GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Head Coach Andy Vogel has already figured out the formula for replacing three-time national qualifier and three-time Centennial Conference champion Andrew Goldstein on the Gettysburg College wrestling team: you don't. Instead, Vogel has bulked up the size of his roster and combined a mixture of experienced veterans and talented newcomers that will ultimately make the Bullets a better and more competitive team in 2009-10.

In his first two seasons, Vogel was fortunate to have two of the best wrestlers in school history on the roster in 2008 graduate Matt Shank and Goldstein. Both grapplers won over 100 matches in their careers, with Shank claiming a pair of conference titles and Goldstein taking each of the last three at 157 pounds. Goldstein posted a 24-2 record last season, swept all of the conference's wrestling awards, and qualified for the national tournament for the third-straight season. Both he and Shank left big shoes to fill, but Vogel is confident in his current roster's capabilities.

“It's a big loss to have someone as talented as Andrew leave,” said Vogel. “The level he achieved showed his teammates what was possible coming out of Gettysburg. Overall, I think the team will be stronger this year than in years past, even though we'll miss Andrew.”

Vogel staked his claim on the strength of Gettysburg's deepest roster in over a decade. The Bullets enter the first weekend of competition with 22 student-athletes on the roster, the most since 24 joined the team for the 1997-98 season. Among the number are nine returning letterwinners, all with ample experience in tournaments and dual-meet competition.

Where that depth will be particularly useful will be the middle of the season when the daily grind results in injuries to members of the starting lineup. Last season, Gettysburg was forced to forfeit at least one position in all but one of its 25 dual matches.

“The depth helps keep us in matches,” noted Vogel. “If someone goes out with an illness or an injury, we're not necessarily stuck. There's someone else that can fill in. In a couple cases, that someone else filling in is nearly as good as the person they'd be replacing.”

When the Bullets are healthy, they have the potential to score a lot of points, especially at the beginning, middle, and end of the lineup. At those positions return three of the team's top performers in sophomore Abe Evans (Dover, Pa./Dover), senior Patrick Doherty (Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade), and junior Bobby Christopher (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons).

Evans and Christopher (pictured) had breakout seasons a year ago, each placing at the conference meet. Evans battled through injuries to post a 16-14 record at 125 and managed a fourth-place finish in one of the toughest divisions in the conference. Christopher also overcame a mid-season injury and a very difficult weight class to post a record of 18-5 and grab third at conferences.

Doherty was named a team captain and will aptly fill the void left by Goldstein this season. In his last two campaigns, he has posted a record of 41-20 at a combination of 157 and 165. Last season, he went 20-9 before taking part in Gettysburg's study abroad program.

“I think just having three guys like that in the lineup that have a lot of experience and have had some success will definitely help the team continue to be successful,” said Vogel. “I expect each one of them to have a better year this year than last year.”

Outside of those three, Gettysburg returns a handful of capable grapplers that received a lion's share of time on the mat last season. Junior DJ Neri (Fairfax, Va./W.T. Woodson) and sophomore Michael Slabinski (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephen's and St. Agnes) each wrestled in over 30 matches last season. Neri has bounced around the lineup in his first two years, but should be set to assume a starting role at 174, while Slabinski will move up to 141 after spending the majority of his freshman campaign at 133.

Vogel is also looking to sophomore Matt Danielson (Bethesda, Md./Bullis School) for a successful season. A national prep place-winner in high school, Danielson was limited to just 10 matches in his freshman season because of illness. He's returned healthier and quicker and has the inside line on the starting spot at 133.

The remaining returnees are juniors Luke Mitchell (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) and Jack Bostrom (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury). Mitchell won 11 matches in his first year as a Bullet and will compete at 174 and 184 this season. Bostrom has almost 60 career matches under his belt and will be in the running at 133.

The first-year class will look to fill the voids at several positions this season, most notably at 149, 165, 184, and 197. The 149 and 197 weight classes were the most forfeited positions in the Bullets lineup last season, but this season will be a different story with two freshmen competing at each position. Former Northfield Mount Hermon School teammates CJ Ceci (Greenwich, Conn./Northfield Mount Hermon) and Timothy Zielinski (Newtown, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon) will compete at the lighter weight, while Marshall Puls (New York, N.Y./Hotchkiss) will challenge Nick Cutler (Big Flats, N.Y./Trinity-Pawling) at 197.

Other freshman battling for starting spots include Adam Finkelstein (Purdys, N.Y./Somers) at 165, Colin Pryor (Northport, N.Y./St. Anthony's) at 174, and Anthony Parry (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) at 184. Though not likely to bump Doherty from a starting spot at 157, Joe Fiore (Hicksville, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) will nonetheless challenge for time and will fill in when the Bullet senior needs to rest.

For the first time in his three-year career, Christopher will be able to grapple with full-size heavyweights at practice. Freshmen Kevin Poplaski (North Reading, Mass./St. John's Prep) and Branden Strohl (Catasauqua, N.Y./Catasauqua) will push the junior and likely see time in the lineup when Christopher needs a reprieve.

Gettysburg's goals this season are simple: improve its dual meet record and improve its finish in the Centennial Conference championships. Vogel believes his team can accomplish both as long as everyone maintains focus and continues to improve day-by-day.

“I like what we've done so far with our training,” commented Vogel. “The guys have done well and they're buying into what we're trying to accomplish here and putting forth good effort.”

“The key is just going to be able to sustain that effort over the length of the season,” he added. “It's only October now, and we want to be at our best in February. Everything from here until then is just incremental improvement; just trying to get one percent better every day between now and the end of the year.”

Gettysburg opens the 2009-10 season next Saturday (Nov. 7) at the King's College Monarch Invitational with additional annual visits to the Ursinus College Fall Brawl and the Messiah College Petrofes Tournament before Christmas. The New Year brings the bulk of the dual meet schedule, including the team's only home matches against McDaniel College on Feb. 3 and Stevens Institute of Technology and the Merchant Marine Academy on Feb. 13. Everything leads up to the Centennial Conference Wrestling Championships hosted by Stevens on Feb. 20.