GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The third year of the Golden Eagle men's wrestling program is set to get underway this week with a dual at NCAA DII Grand Valley State University and an invitational at Messiah. For more information on this week's action, visit the links below.
Grand Valley State
Date: Wednesday, November 1
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Location: Allendale, Mich.
Live Video
Live Stats
Messiah Invitational
Date: Saturday, November 4
Time: ALL DAY
Location: Grantham, Pa.
Live Stats
Ranked Athletes
The Golden Eagles come into 2023-24 with three ranked athletes led by defending NAIA All-American
Trevor Marsman who ranks second at 125 lbs.
Sterling McLaughlin is ranked as well as the 17
th best heavy weight, and
Thade Radosa is ranked 18
th at 157lbs. The three standouts, help Cornerstone come into the year as a team receiving votes in the first NAIA Top 25 poll.
When asked about the ranked athletes, Head Coach
Chris Williamson commented about each athlete individually and what has led to their success:
Trevor Marsman has seen his success by becoming harder and harder to score on. He has become one of the best scramblers in the nation and has endurance that is often unmatched.
Thade Radosa has learned more and more how to use the rules of wrestling to his advantage. Picking his spots and being more intelligent on when to explode vs. staying back and keeping good position.
Sterling McLaughlin has been wrestling very smart and letting the match come to him. He has come a long way when it comes to the unique skillset of wrestling at heavy weight.
New Faces
The third-year wrestling program sees six new freshmen join the program in 2023-24.
Ian Boden,
Stephos Georgiou, Brady HEckathorn,
Aidan Lupisella,
Josiah Petersen, and
George Wilmer all enter the year as incoming freshmen. Five of the six freshmen come from the Mitten State, as Brady Hackathon comes from Delevan, New York.
Ian Boden and
Brady Heckathorn come into collegiate wrestling with two outstanding resumes in high school. Boden finished third in the MHSAA last year at 141lbs at Tri-County High School. Heckathorn was a two-time state qualifier in the tough state of New York and is bulking up in college to fill out the 184lbs position.
Return to the Alma Mater
Head Coach
Chris Williamson is excited to bring his program back to where it all started for him on Saturday at Messiah. When asked about going back to his alma mater, Williamson stated, "A lot of who I am and a lot of what we do comes from my time with Coach Brunk and Messiah."
Cornerstone also has an athlete in
Devan Johnson who reigns from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which is right near Messiah, as the Golden Eagles bring a ton of familiarity into their first invitational of the 2023-24 year.
From Club to Varsity
Cornerstone has met Grand Valley State back in their first season in 2021-22. Grand Valley has just made the transition from a club to now an NCAA DII varsity sport this season. This will be the first time that Cornerstone meets Grand Valley as a varsity sport and the Lakers will host their first ever varsity dual against the Golden Eagles on Wednesday.
Contact: Jesse Campbell |
nathan-jesse.campbell@cornerstone.edu | 616-222-1505
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