestlers at the Gilmer County school. Goode was a multiple state place winner at Shady Spring and holds the record for most career wins (160) for the Tigers. Jones placed fourth (175) in the states his senior year at Beckley.
Nicholas County’s Dalton Hanshaw is a freshman at Fairmont State University. Dalton was state runner-up last year in the 190-pound class and he recorded 123 wins while wrestling for the Grizzlies.
Independence graduate Mason Kump was the Class AA-A WV state champ at 195 pounds in 2019. He wrestled some at Southeastern University but transferred to Belmont Abbey in North Carolina to finish his college career. Kump starts at 197 pounds for Belmont, which has been ranked as high as 18th among the NCAA Division II teams.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Tayla Grove, a former Shady Spring Tiger wrestler. Tayla wrestles at Bluefield State University and recently got her first collegiate win against Southwest Virginia Community College. Her coach, Sam Gardner, stated that Tayla loves that “cowboy,” which is a move sometimes called a hip toss. Grove was third in West Virginia twice wrestling for Shady Spring. … story at … Cleburnetimesreview.com/Wrestling-college-opportunities-are-on-the-rise

December 20, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized