Coming off an extremely successful campaign last season, the Springfield College wrestling team aims to leave nothing to be desired in the 2026-27 season.
Springfield College has built a strong tradition of success on the wrestling mat, establishing itself as one of the most accomplished programs in collegiate wrestling. They currently hold the third-most dual meet wins of all time throughout all divisions with 1,083. The Pride will look to continue adding to that legacy this season.
Coming off the 2025-26 season with a 15-1 record, the Pride gears up for the year ahead with a rather young squad, losing a large number of upperclassmen. Despite this, head coach Jason Holder has confidence in his team to maintain the standards he knows they can achieve.
“We have to continue working hard and getting better,” Holder said. “We’re process-driven and continue to have a strong culture. Culture can change pretty quickly, so we’re staying on top of it.”
Part of what sets the team up for success year in and year out is the emphasis Holder puts on self-growth. Holder firmly believes that self-improvement off the mat will have lasting effects on the mat as well.
“We’re trying to develop these young men into having confidence when they take the mat; we’re talking about coming in and showing courage, and we want them to continue to be coachable,” emphasized Holder. “It’s always a learning year, just a different crew.”
Moving into the current year, the roster features fewer upperclassmen than is usual, but key returners like senior Oliver Parker, along with 2026 national qualifier Esuar Ordonez, and 2026 regional tournament qualifiers Gabe Thomasson and Isaac Quiles, look to continue their dominance and open the floodgates for the rest of the team’s success.
“We’re going to be relying on them to kind of help our guys move along and develop at a good rate,” Holder stated. “They’re going to help us get better every day and continue to improve on the things we need to improve on.”
Pure competition is often seen as the main joy of wrestling; getting your hand held up high by the referee after a tough bout is always extremely rewarding. In Holder’s view, this couldn’t be truer; his team’s path to the rewarding moments they covet is to enjoy every part of the process.
“They have to be open to learning and enjoying the opportunity that they have to compete at the college level,” Holder stressed. “It’s something that’s supposed to be fun; showing gratitude, courage, approachability, and enjoying the opportunity they have to compete is what we’re trying to instill in these guys.”
The team gets underway on Nov. 6th and 7th for the Ithaca Invitational in Ithaca, New York. 24 prestigious wrestling programs are coming together to show the other schools what they’ve got and hope to open their campaigns with a strong placement. Springfield placed 4th in the event last season and is looking to improve upon that placement this upcoming weekend.
However, Holder isn’t necessarily concerned with which teams his wrestlers will be competing against. In a wrestling landscape filled with competitive programs from top to bottom, and a schedule that figures to be one of the toughest in the division, he has a simple approach. When asked which opponents he was looking forward to facing, he needed only three words:
“The next one.”