The Man Behind the UVA Wrestling Team
Grace Kinsman, staff writer
No one would argue that Steve Garland loves wrestling. This is important because he is currently coaching his 11th team of UVA wrestlers. Garland returned to his alma mater in 2006 to coach the Cavaliers after spending six seasons as an assistant coach for the Cornell wrestling team.
The UVA wrestling staff welcomed two new faces this season. Trent and Travis Paulson have joined Garland in coaching the Cavaliers this year. Garland said the Paulsons have “enriched our program because they are really good at what they do.” Garland also shared that they immediately all connected, “we all share the same vision for the program and we build each up, which is huge,” he said.
Photography courtesy of Steve Garland.
Garland’s motto for the Virginia wrestlers is “no retreat, no reserve, no regrets.” He explained “no retreat” to mean that they will stay the course and refuse to back down. “No reserve” requires each wrestler to give everything they have every single practice. “No regrets” is simple. Having no regrets allows the wrestlers to walk off the mat and know that they could not have performed any better.
The Cavalier wrestlers are athletes, but they are also students. Garland acknowledges this, and so does the battle cry of the program: the “Virginia Way.” The Virginia Way was defined by Garland as “mind, body, academics, relationship, servanthood, and compete in such a way.”
The Virginia wrestling team has yet to have a NCAA champion, but last year George DiCamillo represented the Cavaliers when he took second place at 141 pounds at the national championship. He was the first wrestler from Virginia to wrestle in the championship since Garland in 2000.
The Hoos are on the rise, and they have set high goals. Garland said that the coaches categorize each goal as either short-term or long-term. The long-term goals are to win the ACC team championship and the receive a NCAA team trophy.
This season’s goal is to place in the top 10 at the NCAA championship, and with Steve Garland leading the team this seems possible if not probable.
