Davidson @ Gardner-Webb

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. — Davidson defeated Gardner‑Webb 24-21 on Jan. 29, 2026, after DJ Spring II secured a pin at heavyweight that supplied the decisive team points.

Gardner‑Webb built an early advantage with bonus scoring in the lower weights. Jackson Baglio opened the dual with a 16-1 technical fall that produced five team points, and No. 16 T.K. Davis followed with a 20-6 major decision that added four points to the Bulldogs’ total.

Davidson responded in the middle weights when Anderson Heap recorded a 20-3 technical fall to earn five points. Cody Kirk then posted a 16-3 major decision at 184, a four-point result that further erased Gardner‑Webb’s cushion and narrowed the margin entering the final matches.

A disqualification at 165 shifted scoring earlier in the night: Tucker Cell was awarded the bout over Bryce Griffin, which the bout records list as a disqualification and is shown as a Gardner‑Webb victory in the dual box score.

Daniel Elyash provided a late tying push for Davidson with a 1-0 decision at 197 that cut Gardner‑Webb’s lead to 21-18 and set the stage for the final bout. In the heavyweight match, DJ Spring II recorded a reversal in the second period and finished by fall, adding six points and putting Davidson ahead by three.

The swing of bonus points — two technical falls and a major decision for Davidson, plus the final pin — proved the deciding factor in the tight SoCon dual.

Individual bouts featured varied scoring sequences. Baglio’s technical fall included multi-point nearfalls and a riding‑time point late in the match. Heap’s technical fall was capped by a four‑point nearfall in the closing second of the third period. Spring’s fall followed a second‑period reversal, and officials’ calls and penalties affected margins in other bouts.

The results are reflected in the official box score and postmatch reports from both schools and box‑score aggregators. The dual was contested at Gardner‑Webb’s Paul Porter Arena in Boiling Springs, N.C.