Gardner-Webb University Men's Wrestling

Elliott took over for former head coach Dick Wince who retired at the conclusion of the 2011-12 season. He previously served as the Associate Head Coach for the previous three seasons and has been on the GWU wrestling coaching staff since 2006. He has tutored an NCAA qualifier in each of his previous three seasons as head coach and has pushed Gardner-Webb closer to the top of the Southern Conference standings each season. The Runnin Bulldogs finished fourth at the annual Arbys SoCon Wrestling Tournament in 2015 the programs highest finish since joining the league as an associate member until its most recent success. For his efforts, Elliott was named Southern Conference Co-Coach of the Year for the 2014-2015 season. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Mosley worked his way to All-SoCon honors at 149 pounds in 2014-2015 and earned a berth in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Mo. The Stone Mountain, Ga., native went 30-11 individually on the season. In 2013-2014 Elliott helped guide redshirt freshman Austin Trott to 29 wins and a berth in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships the latest in a long line of successful debuts for Gardner-Webb wrestlers. In 2012-13, Elliotts first year as a head coach, he helped guide freshman Hunter Gamble to become Gardner-Webbs first-ever Southern Conference Champion. With Gambles Southern Conference Championship victory at 174 pounds, he received an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I National Championships where he went on to win his first round match to join Eddie McCray and Joshua Pnieswki as the only three Runnin Bulldog grapplers to earn a win in the Championship bracket at the NCAA Championships. Since moving over to the bench as a coach in 2006, Elliott has seen at least one GWU wrestler make it to the NCAA Championships in six of the last seven years, including watching a record tying four student-athletes qualify for the nationals in 2010-11. Heavyweight Dustin Porter reached the NCAA Championships four straight years from 2007-10, while fellow GWU grappler Rob Tate reached the Championships in 2006-07, earning the Runnin Bulldogs lone victory at the national event that season. Under Elliotts guidance over the last seven years, a number of different wrestlers have posted 20 wins or more over a single season with a handful of those grapplers accomplishing that feat multiple times. Dustin Porter finished his career with a total of 120 wins overall, a program high, and was a four-time NCAA qualifier and a four-time East Regional Champion, while Travis Porter, the younger brother of Dustin, recorded 76 wins over his career at GWU and was a 2011 East Regional Champion and NCAA qualifier. Twins Alex and Ryan Medved registered 97 and 59 career wins, respectively, during their time at Gardner-Webb and were both 2011 East Regional Champions and NCAA qualifiers as well, while in his final year on the mat at Gardner-Webb in 2011, Jonathan Velazquez was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the 2011 NCAA East Regional Championships, was a 2011 East Regional Champion at 184 pounds and also qualified for the 2011 NCAA National Championships. Off the mat, Elliott has worked hard in raising money for the GWU Wrestling program and its new practice and locker room facility. His fundraising efforts have allowed the Runnin Bulldog wrestling program to move into a new building prior to the start of the 2010-11 season, which when fully renovated will be one of the nicest wrestling only facilities in all of NCAA Division I with offices, locker room, team room, bathrooms and a large practice area. During his career for the Runnin Bulldogs, Elliott was a two-time NCAA Qualifier and a two-time Regional Champion at 149 pounds. In his last regional meet in 2006, Elliott was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler, while he finished the regular season with a record of 40-2 during his senior campaign and was ranked 10th overall in the nation at 149 pounds in the final national rankings. Elliott, who held the school record for career wins with 108 when he finished his career, also holds GWUs single-season wins record in addition to the most consecutive wins by a Runnin Bulldog wrestler in the programs history. He also led the team in each of his last three seasons in takedowns. In the spring of 2008, Elliott competed in the USA Wrestling Northeast Regional and placed third in his weight class, marking the first time that he had placed at a senior-level event. Elliott graduated in May 2006 with a double major in History and Communications. Elliott then went on to earn his Masters Degree in Sports Science & Pedagogy from Gardner-Webb in August 2008. Daniel is married to Paisley Elliott and the couple lives in Gaffney, S.C. with their son, Owen, and dog, Monster.

Blevins is in his fourth season with the Gardner-Webb wrestling program, and second as an assistant coach. Blevins was a graduate assistant with the program from 2012-2014. Blevins works with all weight classes at Gardner-Webb, but focuses primarily on the heavier weight classes. At least one GWU wrestler has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of Blevins seasons with the Gardner-Webb program Ryan Mosley (149, 2015), Austin Trott (165, 2014) and Hunter Gamble (174, 2013). All three men are in contention for that same honor in 2016 as redshirt juniors. Gamble, the 2013 SoCon Champion at 174 pounds, became just the third Gardner-Webb wrestler to post a win in the championship bracket at the NCAA Championships. A former standout wrestler at Appalachian State, Blevins was a two-time NCAA National Qualifier (2011 and 2012) and an NCAA All-American in 2012. He was also tabbed the 2012 Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year and was a Southern Conference Champion in his weight class of 165 pounds. In 2012, he finished fourth-place overall at the 2012 NCAA National Tournament, the highest of any unseeded wrestler in any weight class. Blevins also set program records for wins in a season with 40 victories overall and finished the year ranked No. 15 overall in the nation by both Intermat Wrestling and W.I.N. Magazine. Blevins finished his career with 124 wins, second most in Appalachian State history, with 78 those wins coming over his final two years on the mat for the Mountaineers. He has served as a camp counselor at the Appalachian State University Wrestling Camps, where he has helped to manage day-to-day camp activities, assisted the coaches during drills and technique sessions, officiated camp competitions and matches, and assisted in housing responsibilities. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations with a minor in Business from Appalachian State University in May 2012. Blevins recently completed his Masters Degree in Sports Science & Pedagogy at Gardner-Webb.