The Davidson wrestling program is off and running in their 2024-2025 campaign. The ‘Cats currently boast a 3-0 record following their first dual meets, after an offseason that included some big changes on their coaching staff. Over the summer, Head Coach Nate Carr Jr. and the Wildcats added three assistant coaches, all with winning experience at the NCAA level.
These three additions began with the hiring of Alan Clothier, who was previously an assistant coach at the University of Buffalo. Clothier was a four-time NCAA Championships qualifier for Appalachian State and Northern Colorado during his wrestling career. Then, Davidson welcomed home Ike Byers, a Mooresville, NC product, who most recently finished up his five-year wrestling career at Appalachian State. In his last season as a Mountaineer, he placed at the Southern Conference Championships. The Wildcats most recently hired former Virginia Tech and Oklahoma wrestler Joey Prata, who, over the course of his accomplished collegiate career, placed in both the ACC and Big 12 Championships, and qualified for the NCAA Championships three times.
This new leadership on the mat has already paid off, as the ‘Cats took both matches of their dual on November 14th, beating Belmont Abbey and St. Andrews. The ‘Cats started out strong against Belmont Abbey with a massive bodyslam and pin by Ian McGehee ‘27 within the first minute of his match. From there, the middleweights dominated, as McGhee, Tyler-Xavier McKnight ‘27, team captain Tanner Peake ‘26, and Marc Koch ‘26 all won their matches by major decision or better. These results, along with wins by Enis Ljikovic ‘27 and DJ Spring II ‘27 in double overtime, sealed the 26-16 victory for Davidson to start the night.
Following the match against Belmont Abbey, Davidson ran the table on St. Andrews, whom they beat 51-0. The ‘Cats controlled the mat throughout, including a win via decision (15-8) from freshman Blake Reihner ‘28 at 141 pounds.
In addition to this 3-0 team start, the Wildcats saw many strong individual performances in their two prior tournaments. At the Southeast Open on November 2nd, the ‘Cats had eight wrestlers place, including a runner-up finish by Peake in the Open Division of the 157 pound bracket. On his run to the finals, Peake defeated University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Sonny Santiago, who was ranked in the top twenty-five in the country at their weight class coming into the season. This result helped Peake, who is coming off back-to-back seasons as runner-up in the Southern Conference Tournament, earn a ranking of his own, as #22 in the country, according to the FloWrestling NCAA DI Rankings. Three more Wildcats finished as runners-up in the freshman/sophomore bracket, where they saw plenty of in-conference competition, showing the strong promise of the Wildcats’ young core.
Coach Prata stated that these early season successes have been “rewarding to see,” and that he is proud of how the team has continued to rise to the “high standards [the coaches have] set for them.” Coach Prata shared how “[the athletes are] showing a true commitment to doing whatever it takes to succeed.” This praise for a young team who has only been working with Coach Prata for three weeks speaks highly of the positive culture being built at Davidson. Reihner elaborated on the strength of this team culture, saying that he has really enjoyed the team dynamic and that it already “feels like a family to [him].” Peake, who is entering his third season with the Wildcats, shared this sentiment. “We’ve got a young team with guys that are passionate and excited about wrestling and getting better each day. The positive energy we’re bringing into the room each day is what’s going to help us see success,” Peake stated.
This solid start is expected to continue throughout the Wildcats’ long season. “I think the rest of the season is looking pretty bright,” McKnight added. “Right now, we’re all just focused on learning and fixing mistakes, but I think we’ll be on point for the postseason. We’re for sure sending guys to nationals, and I think we can make a statement this season.”
Davidson wrestled in a dual meet at Presbyterian College this past Sunday, November 17th. The Wildcats won the match with a sccore of 27-13. Their next match is at Duke University on Friday, December 6th.
