The Railsplitter men's and women's wrestling team, only in their second season as a program, have had more success than what appears in the scoresheets. Before they could compete in the NCAA, the men's team started as a club. However, men's wrestling became eligible this year to compete in the NCAA, as the women are still a club team as they continue to grow in numbers.
 
We sat down with the director of wrestling and head coach Andy Bricker and discussed the genesis of the program at Lincoln Memorial and where he sees it going in the future. 
 
 
What made you want to come to LMU and start the program and become a head coach?
 
"The challenge itself is starting the program.  I have been part of a couple of colleges as an assistant coach, where they also had new programs, so I have been a part of that process.  I went back and forth as I coached high school as well.  I went into a team that was just there as a team and turned it into a nationally ranked team.  I love that process of building up and seeing what comes from it, as it's cool to be a part of it."
 
 
Talk about the culture you want for this program and the goals for both teams.
 
"The culture is finding the right people to build a program on," Bricker says.  "We want student-athletes with the right goals about getting to college and being a student-athlete.  We want those with good characteristics and be able to accomplish both on the mat and in the classroom."  So far, that has been working out in their favor.  Bricker describes his teams as all sharing the same goals and wanting the same things for themselves and the teams.  "The more you put people with the same goals together, the more they will feed off each other and keep each other accountable and build that program."  
 
 
Where do you see the rest of the season going for both teams?
 
"As we continue the season, it's still the building as we are trying to build that foundation as much as we can.  We're out there more being competitive in the NCAA, and that is one of our goals that people know who we are and that our athletes are here to compete." 
 
 
We sat down with current wrestlers Stephanie Castro, and Gabe Croom asking to hear their stories of how they ended up at LMU. 
 
Castro, a sophomore from Joliet, Ill, found LMU on a website when looking at colleges with wrestling programs.
 
"I wanted to go down south, and when I came on a visit (just around the time Coach Bricker was hired as the coach), I just loved the campus and knew I wanted to go here."  
 
Castro has been wrestling since she was in eighth grade, but she talks about how wrestling in college is still new.
 
"It is a transition, but the rules are similar, and I'm continuing to get used to it."  
 
Castro and current teammate Ashley Morris are the only two sophomores and competitors on the team, hoping to get bigger in numbers in the next year. Castro and Morris could not have a season last year due to injuries. Additionally, being a club team can be difficult due to wanting to be able to compete for more than what they do.   
 
"This year Ashley and I are focusing on staying healthy and ensuring we keep each other accountable," Castro said. "We hope to make it to nationals for club this year; it would look good for us so we can grow."
 
Castro sees potential in this program growing, as does Coach Bricker.  Though they are club, Bricker has made it all worth it to them.
 
"I have learned so much from Coach Bricker," said Castro. "He made the transition easy and made me feel confident about competing. Overall, it's been great."
 
-------------
 
Croom, a sophomore from Bartlett, TN, started wrestling his freshman year of high school, not thinking he would end up wrestling in college.
 
"If you asked me back in high school if I was going to wrestle in college, my answer would be 'probably not' because football was my main sport, and that is what I thought I wanted to do," said Croom.
 
During his senior year, his team traveled to this tournament, where Croom wrestled against one of the top wrestlers in the state.  
 
"I went into a match not knowing this guy was one of the state's top wrestlers; to me, it was just another competition, and I ended up winning."
 
This ended up catching Coach Bricker's attention.  
 
"That's when I got a call from Coach Bricker telling me about LMU and the program they were starting. 
 
 "I decided to come to LMU to stay in athletics and to continue to be a part of something.  My first year was club, and I was okay with it being club. We still got to compete, and it was still fun.  Since then, there's been an improvement from last year to now, not only in wrestling but in my mental game too.  Sure, I'll win a match, but I give myself little wins for a mental match."  

"We're excited for what's to come, and we'll be ready." - Coach Bricker

Stay tuned for a feature on Railsplitter Wrestler Graham Rocha later.