Gardner-Webb vs. VMI

Virginia Military Institute edged Gardner-Webb 22-20 on Feb. 1, 2025, in a closely contested SoCon dual. The final margin came down to bonus-point wrestling in the upper weights, where VMI collected the extra points it needed to pull away.

Gardner-Webb picked up several big results of its own, including Tyson Lane’s fall over Cody Tanner at 125 and Todd Carter’s 14-5 major decision at 141. Drew Pepin’s 12-3 major decision at 157 added another four-team points and kept GW within reach entering the later bouts.

VMI answered with a string of bonus wins that decided the meet. Patrick Jordon’s 14-2 major at 149 and Ryan Vigil’s 9-0 major at 165 kept the margin tight, but Braxton Lewis’ 23-6 technical fall at 184 and Toby Schoffstall’s fall at 197 produced the decisive swing in team scoring. Those two upper-weight bonus victories provided the extra five and six team points that, combined with VMI’s other majors, created the two-point difference.

In the end the bonus-point haul by VMI in the higher weights outweighed Gardner-Webb’s pins and majors. The 22-20 result reflected a back-and-forth dual where bonus wrestling late in the card made the difference.