Wrestler of the Week: Gabriel McDaniel

The first d3wrestle.com Wrestler of the Week for the 2019-2020 season is Gabriel McDaniel of Johnson & Wales. Wrestling at 141, McDaniel won a very tough weight at the Ithaca Invitational. The weight class featured two 2019 All-Americans and another NCAA qualifier. Wrestling out of the 4th seed, McDaniel picked up a pair of major decisions to start the tournament before winning 17-2 in against the #5 seed in the quarterfinals. This matched McDaniel up with two-time All-American and 2018 NCAA Champion Ben Brisman of Ithaca. McDaniel scored a pair of takedowns and come out on top of a 5-3 decision. This moved him to the finals where he defeated teammate Jordan Robinson by a 3-0 score.

McDaniel, a sophomore from McDonough, Georgia, began last season 9-2 before an injury ended his freshman campaign. He is now 5-0 to start the year. Johnson & Wales will next compete this weekend at the Journeyman Duals in Troy, New York.