CLINTON, S.C. – With the 2023 SoCon path nearing its end, the Presbyterian College men's wrestling team puts a pin in their Templeton stay at the finish of the upcoming weekend by taking on the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb on Sunday afternoon. The first of a standard 10-match dual in league play will commence at 1:00 p.m. in Clinton, streamed live via ESPN+.

Not only will the Blue Hose and program director Mark Cody leave their home gymnasium for the last time this semester on Sunday, but so too will longtime contributors Jacob Brasseur (133) and Khalid Brinkley (141/149) permanently, soon to be recognized in a special Senior Day presentation at center court. The first two wrestlers recruited by Presbyterian before the school's first official season in November 2019, Brinkley and Brasseur have added up for 37 combined victories since their freshman stints.

A viable piece to PC men's wrestling when opening the doors to the start of a brand-new program four years ago, Brasseur and Brinkley leave behind a youthful roster that has already grown in numbers and talent exponentially, still searching for their first league victory of the year but with numerous instances where they nearly achieved that feat.

The last time that the Blue Hose were in the Templeton Center was another of those near-misses against SoCon powerhouse Chattanooga, coming within a single point of the lead after six matches only to fall short by a 28-15 clip. Less than 24 hours after that, a quick visit to Campbell ended in a 36-9 triumph for the Fighting Camels in Buies Creek, leaving PC with three conference dates left until postseason action looms.

Returning to the fold after missing back-to-back events with injury-related causes, junior Dominic Chavez posted two straight W's over Chattanooga and Campbell by a collective margin of 18-5 to move to seven wins on the year. Five of Cody's competitors have eclipsed a double-digit win count since November, led by sophomore 197-pounder Malcolm Wiley at 14-6.

184-pound transfer Cordel Duhart and 165-pound newbie Tyler Chittum have each ended with their hands raised in three of their last four appearances, aiding the Blue Hose to 19 duals wins against SoCon foes specifically.

In three of the last four matches to take place in Clinton, Presbyterian has either assumed the lead or reached a tie/one-point deficit, further hammering the notion of growth that has layered the program over the last two seasons. Now, over their final three SoCon meetings before tournament time, it's about translating those close losses to the other side of the column.

Gardner-Webb remains a tall order to complete that task, however, with the Runnin' Bulldogs approaching the weekend holding a W in three of their last four conference encounters. The only loss over that stretch came to nationally-ranked Appalachian State in Boiling Springs, where GW would recover to find a 20-14 victory over VMI four days later by a six-point clip.

Under the direction of head coach Daniel Elliott, Gardner-Webb has scattered a 5-8 record thus far, although without a win in any of their three true road matchups. They'll have the chance to fix that notion by heading to Chattanooga on Friday before shifting to the Palmetto State to battle PC.

A link to Sunday's Senior Day festivities and everything ensuing can be found below or at the top of this page.
 
PC vs. Gardner-Webb Live Video - https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/5ffb0246-f1c8-4e44-a6fb-20519e941e79?om-navmethod=espn%3Aglobalsearch%3Aresults
PC vs. Gardner-Webb Live Stats - https://www.trackwrestling.com/seasons/index.jsp?TIM=1675894472133&twSessionId=jorzoiumms