As the No. 17 Virginia wrestling team prepares for tomorrow's season opening tri-meet against Campbell and Anderson, coach Steve Garland's approach to a brand new regular season ultimately remains unchanged.
"The regular season is always a means to an end," Garland said. "It's preparation for the end of the year, for ACCs and Nationals. The goal going in this year is to approach it the exact same way."
Last year, the Cavaliers experienced great success during the regular season, as they set the program's all-time record for most dual victories in a season with 19 and totaled only seven losses. However, a relatively disappointing third-place finish in the ACC Tournament - one in which the Cavaliers entered as the defending champions - left the team with a bitter feeling.
"ACCs was rough," Garland said. "That was one of the rougher days of my coaching career ... We were completely poised to win and for the first time since I've been here we kind of collapsed. The good news though is that we learned from it and then had, arguably, the best NCAA tournament of anyone in the conference outside of Maryland. I was really proud of the way we peaked at the end there."
The Cavaliers redeemed themselves with a 23rd overall finish at Nationals, and had two wrestlers earn All-American honors during the same season for the first time since 2004. The memory of the conference tournament has continued to linger throughout the entire offseason, however, providing them with a sense of both regret and inspiration.
"It was, and still is, disappointing because you never want to take a step back," redshirt senior Shawn Harris said. "But with that said, we will use it as motivation. You definitely don't sit and dwell on it. That's one of our goals - ACC champions and top five at Nationals - and until we meet those goals we aren't going to be satisfied, nor should we be."
The Cavaliers will take the first step toward those goals this weekend when they return to Memorial Gymnasium to embark on a new season. Virginia will be the overwhelming favorites against both teams Saturday, as the Campbell Camels finished last year with a 4-18 overall record and the Division II Anderson Trojans had an 8-17 mark at last season's close.
Although neither team poses a formidable threat to the nationally ranked Cavaliers on paper, both will provide their own distinct challenges to Virginia on the mat. Each led by ambitious, up-and-coming coaches, neither opponent can be judged purely on the success of its previous season, and both are expected to significantly improve their records - and competitiveness - from last year.\n"I love the Anderson coach, Dock Kelly," Garland said. "He's a guy that's not afraid to wrestle anybody and his kids always fight hard. I really respect him and his team for that ... And Campbell has another guy - Joe Borderline - who's one of the best young coaches in the country. He's completely revamped and gutted that program, so I think they're going to be wrestling a lot better this year too. Both of these teams are going to be tough."
And while Virginia undoubtedly hopes to win both duels Saturday, it will be the first time that the Cavaliers have experienced real wrestling action in more than seven months, and Garland understands the actual results are only of moderate importance.
"This weekend is not about ranking or anything like that," he said. "It's about what are our guys going to do in their first competition. What you look for is effort, guys trying stuff that we've been working on for months now, and guys not clamming up. You never want to see a guy clam up because it's the first match."
Because it is only the first match of the season, the Cavaliers' final starting roster is not completely finalized. Stalwarts like No. 8 125-pounder Matt Snyder, No. 17 141-pounder Nick Nelson and No. 22 184-pounder Jon Fausey are all set in their positions, but a couple of weight classes are still up for grabs.
Redshirt senior Matt Nelson makes his return to the mat after being sidelined for three years with concussion symptoms and will be competing for the 133-pound spot with highly touted freshman Joe Martinez, while redshirt junior Jedd Moore and redshirt sophomore Nicky Gordon will split time in the 157-pound slot.
"We really like to see what happens on Saturday, with a real ref and real people in the stands, and real adrenaline and real nerves and everything else," Garland said. "That's where you really find out what you're made of"
Read More
With a new star at the helm, Tony Bennett and company will be just fine
By Xander Tilock | 8 hours agoGertrude will aim to become a significant contributor for a young Virginia squad in 2024-25.
No. 6 women’s lacrosse relies on veteran goalscoring to defeat Virginia Tech 14-12
By Peter Kratz | 12 hours agoThe Hokies came close, but ultimately couldn’t contend with the Cavaliers’ offensive firepower.
Leo Afonso is ascending the ranks of club soccer — and he is not done yet
By Ben Istvan | YesterdayVirginia's former talisman recently made waves in professional soccer with a dreamlike 17-day stretch.
