The men’s wrestling team has been one of Washington and Lee’s most successful and consistent teams over the last decade, and the 2024-25 season has been no different.
After a narrow 22-26 loss to No. 14 Stevens College on Jan. 11, the Generals bounced back to beat No. 18 Ferrum College at home on Jan. 16. That win improved their record to 10-3 and cemented their sixth double-digit win season in a row, the longest streak in W&L wrestling history.
Their consistent success is a product of a collective dynamic that has existed for years, according to recent wrestling graduate Harrison Kelly, ’24. While wrestling is largely an individual sport, the team dynamic and culture are anything but solitary, wrestlers said.
“It all comes down to accountability,” said Evan Surmay, ’28. “While focusing on my own self-improvement in practice, I’m getting my practice partner better as a byproduct. If I hold myself to a positive mindset and put my best foot forward in practice, it’s contagious to everyone else.”
The team culture goes beyond practice and matches, said Harris Foad, ’25. “We don’t really have any mottos or key points that the team follows,” he said. “We all have a shared understanding of what’s expected to be a member of the Generals wrestling team because it’s a privilege.”
The key to the team’s solidarity lies in individual drive and commitment to the sport, wrestlers said.
“Our team culture essentially revolves around the idea of improving small individual aspects every day through workouts, lifestyle and mutual accountability,” said Foad.
“Love for the sport and having a clear purpose to get better in certain areas every practice keeps me constantly pushing myself,” added Surmay.
W&L wrestling currently has an impressive 4-0 record at away matches, which can also be attributed to the team’s shared positive energy, wrestlers said.
“Whether you’re starting or not, everyone on the team travels, so the whole group is there to cheer us on and fire us up,” said Calvin Wiedemer, ’27. “The parents are also great travelers… which makes every match feel like we’re at home, no matter where we are.”
The wrestling season is one of the longest at Washington and Lee, stretching from early November to mid-March. To get through a sport that requires high levels of conditioning, thoughtful nutrition and strenuous practices, you have to love it, wrestlers said.
“The hard work is done in practice, so competition is just fun,” said Surmay. “It’s best to go out there and enjoy it.”
“When you go through really tough practices on a daily basis, it’s easy to grow really close,” added Foad. “The guys on the team as a whole don’t really need a lot of motivation because of how invested we all are, and the hard work makes winning feel natural.”
As their regular season starts to wrap up, wrestlers have their eyes on breaking the 12-win record that was set in the 2018-19 season. The Generals look to extend their unbeaten away streak and reenter the win column as they travel to Southern Virginia University for another duel matchup on Jan. 23.