Paul McCoy

This past year Shenandoah University announced that it would be starting a wrestling program. With their first season having just wrapped up, success doesn’t seem too far away for the team. Even though they finished 1-3, they were able to still find success on and off the mat. 

“Just trying to schedule opponents was the hardest part,” said coach Tim McGuire. “We had 20 to 30 different schedules because of Covid-19.” 

Team captain Hunter Thompson, a freshman who is studying education, said: “This year, even with all the ups and downs, still felt like a very big success. It kind of felt like a preview to a movie for what is to come in the future.” For a while he thought the season wasn’t even going to happen, so he said just being able to get out there was nice. 

Team captain David Smith, a freshman who is studying core studies, said: “Even though I expected more matches, the season was still a good building block for the next couple of years. The team worked very hard and was very disciplined.”

Coach McGuire said he felt positive about the team’s five-year goal. 

“We made huge strides this year, and over time it will start to translate onto the mat,” he said. “We would like to be able to be a top program in the nation in the next four to five years.” 

Next season will be the first full season for the program.