FEATURE: Averett's three latest national qualifiers help wrestling program continue to make name for itself

ROANOKE, Va. — With three wrestlers set to complete at this weekend's 2023 NCAA Division III national championships hosted at the Berglund Center, Averett University men's wrestling continues to prove that its young program is worthy of the national stage.

In its sixth season of existence, Averett has produced multiple national qualifiers in each of the last four NCAA championships (no NCAA national tournament was held in 2021 because of COVID limitations). In total, Averett has produced 12 national qualifiers after graduate student Alex Turley, senior Hai Siu and sophomore Mason Barrett made the tournament this season.

"I'm happy about the consistency about having multiple guys," Averett head coach Blake Roulo said. "Every year we've qualified, we've never not had multiple guys qualify. I'm really proud of that."

Roulo has been with the program since its inception, serving as an assistant coach before taking over as head coach before the 2019-20 season. In each of his four years at the helm, Averett has earned a team ranking from at least one of national organizations.

Having a consistent number of national qualifiers on top of the national recognition as a team individually, Roulo feels Averett has made a name for itself in NCAA Division III men's wrestling — especially last season after Sam Braswell and Brandon Woody both placed at the national championships in their final season of eligibility before joining the staff as assistant coaches this year.

"I think it helps with recruiting and I think it helps from a national brand when it comes to wrestling," Roulo said. "Everyone now knows nationwide what Averett wrestling is. It's not like we are building to get to that point — we're there. But we have more goals to achieve. I'm extremely proud of our long-term success. We are not a one-off. I think everyone felt when Woody and Braswell graduated that we were going to take a huge step back. But here we are. Last year we had four national qualifiers and this year we have three national qualifiers."

Of Averett's four national qualifiers last season, Turley is the lone returner to make it back for the Cougars. However, Siu also is back at the national tournament for the third time after transferring to Averett for his final season after previously wrestling at Greensboro College. Barrett is making his first national tournament appearance after winning the NCAA Southeast Region title on Feb. 25.

"Each guy has their own individual story and its pretty exciting," Roulo said. "All three of them have solid momentum going in. … All three of them had a bad part in their season and had to overcome adversity. … I think all of them have momentum in different ways. They've gotten a lot better in the past month, and all three of them have become even more productive in the practice room. I feel confident about all three guys' place in the brackets. In the end, we've just got to be ready to go."

Turley makes his second consecutive NCAA championship appearance this season after qualifying at 174 pounds with a third-place finish at regionals. Turley went 0-2 at last year's national tournament while wrestling at 165 pounds and could have walked away from the sport after graduating from Averett. Yet, with one semester of eligibility left, Turley sat out the fall and rejoined the Cougars this spring while starting graduate school. After admittedly shaking off the rust, he has gone 17-4 so far and has won 10 matches by fall. He was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week in January, won the ODAC championship at 174 and moved up to a No. 4 ranking in the region.

"Alex Turley I've known since we were in grade school together and his dad coached me at a young age," Roulo said. "So with him, it's a redemption story. I'm super proud of him getting his degree already and is now in graduate school, but came back for that COVID year. Regardless of what happens this weekend, I'm super proud of his journey."

Turley is excited to return to the national tournament, especially since this year's championship is being held in Virginia. The native of Chester, Virginia, is looking forward to putting on a show for his family and friends who are planning to attend. He also believes experiencing nationals once before will help him this time around.

"Last year's national tournament left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth," Turley said. "I didn't think I went out and performed to the best of my ability, knowing what I'm capable of and my full potential. The opportunity to come back — I was still really hungry. At this point in my life, I'm taking opportunities as they come and making the most of them. I've continued to get better as a wrestler and grown as a man. … I'm hoping to take that into the national tournament and show that growth. This is a culmination of the wrestling and working out that I've done my entire life."

Like Turley, this also is the last opportunity for Siu on the national stage. Following some changes in the program at his last school, Siu was looking for the perfect landing spot. Less than an hour north, he found it in Averett.

"With Hai Siu, we joke about it but it was almost like he was an assassin for hire," Roulo said of Siu's recruitment to Averett. "He came here because he believed we gave him the best position to be an All-American in his last season and be a national champ in his last season. This is the weekend for that. The reason he came here is for this weekend."

A native of Durham, North Carolina, Siu is currently 29-6 this season and was ranked as high as No. 14 in the nation at 149 pounds earlier in the season. Still ranked No. 2 in the region, Siu won titles at the Adrian Invitational, the Cougar Open and then won the ODAC championship — his fourth conference championship spanning his career at two schools. He also earned ODAC Wrestler of the Week once and went on to finish as the runner-up in the region tournament.

"Coming here was the best choice I made," Siu said. "With Coach Roulo and Coach Woody, I knew at first I had a whole lot I needed to fix. … I grew a lot. When I say 'a lot' I mean a lot."

Siu has his sights set on a strong showing at the national tournament this weekend.

"I'm very excited. I've been there before, but this is the first time I feel way more excited and comfortable about my level of wrestling. All season, I have grown a lot as a wrestler. ... I've been waiting for this."

As Turley and Siu make their return to the national tournament, Barrett is preparing for his first experience under the bright lights at the Division III championship.

"For Mason Barrett, he had a lot of struggles early on in the season," Roulo said. "He is wrestling his best wrestling at the right time. The sky's the limit for Mason, as it is for all three guys."

Barrett has gone 25-4 this season and has been ranked as high as No. 7 in the national rankings while also earning ODAC Wrestler of the Week once. Currently, he is ranked No. 12 after finishing as the runner-up in the ODAC championships and winning the NCAA Southeast Region at 125 pounds.

That win at regionals helped Barrett earn a No. 7 seed in the national tournament, which begins Friday at 11 a.m.

"I'm really excited," said Barrett, a native of Bealeton, Virginia. "Last year things didn't go my way, but I went down a weight class and made things happen. I'm really excited for nationals."

Barrett admits he is nervous, but plans to use that energy in a positive way. It also helps that he has Braswell in his corner as a coach for is weight class since Braswell qualified for three national tournaments and placed fourth last year. Barrett said Braswell has been a big influence and a positive motivator for him entering this weekend.

"Braswell told me, 'You never know when your time is.' So I just want to make things happen this year, and then continue you that next year and the next year."

Roulo applauded all three guys for being extremely coachable.

"The mental toughness that all three show when things go bad and how they can flip it into positivity, it's inspiring," Roulo said. "The way that Mason Barrett can have the biggest smile each day at practice, and the way that Hai Siu can do more one-on-ones than anyone on our team is contagious, especially since Hai Siu is our most credentialed wrestler. And then with Turley, just being a leader and he's OK with not being the good guy in the practice room and calling out guys for doing the wrong things."

That all goes back to the culture, high standards and expectations Roulo and his staff have set for the program.

"From a competitive standpoint, we're doing the right things in recruiting and bringing in the right student-athletes who want to be successful in the classroom and on the mat," Roulo said. "We are doing the right things on social media to promote and build our brand.

"With the way we do things with our one-on-one development, you have to have success," Roulo continued. "You can't put that many hours in and not have success. We have high standards. We expect high-end results."