2022: The Preseason: Davidson Wildcats

Davidson is one of those teams that you can't help but want to see successful.  It's a small itty bitty school, less than 2,000 students located in the South.  When everyone else around has dropped wrestling like flies, Eastern Carolina, Elon, North Carolina A&T, Wake Forest and UNC-Greensboro, Davidson has stood solid.  Wildcat wrestling has been around & been a part of the Southern Conference since the 1937-1938 season.  

11 SOCON champions over the past 84 years, it is almost 100% certain that the only way a Wildcat is getting through to the NCAA tournament is if he wins a conference title.  Matter of fact, the only Wildcat to ever make the NCAA championships that did not win an SOCON title, was Ian Kaplan in 1999, a SOCON Runner-up that season. 

I want to be positive about Wildcat wrestling, but I also have a duty to be honest.  I don't see the Wildcats having any SOCON title contenders.  I do however, see one wrestler I think can have a decent showing at the SOCON this season & in the years to come, perhaps become the Wildcats first three time NCAA qualifier.  The hiring of Ty Eustice, former NCAA runner-up of Iowa will make a positive difference and I believe it will first be reflected on the wrestler I speak of below. 

157
Bryce Sanderlin
Freshman
Record: 4-2 

He's not beating Cody Bond of Appalachian State & maybe thinking Runner-up status is Utopian as well, but a 3rd place finish in the SOCON? I think that's possible.  I think that's doable.