It is not as if winning championships and advancing are foreign concepts to Bridgeport’s Austin Gibson. Afterall, the 2019 Bridgeport High School graduate left the school his senior year as the Class AAA state wrestling champion in the 160-pound division.

 

Gibson also got a sample of a state championship in his first year at BHS. He was brought up as a freshman and was a member of the 2015 state title football team that upended Bluefield.

 

The standout left BHS as one of the few wrestling state champions and as one of the school’s most decorated student-athletes. As it turns out, that championship banner that he carried during his prep days has translated well at the collegiate level.

 

A week from yesterday, Feb. 26, Gibson was in a familiar spot – the winner’s circle. This time, however, he was wearing the Maroon and White of Fairmont State University as opposed to the Red and White of the Indians.

 

Gibson managed to win four straight matches at Koehler Fieldhouse on the campus East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University, coming out of the consolation bracket, to finish in third place at the NCAA Division II Super Regional I Tournament. He competed at 184 pounds.

 

By finishing third, Gibson has automatically qualified to the NCAA Division II National Championships. That event will be held this coming Friday and Saturday (March 10-11) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Gibson, who is 22-15 on the year, is the only Fairmont State wrestler to qualify.

 

To make it even more impressive, Gibson was not seeded at the tournament. He described his position as a “throw-in” and “randomly seeded.” The throw-in is now heading to battle for a national crown.

 

“I felt good and felt I could compete and was able to earn a (6-1) first-round upset of the fourth seed (Chase Stein from Mercyhurst),” said Gibson. “The thing about the tournament is that I competed at 184, and my ideal weight is 174.”

 

The reason for the change? Gibson was injured a month ago and was cleared the Tuesday prior to the regional to practice and compete.

 

“I couldn’t cut the weight and get down, so I competed at 184,” Gibson said.

 

It worked out – even if things did not go smoothly after the first win. Gibson, who was initially in a tight match at 7-6 with Seton Hill’s Riley O’Mara, fell in the quarterfinals by a 15-6 score.

 

“I made a few mistakes and let it get away from me,” said Gibson. “I went in not feeling my best conditioning wise and that was the match where there wasn’t enough air for me or gas in the tank.”

 

After that, whatever mindset Gibson had or whatever strategy employed by Coach Gennaro Bonaventura, Gibson’s tank got a refill. The junior business major went on a bit of a run.

 

With no margin for error, Gibson went into the consolation round knowing he had to win out to qualify for the nationals. He got one win, then two, and finally a third to get him into the bracket to compete for third place.

 

There were two catches – Gibson had to win to qualify as only the top three advanced. And his opponent was once again O’Mara who had beat him to knock him into the consolation bracket.

 

The end result was different this time. Gibson, trailing for most of the match, caught O’Mara in a step over counter to pin him and claim the bronze.

 

"We are super excited for Austin and the program as a whole," said Bonaventura. "Everyone battled hard all day and it was a great learning experience for us. We're just getting started."

 

When Gibson got started against O’Mara, things were not going well.

 

“I actually wrestled better in my first match again him. I was down 6-0 in the second one … I caught him on his back (with a stepover counter) and pinned him,” said Gibson.

 

In the double elimination tournament, Gibson never saw a second elimination. And getting to the point of qualifying was not just a grueling single day at the wrestling office. Instead, it has been a multiple year journey.

 

Gibson, who went 44-6 as a senior at BHS, signed originally with Alderson Broaddus University before heading north to Marion County and Fairmont State. Although he is in his third year with the program as a redshirt junior, this is essentially his first year competing.

 

“My freshman year in wrestling at Fairmont I had to catch up academically. It was the same thing my sophomore year,” he said. “I was on the team but was just practicing.”

 

This year turned out to be his first full year competing since his final year at Bridgeport. He said thanks to the past practices, a solid preseason, and teammates who pushed him, he was ready. And he started back at a familiar place.

 

“Our first match of the year was with AB, and my first match was with them was against an old teammate,” said Gibson. “I got a major decision, competed hard, and knew I was back in it.

 

“I felt blessed to be there in that first match and I felt blessed to be able to qualify because no one expected me to the be there. I need to keep believing in myself and see what happens,” said Gibson, who said he’d like to become the second national champion for the Fairmont program. “The Division II championship is double elimination and I’m going there to compete.”

 

He said he is also going there taking the lessons he learned from youth wrestling to his time at Bridgeport High School. He said they are lessons still paying off.

 

“I’ve always loved wrestling form a young age, but when I got to Bridgeport and worked with (Coach) Chris (Courtney) and (Coach) Ryan (Courtney) that’s where I hit my stride, and it helped that they became like a second family for me,” he said. “They instilled in me the value of setting goals and putting your mind in a place to reach those goals. Who I am today as a wrestler is a result of their efforts and believing in me. They make me want to succeed.”

 

The son of Jason and Nikki Gibson wants to do something else when he is away from the mat. And for anyone who understands the discipline wrestlers have away from the mat, they will understand.

 

“Man, I looked forward to eating when I can and I look forward to eating a little bit of everything,” Gibson laughed. “Pizza, sushi, chicken wings with parmesan and garlic from (Buffalo Wild Wings) and a big juicy steak.”

 

That would replace the low calorie, high protein diet flushed down by bottled water on most days.

 

“After a match, maybe on a day off, I’ll have a cheat meal, but for the most part the diet is strict right now,” said Gibson. “In the offseason, I’ll bulk up a little bit. If you’re going to do that, it’s always best to wait for the offseason.”

 

Gibson should know. The offseason is not at hand quite yet. And he’d like nothing better than to head to the offseason with a national championship.

 

Editor's Note: Top three photos of Austin Gibson are courtesy of Mary Childers and Fairmont State University. Bottom photo of Gibson in high school is courtesy of Jodi Romeo Muller.