SALEM, Va. – The annual Southeast Open Wrestling Tournament took place at Roanoke College’s Cregger Center, bringing together wrestlers from colleges across the nation—from North Dakota State to familiar schools like Virginia Tech, UVA, and UNC. This marks the fourth year Roanoke College has hosted the event, a notable achievement for a program that is still relatively new.
Roanoke College Head Wrestling Coach Nate Yetzer expressed the importance of this tournament for his team, especially the younger wrestlers.
“It’s really beneficial; it’s a hard tournament to start off with, but for our guys, it opens their eyes that they belong here—especially our young guys,” said Yetzer. “I think we’re the only Division III school here other than Ferrum. But I think for our guys, it opens their eyes like, ‘Hey, we’re not that far away’ and can compete with these guys. In that sense, it builds some confidence.”