BEREA, Ohio -- The Baldwin Wallace University wrestling team is off to a good start with a 3-0 dual match record. It has a full slate of grapplers (26 on the roster), including a very young team. And, the program, spearheaded by the boundless enthusiasm of third-year Head Coach Jamie Gibbs.
 
"Jamie has the program heading in the right direction with a young and promising team that is working toward building an even brighter future," said Athletics Director Kris A. Diaz. "We're excited about how well they are doing so far this season, and we're excited and our prospects. Coach Gibbs and all of our young men are working very hard."
 
The leaders are a group of six sophomores who dominate the current starting lineup. They combined with one senior, one junior and two freshmen. In addition, Gibbs has plenty of firepower pushing his starters every day in the wrestling room.

"The key to our team now and going forward is both building the mentality of a winning program and building strength and depth at each weight class," said Gibbs.  "We are working hard every day to accomplish those goals.

"Our long-terms goals are to win the Ohio Athletic Conference and Regional titles and avance as many individuals possible to the Division III National Tournament," continued Gibbs. "We have made strides and continue to work toward making more. The OAC is a great wrestling conference and we look forward to that challenge each and every day."
 
The senior is 133/141-pounder Andrew Taylor (Worthington/Kilbourne) who has two 20-win seasons to his credit and has a 65-57 career mark entering the January 4 Waynesburg (Pa.) Tournament, including a 10-7 mark this season. He is a four-year varsity contributor.
 
Taylor receives competition for mat time from freshmen Seamus Bermingham (Orchard Park, N.Y.) and Zack Taylor (Brunswick) and sophomore Aric Cross (Geneva). Bermingham has a 3-6 record; Zack Taylor is 3-6 at 141 and Cross, who was injured much of 2012-2013, is 0-6 this winter.
 
The junior is 285-pounder Addison Carbone (Hudson), who earned Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors as a starting defensive tackle for the 6-4 overall football team. He wrestled two years ago but not last season when he was injured in football and missed almost the whole football season and all of wrestling. He had a 1-10 mark in his only season on the mat and after joining the team at midseason.  Look for him to help the squad in the second half of this season.
 
The six sophomores are led by 125-pounder Jesse Gunter (Akron/Coventry) and 157-pounder Garrett Chase (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep), and classmates in 133-pounder Jacob Landers (Liberty Township/Lakota East), 141/149-pounder Joey Schmidt (Hinckley/Brunswick), 165-pounder David Shapiro (Beachwood) and 174-pounder Ben LeBrun (Strongsville) also are fine competitors.
 
Gunter has a 9-0 record this season and a 38-2 mark for his career. He was an All-OAC selection a year ago when he was 29-2 and ranked as high as fifth in the adidas/ Brute Division III Coaches poll.  His goal is to win a regional title and advance to the 2014 NCAA Division III National Tournament.
 
Chase had an outstanding freshman season when he led the team with 32 victories and a 32-6 slate. He is 13-1 so far this season and joined Gunter as an individual champion at the Rochester (N.Y.) Institute of Technology Tournament.  He also has aspirations of making it to the national tourney.  Chase receives competition from freshman Blake Perry (Jefferson/Area). Perry is 0-7 so far this winter.
 
Landers has a 1-7 mark this season and a two-year mark of 6-23. He also battles with freshmen Josh Decatur (Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy), Patt McGinnis (Egg Harbor, N.J./Cedar Grove) and Austin Nepala (Monroe, Ga./Walnut Grove) for mat time. So far, Decatur is 2-5, McGinnis is 1-6 and Nepala is 0-6.
 
Schmidt, who was the OAC Wrestler of the Week on December 16 for his pin in 1:24 of a Hunter (N.Y.) College wrestler in BW's 37-9 win on December 14 in New York City,  has a 12-7 mark this season and a 29-22 slate into his sophomore campaig. He competes for mat time with sophomore Jaleel Richardson (Copley), who missed most of last season due to injuries, and freshmen Gage Corns (Circleville/Amanda Clearcreek), Graham Montague (Independence) and Dustin Obergfell (Columbus/St. Charles Academy). Richardson is 1-6, Corns is 2-5, Montague is 8-6 and Obergfell is 1-6.
 
Shapiro is having a strong start to his sophomore season with a 15-5 slate and is 42-19 after two seasons. As a freshman, he compiled a 27-14 record and won an individual title at the Manchester (Ind.) University Tournament.  Shapiro receives competition from freshman Kenny Faulkner (Beliot/West Branch) who has a 2-2 mark so far this winter.
 
LeBrun also is having a strong start this winter and is 13-3 overall and 29-22 so far in two seasons. He worked very hard in the offseason and his improvements this season are evident. He receives competition from freshman Paul Rallis (Ringers, N.J./Hunterdon Central) who has a 3-6 slate in his initial season of collegiate competition.
 
At 184 pounds, freshman Andrew Shackelford (Worthington/Thomas Worthington) is the lone grappler while senior Tony Lisek (Albion, Pa./ orthwestern) recovers from an injury. Shackelford has compiled a solid, 9-4 mark and placed thiurd at the Dec. 7 RIT Invitational. If and when Lisek, a former Division I grappler at North Dakota State, returns, it should make BW even stronger.
 
At 197 pounds, freshman Tyler Keating (Fairview Park/ Fairview) is filling in for injured starter Lane Louive (Masillon/Washington) and is improving every day. Keating has a 3-7 slate so far this winter. He will receive stiff competition from Louive once he recovers from an injury. Louive had a 17-4 slate a year ago before being injured before Christmas and lost for the season. He had an 8-3 slate this winter before suffering his latest injury. He is expected back soon.
 
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at [kruple@bw.edu]kruple@bw.edu or Assistant SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at [jefmille@bw.edu]jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest BW athletics information at www.bwyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.