It isn't often a wrestler goes from high school standout to being one of the best at the national collegiate level. At least not as quickly as Ryan Gadsby has.
Just two years removed from his record-setting season at Auburn High School, Gadsby will be one of three SUNY Cortland wrestlers competing in the NCAA Division III Championships at the College of New Jersey in Ewing, this weekend. More than 150 wrestlers and nearly 100 teams will be competing in the tournament that will begin on Friday and wrap up Saturday evening.
Gadsby, a 125-pounder, was ranked eighth in the nation in Division III going into the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference National Qualifiers on Feb. 18, where he was seeded No. 1. He started strong in the tournament, pinning Ithaca's Macario Alvarez in 1:42 in the quarterfinals and then defeating fourth-seeded Scott Gorman from Oneonta by a 4-0 decision in the semifinals.
But he was upset in the final round by third-seeded Rob Vaccaro from Brockport in a 9-7 decision. In the true second-place match, Gadsby was upset again by SUNY Oswego's John Spinner by an 8-0 decision. Gadsby had defeated Spinner three times in the regular season by just one point each time.
After the losses, Gadsby didn't expect to earn a spot in the NCAA Division III tournament, even though there was a chance of getting in as a wild card. The Empire Wrestling Conference had eight wild card spots open; after the finals all of the coaches voted to fill those slots with the best wrestlers that didn't qualify in the tournament.
“I wanted Ryan in as a wild card not just because he is on my team, but because he is one of the best guys overall to compete in this tournament,” Cortland coach Brad Bruhn said. “He has been a very pleasant surprise all season. He constantly shows me that he has the ability to win a lot of these matches. This is going to be a tough tournament for him, but if he has a good day, we'll be alright. There are 15 guys in his bracket; he'll probably have to get two wins to be All-American.”
Gadsby began wrestling at the high school varsity level in eighth grade, getting opponents' attention with his quickness and tallying nearly 30 wins that season. He was the Maroons' captain for his last two seasons and earned his 125th career high school win in 2004, which is a school record.
“Ryan's leadership skills were fantastic,” Auburn wrestling coach John Alberici said. “He was a quiet kid, but worked very hard and led by example and was able to develop his talents at the highest level. I think that all of his teammates respected that about him.”
As his coach all five of Gadsby's years with the team, Alberici said he knew Gadsby would have a successful college career but was pleasantly surprised it has happened so quickly. Gadsby spent his first semester out of high school at Cayuga Community College, helping out the Maroons as an assistant coach. He worked out a lot with his old team, keeping in shape because he knew he would be wrestling at Cortland during the spring.
Despite missing a large part of the season, Gadsby worked hard and finished last season at about .500.
“He has come a long way from last year,” Bruhn said. “There is always room for improvement, but if he can have a similar offseason like last year, he's going to get even better in the future. I like the fact that he is so good on top and is getting better on his feet all the time, and if he can slow down just a bit on his feet, he'll be fine. He usually gets stronger as matches go on, which is unusual for a wrestler.”
After losing in the national qualifiers, Gadsby is not ranked going into this weekend's tournament, but he has already beaten three of the top eight. Gadsby anticipates the possibility that he could wind up facing all three wrestlers again.
He notes that in addition to his short time at Cortland, his years wrestling for Auburn have helped him get to this point in his athletic career.
“My coaches (in Auburn) always made sure I was prepared, and Coach Darling always told me how much more work I had to do at the college level to be a good wrestler,” Gadsby said. “Coach Alberici always made sure I was doing what I was supposed to be doing and always kept on me. They have both been great to me, I still keep in touch with them. Coach Darling still works with me in the summertime, which is great. When I was at CCC and was coaching Auburn, it really helped me a lot to watch a lot of wrestling; I got to help others which has helped me to become a better wrestler.”
Gadsby, a 125-pounder, was ranked eighth in the nation in Division III going into the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference National Qualifiers on Feb. 18, where he was seeded No. 1. He started strong in the tournament, pinning Ithaca's Macario Alvarez in 1:42 in the quarterfinals and then defeating fourth-seeded Scott Gorman from Oneonta by a 4-0 decision in the semifinals.
But he was upset in the final round by third-seeded Rob Vaccaro from Brockport in a 9-7 decision. In the true second-place match, Gadsby was upset again by SUNY Oswego's John Spinner by an 8-0 decision. Gadsby had defeated Spinner three times in the regular season by just one point each time.
After the losses, Gadsby didn't expect to earn a spot in the NCAA Division III tournament, even though there was a chance of getting in as a wild card. The Empire Wrestling Conference had eight wild card spots open; after the finals all of the coaches voted to fill those slots with the best wrestlers that didn't qualify in the tournament.
“I wanted Ryan in as a wild card not just because he is on my team, but because he is one of the best guys overall to compete in this tournament,” Cortland coach Brad Bruhn said. “He has been a very pleasant surprise all season. He constantly shows me that he has the ability to win a lot of these matches. This is going to be a tough tournament for him, but if he has a good day, we'll be alright. There are 15 guys in his bracket; he'll probably have to get two wins to be All-American.”
Gadsby began wrestling at the high school varsity level in eighth grade, getting opponents' attention with his quickness and tallying nearly 30 wins that season. He was the Maroons' captain for his last two seasons and earned his 125th career high school win in 2004, which is a school record.
“Ryan's leadership skills were fantastic,” Auburn wrestling coach John Alberici said. “He was a quiet kid, but worked very hard and led by example and was able to develop his talents at the highest level. I think that all of his teammates respected that about him.”
As his coach all five of Gadsby's years with the team, Alberici said he knew Gadsby would have a successful college career but was pleasantly surprised it has happened so quickly. Gadsby spent his first semester out of high school at Cayuga Community College, helping out the Maroons as an assistant coach. He worked out a lot with his old team, keeping in shape because he knew he would be wrestling at Cortland during the spring.
Despite missing a large part of the season, Gadsby worked hard and finished last season at about .500.
“He has come a long way from last year,” Bruhn said. “There is always room for improvement, but if he can have a similar offseason like last year, he's going to get even better in the future. I like the fact that he is so good on top and is getting better on his feet all the time, and if he can slow down just a bit on his feet, he'll be fine. He usually gets stronger as matches go on, which is unusual for a wrestler.”
After losing in the national qualifiers, Gadsby is not ranked going into this weekend's tournament, but he has already beaten three of the top eight. Gadsby anticipates the possibility that he could wind up facing all three wrestlers again.
He notes that in addition to his short time at Cortland, his years wrestling for Auburn have helped him get to this point in his athletic career.
“My coaches (in Auburn) always made sure I was prepared, and Coach Darling always told me how much more work I had to do at the college level to be a good wrestler,” Gadsby said. “Coach Alberici always made sure I was doing what I was supposed to be doing and always kept on me. They have both been great to me, I still keep in touch with them. Coach Darling still works with me in the summertime, which is great. When I was at CCC and was coaching Auburn, it really helped me a lot to watch a lot of wrestling; I got to help others which has helped me to become a better wrestler.”
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