West Virginia Wrestling

WVU Tech Official Website


Season Ends

March 7, 2014

TOPEKA, Kan. - Senior John Walters' ("J-Dub") final collegiate wrestling season ended on Friday, March 7, at the National Association of International Athletics (NAIA) Wrestling National Championships with a pair of defeats as he represented WVU Tech wrestling. It was Walter's second trip to NAIA Nationals and his third trip in total to a national level tournament. J-Dub ended his season with a 25-8 record and his 71 career wins set a new standard for Golden Bear wrestlers to aspire to.

Said Coach Sam Gardner about his senior's accomplishments, "Today did not go the way we had planned it to go or trained for it to go. Even though John didn't end his career on the podium as we had hoped, one disappointing day cannot and will not eclipse the accomplishments this young man achieved over the course of his career. If you look past the many victories, the multiple tournament championships, and the academic honors what you will find is a young man who the entire WVU Tech family is incredibly proud of. He set goals, trained hard, studied hard, competed hard, and represented the school with class and dignity. Even more important is that John Walters was and is friendly to all those he meets, supportive of those who need help, exhibits incredible loyalty and dedication, is kind to all those he encounters, and serves as an inspiration to teammates, coaches, and the general student body. I could coach 100 more years and never have a guy like John again, and I've coached a number of outstanding young men in my career and here at Tech. We are all fortunate to have been able to witness a career as special as the one J-Dub had, and WVU Tech is a better place because of his presence."


Return to the WV-Mat front page