Athletics - Wrestling
During the 2007-08 season, the Bulldogs look to make their first legitimate run at a national title for the Cumberland University Wrestling program. This season's squad boasts a strong freshman class, including two-time Wisconsin state champ Joshua Chappa, transfer/former two-time Ohio state placer Mikey Davis and California community college state placer Eddie Sanchez.
Along with their freshman teammates, Chappa, Davis and Sanchez join an already powerful program that will include All-Americans Corey Bleaken and Theo Dotson. Coming off of a successful red-shirt season will be four-time Alaska state champ David Wiese and Louisiana state champ James Casadaban. Based on returning nationals points, the Bulldogs are ranked ninth for pre-season 2007.
Like all Cumberland coaches, Swint also ensures his athletes remain dedicated in the classroom. Since 2004, he has had four top ten team GPAs and nine individual Daktronics Scholar Athletes who achieved a 3.5 or higher cumulative GPA as a junior or senior.
The Latest Bulldog Wrestling News
CU Wrestling Breaks into Top Ten, Chappa All-Academic
The NWCA recently announced that the Cumberland University wrestling program placed 9th on the NWCA All-Academic Team among top team GPAs in the NAIA. This is Cumberland's 4th appearance in the top ten in five years. During the 2003-2004 season, the Bulldogs had four Academic Scholar Athletes, which led the NAIA that year.
The team cumulative GPA for the Cumberland Bulldogs was 2.910. Joshua Chappa became a member of the NWCA Individual Academic Team for the Bulldogs, finishing 12th out of 33 among top GPAs. He did so by becoming a national qualifier and achieving a GPA above 3.3. Chappa, a native of Plainfield, Wis., has a 3.5 GPA and is a freshman majoring in Biology/Pre-Med.
Redshirt junio and two-time NAIA Academic Scholar Kyle Knox led the way for the Bulldogs in 2007-08 with a 3.51 GPA. In the past five years, the Bulldogs have earned 10 NAIA Academic Scholar Athlete Awards, which requires the following: a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale, junior or senior status academically, minimum of 12 of the institution's regularly scheduled matches. Knox was number 9 and ten over the past two years.
