Paul Triandafilou '19 became Gettysburg's first All-American at heavyweight with a fifth-place finish in 2016.
Gettysburg's wrestling team has grappled with success throughout its nine decades years of competition in the Middle Atlantic Conference and the Centennial Conference. The Bullets have won numerous conference championships and have made a significant impact on the national scene.
Gettysburg established its mat dominance at the end of the 1930s by capturing its first MAC Championship in 1938. The team added nine more team titles and numerous individual championships as a member of the MAC before joining the Centennial in 1993. Success followed the Orange & Blue into the new conference as 24 Bullets have captured individual conference championships, making them one of seven teams with 20 or more individual titles. Gettysburg as a team was conference runner-up in 1996 and 2000, and earned a share of the regular season title in 2000.
The program has also experienced success at the national level, with three top-10 finishes in the NCAA Division III tournament, including program-best eighth-place finishes in 1965 and 1976. Beginning with
Joseph Bavaro's '66 two national titles in 1965 and 1966, nine Bullet grapplers have earned All-America honors, including three-time winners
Craig Helmuth '78,
Robert Ortenzio '79, and
Jake Dell '98. Helmuth captured a national title at 126 pounds in 1975.
Team Highlights
NCAA Top-10 Finishes: 1966 (8th), 1975 (10th), 1976 (8th)
Middle Atlantic Conference Team Championships: 10 - 1938, 1939, 1949, 1950, 1951 (co), 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1976
Centennial Conference Runner-Up: 1996, 2000
NCAA National Champions: Joseph Bavaro '66 (1965, 1966), Craig Helmuth '78 (1975)
NCAA All-Americans: Joseph Bavaro '66 (1965, 1966), H. Scott Higgins '66 (1966), Brian Smith '75 (1975), Craig Helmuth '78 (1975, 1976, 1978), Robert Ortenzio '79 (1976, 1977, 1979), Jake Dell '98 (1996, 1997, 1998), Andrew Goldstein '09 (2008), Zach Thomson '15 (2013), Paul Triandafilou '19 (2016), Luke Kowalski '24 (2023)
Middle Atlantic Conference Most Valuable Performers: Eight
Centennial Conference Individual Champions: 25
Four-time Centennial Conference Champion: Jake Dell '98 (1995-96-97-98)
Centennial Conference Wrestler of the Year: Jake Dell '98 (1995), Andrew Goldstein '09 (2009), Zach Thomson '15 (2012)
Centennial Conference Tournament Outstanding Performer of the Meet: Jake Dell '98 (1995), Andrew Goldstein '09 (2009), Luke Kowalski '24 (2023)
Chris Clifford Award (Most points in CC Tournament): Steve Kareha '03 (2003), Andrew Goldstein '09 (2009), Paul Triandafilou '19 (2019)
