Former Parkersburg South Robert Dutton winner Gavin Coyocho, a defending Division II and current No. 1 133-pounder, will join his teammates at Nixon Hall in Indianapolis for the Midwest Classic this weekend. (Photo courtesy of Glenville State University)
GLENVILLE — Leader Dylan Cottrell’s Glenville State University wrestling program will return to the mat when the Pioneers compete in the 44th annual Midwest Classic on Saturday and Sunday at the University of Indianapolis.
It’s been a tough start to the season for the G-men, who finished ninth with Mercyhurst in last year’s championship.
“We want to put the best players in front of them as much as we can.” Fourth-year president Cottrell acknowledged a challenging early schedule. “We’re actually getting into the thick of it with the Midwest and National Duos coming up (NCAA).
“It will ramp up more and then slow down a little bit before regionals. That way we can focus on getting our guys healthy again and be healthy throughout regional time and NCAA time.”
Cottrell, who is assisted by second-year senior Jonathan Andreatta, will have a full lineup for this weekend’s Midwest Classic. That includes Pioneer 133-pounder Gavin Kyusho, a former No. 1-ranked Robert Dutton Award winner from Parkersburg South and the defending national champion.
“It was difficult” Cottrell said of the season so far. “It looks like we’ll be close to being completely healthy now, okay, and then we’ll have one or two guys out for two or three weeks, right.
“Then they’ll come back and another player will be out for two or three weeks. This is the first year we’ve almost gotten to December, I think the mid-season break, and we haven’t been able to wrestle our full lineup yet at all.”
Glenville State enters its final meet of the calendar year ranked No. 19 in NCAA Division II by theopenmat.com.
“When you fight strong teams early, you’re going to get blindsided a little bit, that’s part of it.” The coach added. “Our schedule is set up to get these guys competitive through the first half of the year, and then it will slow down a little bit on the back end to give us a chance to recover and build these guys’ confidence. Back up to go to regionals and the NCAA.
Hunter Ross returns to the Pioneers and will compete against Quiocho, the Mountain East Conference Wrestler of the Year, at 125 years old.
Four other leaders are currently ranked in their weight class by theopenmat.com. Coach Cottrell will have No. 16 Sean Johnson competing at No. 141, No. 19 Ethan Hardy at No. 149, and No. 12 Guy DeLeonardis at No. 157, as well as 16th-placed 174-pounder Brady Ross.
Cottrell, who was named MEC Coach of the Year last winter, is looking forward to this weekend’s challenge and preparing for the rest of the season.
Also expected to compete in the G-men bracket this weekend are 165-pounder Cade Layne, 184-pounder Isaiah Casto, 197-pounder Devan Golden and heavyweight Gavin Chamblin.
“The immediate thing for sure is that we get healthy and are able to put our entire team out there.” Cottrell said of the current larger goal. “The main thing for me, I’m a competitor and I want to see us win all the time in these duals, but sometimes I had to take a step back and realize it doesn’t really matter.
“It’s weird for wrestling because when you look at the record and your record is 5-5, but you’re ranked 17th in the country, it doesn’t really make sense but at the end of the day when the NCAA Tournament comes around, it’s weird.” Individual sport.
“These doubles don’t really matter, and if I had to sit down with some guys to make sure we’re healthy when it matters at regional time, I would do that. Yes, it’s tough because you always want to win everything, but my job as a coach is to make sure that These guys are in the best possible place come the regional tournaments.
Cottrell said the team continues to take precautions with wrestlers whenever needed.
“When the time comes they will be there and ready.” stressed Cottrell, who had five NCAA qualifiers last year. “We’re very talented when we have everyone there. In the long run, that’s what’s going to help us in every way, giving us more opportunities to get more players to the NCAA Tournament.”
“Then we get there and hopefully we finished last year ninth in the country, and we’re trying to get into that top-five group and continue to build every year. That’s what we really want to do. I think we’ve got the team to do it. We just have to get healthy.” “good.”
Glenville State College wrestlers are gearing up for the upcoming Midwest Classic, set to take place in the heart of the Midwest. As they prepare to face off against some of the toughest competition in the region, the team is hard at work honing their skills and fine-tuning their strategies. With their sights set on victory, these dedicated athletes are poised to make a strong showing at this highly anticipated event. Stay tuned for all the latest updates and results as these Glenville State wrestlers truly showcase their talent on the mat.