We now have more wrestlers competing at the next level than ever before. Needless to say it will [...]]]> Second ranked Campbellsivlle University and third ranked Lindsey Wilson are battling to take the top spot in this years rankings. A great showing for both schools. University of the Cumberlands trails in the rankings at 18th.

We now have more wrestlers competing at the next level than ever before. Needless to say it will be an exciting year.

Here are the ranked wrestlers from Kentucky:

125 #9 Mryron Bradbury (LW)
133 #11 Ethan Miller (LW)
157 #6 Harrison Courtney (LW)
174 #3 Josh Ashbrook (CU)
197 #7 Jacob Bradford (LW)

Check out the full individual rankings and Team rankings

Wrestling season is coming.

Ranked number one in the coach’s poll for the seventh [...]]]> Earlier this week the NAIA released the Wrestling Coaches’ Preseason Top 20 Poll, which ranks the top men’s wrestling programs and the top ranked individuals in the NAIA. The University of the Cumberlands was ranked 17th with 20 points for the first regular-season poll.

Ranked number one in the coach’s poll for the seventh year in a row was Notre Dame College in Ohio with a total of 160 points. Several of Cumberlands key rivals were ranked in the top five. Campbellsville University tied for second with 79.5 points and Cumberland University in Tennessee placed fifth with 71.5 points.

“We try not to concern ourselves with the rankings,” said University of the Cumberlands Head Men’s Wrestling Coach Matt Lowers. “We are trying to keep our focus on improving everyday and are confident at the end of the season we will be where we think we should be.”

The polls were released for the top-ranked individuals in the NAIA as well. University of the Cumberlands was honored when junior Larone Madison (Rivera Beach, FL) received the number one ranking for the 125lb weight class. “It is a tremendous honor to receive the recognition of being voted number one in the pre-season rankings,” said Lowers. “Larone is very deserving of this honor; he has been working extremely hard and has high expectations for this season.”

The Patriots will open their season at home on November 6, 2010 when they host the Annual Patriot Open.

For more information on men’s wrestling or Patriot athletics visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com.

Article Provided by Sagan King, University of the Cumberlands Sports Information Student Assistant

Corey Ruff – Head Coach

Another wrestling season is just around the corner, and it is without a doubt my favorite time of year. As a self-proclaimed ambassador of the sport, I feel it is important to expand past my job description and do what I can to help promote wrestling [...]]]> Entry 1

Corey Ruff – Head Coach

Another wrestling season is just around the corner, and it is without a doubt my favorite time of year. As a self-proclaimed ambassador of the sport, I feel it is important to expand past my job description and do what I can to help promote wrestling on all levels. With that said, it is my goal to give the readers an inside look at all things Lindsey Wilson Wrestling. Every week or two, a member of our family is going to enlighten you with his/her thoughts on what is going on from behind the scenes of our program in blog form. I hope to inject the wrestling community in Kentucky with enthusiasm for the sport at a level that far exceeds that of high school wrestling. I want you all to get a sense of what college wrestling is all about, and hope you hop on the bandwagon that is LINDSEY WILSON WRESTLING.

There is an urgency burning inside of me to be the best…to win an NAIA National Championship. I am not willing to sit back and wait for anything to come to me. I plan on taking it away from another program, and I won’t have to apologize for it. It will be done, and it will be done with dignity and pride. It will be done the right way, and it will be done quicker than anyone has ever done it before. That is my mentality. That is the challenge I have put upon myself, and everyone involved with this program has no choice but to get on board with my mission…what is now OUR MISSION. I will not settle for mediocrity and I will not waste my time with those unwilling to follow. It is my way or the highway, and I am very confident that my way will lead us to glory.

For those of you that know me, you understand that this is the way I carry myself. For those that don’t, I am certain this comes off as arrogant. Well…it is arrogant.

About a decade ago, I was at a coach’s clinic featuring Olympian James Gruenwald when he defined what he called “humble arrogance”. Defined separately, the words are antonyms. Together, and with the proper suffix, it defines a quality every wrestler should possess. Gruenwald’s message was that every wrestler must have an arrogant mentality when the opening whistle blows; and that when the final whistle sounds…resume being humble in all walks of life. I’m certain his explanation was more detailed, but from that day forward I have carried myself with a humble arrogance in every aspect of life. His reference was from a wrestling standpoint, but it can be applied in our everyday lives. Every challenge I face is attempted with poise on the outside, and an intense arrogance on the inside. Thanks to Gruenwald, I now know how to describe the quality I seek to instill in every athlete I have had the pleasure of coaching. I strive to infuse compassion…fearlessness…respect…strength…love.

Getting the LWC program off the ground has been exhausting. Coaches Cross and Perkey have definitely been a big help, and I am confident they share the same vision of being the best. We have all made significant sacrifices to put this program in position to do that as soon as possible. As a coach, there may be nothing more frustrating than to see an individual not willing to make similar sacrifices to be the best that he/she can be. At the same time, nothing is more gratifying than to see an individual who suddenly gets it…someone who may have needed to take a step back to get a new perspective on things…someone that has restored faith in something he believes is worthy of the sacrifice…someone who is infatuated with success and the work that comes with it…someone who possesses a humble arrogance in all walks of life…someone that inspires not only his teammates but fills his coaches with pride…

Our next blogger will remain a mystery, but I want you all to know that he anonymously posted this inside our wrestling room the first week of school and it has me bursting with pride to have him call me coach:

“Have Purpose When Wrestling”

Everyone wrestles for a reason, which may vary in many ways. Yet we all have one thing in common, and that is that we participate in the hardest sport out there. We beat up ourselves and others on a daily basis, repeatedly enduring the ridicule of others because they do not understand us. We are gladiators in a modern society, trying to better each other by bettering ourselves. We have the strength and knowledge to persevere through any hardship that we may encounter. We knock each other down just to pick each other right back up.

            That being said, I want you to ask yourself one question before you step into this room; why do you wrestle? Whatever the answer is, use it motivate yourself to get work done in here today and every day. Wasting time is not an option. We are a championship caliber team, and it is time we started acting like one. Now is the time to lean on each other, learn from each other, and motivate each other. Have a purpose in this room, and give back to the sport that has given us so much. Never take a single day for granted, push past your comfort level, and never break!

Lindsey Wilson College Wrestling 2010-2011 NAIA National Champions!!!!

(What does this mean to you?)

We currently have 894 facebook fans, 57 college athletes, 5 managers, 3 coaches, a wonderful group of parents, a campus ready to be entertained, and a very supportive administration involved with our program. I am grateful for the association and interest every single one of you has shown.  

-Corey Ruff

Center wrestled this past weekend at the Cumberland University Open and was the only Patriot to come home with the championship. On his road to triumph he was able to go 4-0, recording [...]]]> The Mid-South Conference (MSC) has chosen University of the Cumberlands (UC) senior Dustin Center (Cincinnati, OH) as the Wrestler of the Week.

Center wrestled this past weekend at the Cumberland University Open and was the only Patriot to come home with the championship. On his road to triumph he was able to go 4-0, recording an impressive victory in the finals over the No. 2-ranked Nikolas Turner from Oklahoma City University in a 10-9 score at the 157lbs weight class.

Along with Center’s outstanding performance this past weekend, it’s his first award this season along with the first UC wrestler to win the award in the MSC Conference.  “Dustin seems to surprise me every time he gets on the mat,” said Cumberlands Head Men’s Wrestling Coach Andy Medders.  “He gets better as the day goes on even after being out of the wrestling world for a year. He looks better than ever across the table and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us the rest of this year.”

Dustin and the rest of the Patriots will be traveling and testing their skills this upcoming Saturday January 22^nd at the Ashland Open in Ashland, Ohio.

Article Provided by PJ Martinez, University of the Cumberlands Sports Information Student Assistant

The event will be televised on a tape delay on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, Jan. [...]]]> MADISON, Wis. – The No. 22 Wisconsin wrestling team returns to action Nov. 29-30 at the 47th annual Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. Wisconsin is one of 31 teams from 11 different conferences competing at the two-day tournament.

The event will be televised on a tape delay on the Big Ten Network on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010 at 6 p.m. (CT).

Wrestling begins at 9:30 a.m. Monday with the second session scheduled for 7 p.m. that night.Day two begins at noon with the finals set for 7 p.m.

At last year’s Midlands Championship, the Badgers finished in fourth place with three wrestlers finishing in the top six of their weight class.

This year, Wisconsin has four seeded wrestlers: No. 1 sophomore Andrew Howe at 165 lbs., No. 2 senior Kyle Ruschell at 149 lbs., No. 3 junior Trevor Brandvold at 197 lbs. and No. 5 redshirt freshman Tyler Graff at 133 lbs.

Wisconsin wrestlers will face tough competition as 11 teams at Midlands rank in the top 25, featuring the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams in the country, Iowa and Iowa State, respectively. Three No. 1 ranked wrestlers, four No. 2 ranked wrestlers and three wrestlers ranked third in the country in various weight classes will compete at the Midlands Championship.

Ruschell faces stiff competition at 149 lbs. as all eight pre-ranked wrestlers are nationally ranked in the top 20. Among those ranked include No. 1 Brent Metcalf of Iowa, No. 3 Kyle Borshoff of American, No. 8 Kevin LeVally of Bucknell and four others. Ruschell faced Metcalf in last year’s Midland’s Championship at 149 lbs. where Ruschell lost 14-5 to finish in second place.

Howe could once again face Jon Reader of Iowa State and Jake Kerr of Iowa whom he faced at last year’s Midlands Championship at 165 lbs. Reader beat Howe, 7-5, to knock him down to the fourth place match where he defeated Kerr, 7-3.

Brandvold finished in sixth place last year at 197 lbs after winning three matches and then forfeiting the fifth place bout. The 197 lbs. weight class features wrestlers such as No. 1 Jake Varner of Iowa State and No. 3 Hudson Taylor of Maryland.

Graff also faces tough competition at 133 lbs., where all but one of the pre-seeded wrestlers are ranked in the top 15 nationally.

Log on to UWBadgers.com Monday and Tuesday for updates from the 47th annual Midlands Championships.

He has an impressive 10-0 record overall and a 5-0 mark in dual matches on the year, including a pin and a major decision victory.

His biggest accomplishment of the year came with a first-place finish at [...]]]> MADISON, Wis. – Senior Kyle Ruschell is currently the No. 2 wrestler in the country at 149 lbs.

He has an impressive 10-0 record overall and a 5-0 mark in dual matches on the year, including a pin and a major decision victory.

His biggest accomplishment of the year came with a first-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invite in Primm, Nev., on Dec. 3 and 4.

As he prepares to compete at the Midlands Championship on Tuesday and Wednesday in Evanston, Ill.,
Ruschell sat down with UWBadgers.com recently to answer a few questions.

UWBadgers.com: You finished first at the Cliff Keen Invite. How did that feel for you?

Ruschell: It felt really good. It was my first collegiate tournament win so it felt real good to get on top of that podium again, that’s for sure.

UWBadgers.com: How much confidence does a win like that give you moving forward?

Ruschell: It gives me a lot of confidence. There were a lot of good competitors there, and it reassured me that the stuff I’m doing is right. The next tournament [the Midlands Championship] is a really big one because I believe the No. 1 and No. 3-ranked wrestlers are going to be there.

UWBadgers.com: You made it to the finals of the Midlands last year. Does that help you this year, knowing what to expect?

Ruschell: Yeah it does. At the same time, I’m just anxious to wrestle those top guys, especially [Iowa's Brent] Metcalf because he’s real tough and ranked No. 1, so he’s the guy I need to beat.

UWBadgers.com: You’re a fifth-year senior. You’ve seen a lot in your time with the program. How would you assess the team at this point compared to last year?

Ruschell: We have a lot of young guys and they’re starting to do things right. If they keep that up, we’re just going to keep getting better as a program in the years to come. It’s going to be great to see.

UWBadgers.com: With having such a young team and you being a fifth-year senior and a captain, have you seen yourself taking on a leadership role?

Ruschell: Definitely. I’ve had a lot of guys asking me questions or if I see someone not doing something right on the mat, I’ll go over and show them so they’re doing the right stuff.

UWBadgers.com: Are you comfortable in that position?

Ruschell: Yeah, I’m pretty good friends with most of the guys on the team. I feel that if I can help them in one way, then that is going to make the team better.

UWBadgers.com: The holidays are approaching. What are your plans?

Ruschell: I’m only going to be home for about three days because I have a test on Tuesday, so I don’t have much planned. My dad was my high school coach and my little brother is on the team, so I’ll probably go there a few times to lift and stay in shape.