Gregor GillespieDuring the 2005-06 season, Gregor Gillespie, Edinboro University's 149-pound true freshman, was definitely one of those Cinderella stories that wowed wrestling fans from coast to coast.
Making a name for himself right from the start
"Gregor came right out of high school and stepped right up as a college freshman," says Tim Flynn, Edinboro's head coach. "He won our wrestle-off in impressive fashion, shutting out our veteran starter 9-0. When you have a guy with that much ability, why have him sit out as a redshirt?"
At the beginning of his first collegiate season, Gregor got off to a roaring start. He won the 149-pound title the Eastern Michigan Open, winning five straight matches in dominating style. The freshman Fighting Scot got a tech fall in his first … and a 9-0 shutout in the second. In the quarterfinals, Gregor defeated nationally-ranked John Cox of Navy 13-7… then, in the semifinals, stunned another nationally-ranked wrestler, Michigan State's Darren McKnight, with a 13-1 major decision. In the title bout, Gregor held Mark Dickman of NAIA powerhouse Lindenwood University scoreless, winning 4-0. The title earned Gregor EWL (Eastern Wrestling League) Wrestler of the Week honors for the week ending November 6, 2005.
Gregor Gillespie made an equally impressive showing at the Missouri Open, winning the championship again by dispatching rivals from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Illinois.
Viva Las Vegas
It was at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational where Gregor really grabbed the attention of college wrestling fans everywhere. He won five of his six matches at the prestigious early December event by either a technical fall or a major decision. In his last two matches, he defeated Big Ten wrestlers. In the semifinals, Gregor got a 7-3 decision over Tyler Turner of Wisconsin. In the championship match, Gillespie got a 14-3 major decision over Purdue's Doug Withstandley.
When asked about competing at a major event such as the Las Vegas Invitational against the top talent in the nation as a true freshman, Gregor replied, "I gained confidence with every match. You take things one match at a time."
"It was one of my better experiences last year … I can't put my finger on exactly why, other than, in my matches there, I was able to get off to a great start in the first minute or so. That does a lot for your confidence."
Coach Flynn was even more excited in his analysis of Gillespie's performance in Vegas. "We knew he was really good. We were really impressed right from the start. However, in Vegas, after he teched three opponents, we all said, �Wow!' We then knew we had a great wrestler."
What happens in Vegas …
To rewrite the famous advertising slogan from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau, what happened in Vegas, did not stay in Vegas. News of Gregor Gillespie's decisive championship performance at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational went far beyond Nevada to become the talk of the national collegiate wrestling world. Fans across the nation suddenly focused their attention on the Fighting Scot freshman sensation.
Gregor proved his Vegas title was more than Lady Luck as he racked up win after win. From winning his very first collegiate match, Gregor scored twenty-three straight victories. He placed fifth at the post-Christmas Southern Scuffle, then, a month later, took home the title at the 63rd annual PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) tournament. Even the wrestling media stood up and took notice, ranking him as high as third in their national polls.
At the EWL championships held at Edinboro, Gregor defeated Josh Medina of Lock Haven -- the defending champ -- by the score of 7-3 to claim the 149-pound title. "I enjoyed wrestling at our home," says Gregor. "It was comfortable. I like being in front of our fans. They provide good support."
Outstanding in Oklahoma City
As an EWL champ, Gregor Gillespie qualified for the 2006 NCAA Division I Championships, held in Oklahoma City. He was seeded seventh at the NCAA's in a talent-rich 149-pound weight class that included Ty Eustice of Iowa, Oklahoma State's Zack Esposito, Matt Storniolo of Oklahoma, Central Michigan's Mark DiSalvo, Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum, and eventual champ Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota.
Asked for his initial impressions of the event, Gregor says, "I've never experienced anything like it. It was wild to see fans all the way to the ceiling."
Despite the thousands packed to the rafters at the Ford Center -- and the stakes involved -- the NCAA newcomer says, "I didn't feel any pressure other than what I put upon myself."
Gregor put things into perspective with this observation: "It's cool to be at the weigh-ins day after day and see the lines get shorter and shorter, and you're still there."
Gregor GillespieOn Friday, Gregor Gillespie went up against second-seeded Ty Eustice in the quarterfinals, and came out on the losing end of a 5-3 decision to the eventual finalist for the Hawkeyes. Now finding himself in the consolation bracket, Edinboro's man at 149 got an 8-1 victory over Patrick Simpson of Army before losing 11-4 to Hofstra's Jon Masa, who had been seeded sixth. In his last match at the NCAA's, Gregor got his third fall of the tournament, putting fifth-seeded Mark DiSalvo's shoulders to mat at 6:22 to win seventh place.
Gregor was the second Fighting Scot to claim All-American status at Oklahoma City. Teammate Shawn Bunch finished his career at Edinboro by placing third at 133. This one-two punch helped put Edinboro in eighth place in the team standings at the 2006 NCAA's, its highest finish in nearly ten years.
Gregor Gillespie is the first Edinboro grappler to earn All-American honors as a true freshman. He concluded his first season with an impressive 40-4 record, the first Edinboro first-year wrestler to achieve forty wins. Of those victories, six were by pin … thirteen by technical fall … and six by major decision. For all these accomplishments, Gregor was named Rookie of the Year by the PSAC.
Long before the stellar season started …
Gregor Gillespie's sensational first year at Edinboro is the product of a long and successful mat career that started approximately fifteen years earlier in upstate New York. "I got my start in wrestling at age four or five," says Gregor. "My dad was a wrestler. (His father Brad competed at Elmira College.) I took to it real quick. Within the first year I was wrestling in tournaments."
"In New York, you can wrestle varsity as early as seventh grade," explains Gregor. "In eighth grade, I placed eighth at the state tournament at 96 pounds. I wrestled Troy Nickerson (Cornell's 126-pounder who placed second at the 2006 NCAA's) in the quarterfinals that year."
In ninth grade, wrestling for Dean Salvaggio at Webster Schroeder High School, Gregor made it into the finals of the 112-pound weight class. The next year, Gregor went undefeated, and won the state title at 119 pounds. "That was really cool," says Gillespie. "It was the last year New York had a single-division state tournament."
"I'm going to Edinboro …"
It was at this state tournament that Gregor Gillespie made what proved to be a prophetic statement on TV. Here's how Coach Tim Flynn describes it: "We were watching the Empire Network broadcast of the state finals, to see a prospective recruit in action. All the sudden, before one of the finals matches, this kid is asked, �Where do you want to wrestle in college?' and he says seemingly without any hesitation, �Edinboro.' I nearly fell out of my chair. I had no idea who he was. Turns out that the kid was Gregor."
When asked about his sophomore-year psychic statement, Gregor says, "Lou Roselli (former Edinboro assistant coach) came to a local clinic, and I was really impressed. I also liked that Edinboro was a great program only three hours from my home. That's why I mentioned it on TV."
"I was contacted by Edinboro my junior year," according to Gregor. "Not a lot of other schools actively recruited me. Flynn and Roselli came to my house. I later made a visit to Edinboro, and was impressed with everything I saw -- the coaching staff, the small campus, the fact it's easy to get around, and smaller class size for more attention from instructors."
Streaking toward a second state title
While all this was going on his junior year, Gregor Gillespie had been building on a consecutive win streak over a two-year period. "There was some pressure tied to that," says Gregor of the eventual 98-match win streak. As an eleventh grader, he placed third in the New York State tournament at 130 pounds. Later that summer, Gregor traveled up to Fargo, where he took fourth in freestyle competition at 145 pounds.
In his senior year, Gregor claimed his second state title, getting a 15-0 tech fall victory in the 145 finals. He placed third at the 2005 Senior Nationals in Cleveland. He completed his career at Webster Schroeder with an amazing 238-14 record, and owns the school record for the most career wins.
Flynn weighs in on Gregor
Tim Flynn is an enthusiastic supporter of Gregor Gillespie. "He's always aggressive, always scoring. He's very persistent on the mat, doesn't get frustrated, doesn't give up. He's incredibly mature for a freshman."
Tim FlynnMore than once during the interview, Coach Flynn described his 149-pound All-American in almost Dr. Jekyll-and-Mr. Hyde terms: "On the mat, Gregor's a mature, aggressive beast. Off the mat, he's a happy-go-lucky, friendly kid, with a positive, easy-going attitude." A bit later, the former Penn State All-American said, "Gregor is different than he appears to be. With his earrings and spiked hair, he looks a bit like a wild man. But he's really a good country kid."
What's next for Gregor Gillespie?
Gregor Gillespie is about to embark on his sophomore season at Edinboro, ranked fourth among all college wrestlers in the 149-pound weight class in the preseason rankings by RevWrestling.com.
Over the summer, Gregor says, "I took classes, worked out, stayed in top condition, but didn't enter any official competitions."
Asked about the new season -- and his preseason ranking -- Gregor seems to take it all with a healthy perspective: "I don't let that impact me. I'm looking at things one match at time, not looking too far ahead right now."
Coach Tim Flynn says of his sophomore, "He's no longer an unknown entity. He'll have to make adjustments. But we will continue to look for great things from him. We expect him to go for a national title."
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