Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University's men's wrestling team is set to begin its 2024-25 season at the Michigan State Open on Saturday, November 9. The event will take place at Jenison Fieldhouse, starting at 9 a.m. The Lakers, who are ranked 17th nationally, recently concluded their first season back as a varsity sport after a 32-year hiatus with a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships.

Head coach Joey Simcoe expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming competition. "We are excited to get back on the mat competing against someone other than our own team in our room," he stated. Simcoe, recognized as the 2023-24 Division II Coach of the Year, emphasized the team's youth and experience gained from last year's competitions. "We have a young team, but I feel like we gained a lot of experience last year with a young lineup and our redshirts that were able to get in a lot of mat time in open tournaments," he added.

The Lakers' roster includes two returning Division II All-Americans. Junior Josh Kenny, who secured the National Champion title at 174 pounds with an impressive record of three bonus point wins and a fall in the championship match, ended his season with a 32-5 record. Wyatt Miller, another junior who earned All-America honors at 197 pounds, finished with a record of 31-8.

Additional returning contributors include Collin Twigg and Jak Keller. Twigg achieved a 21-12 record as a true freshman at 133 pounds, while Keller completed his freshman campaign with a record of 16-18 at 141 pounds.

Coach Simcoe aims to build on last year's foundation and has several wrestlers vying for spots in the lineup. "We want to build on the foundation that we started a year ago and we have several wrestlers competing for spots in the lineup. I like the chemistry that we have among our young men and think we will surprise a lot of people," he remarked.