Scott Shipman enters his second season as the Gardner-Webb head wrestling coach and his seventh season overall with the program. On July 10, 2007, Shipman accepted the position and took over the head coaching duties immediately.

Shipman’s team garnered a 7-16-1 record in his first season in dual matches, but the squad turned in an exciting second-place finish at the East Regional Championships.

Redshirt-sophomore Dustin Porter won the 197 lb. class for the second consecutive season, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. Sophomore Eddie McCray won the wild card to the NCAA Championships and pinned his first round opponent.

Off the mats, Shipman’s team recorded the sixth-best GPA in the country according to the NWCA. Chad Davis picked up NWCA All-Academic Team honors by boasting a 3.73 GPA to go along with a 33-13 mark his senior season.

The former Division II National Champion and All-American joined the staff in July of 2002 and provides Gardner-Webb the luxury of having three very gifted coaches leading the program.

Shipman enjoyed a brilliant collegiate career while at West Liberty State, where he won the NCAA Division II national championship in 1996 while competing in the 177-pound weight class. During his time at West Liberty State, Shipman racked up 119 wins compared to just 19 losses, including blazing a perfect 30-0 mark in his junior campaign.

In addition to his exploits on the mats, Shipman was a fine student at West Liberty State, earning a spot on the 1997 NCAA Division II All-Academic first-team.

Shipman graduated in 1997, was inducted into West Liberty State’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 and also served as the Director of NCAA Compliance at West Liberty State.

In 2001, Shipman continued his stellar career when he wrestled in the 97kg class and captured an eighth-place finish at the U.S. National Championships.

Before coming on board at Gardner-Webb, Shipman spent time competing on the professional fighting circuit in 2002 posting an impressive 11-1-0 record.

In the spring of 2007, Shipman won the USA Wrestling Notheast Regional at the 185 lb. weight class, allowing him to qualify for the world team trials and vie for a spot on the 2007 world championship team.   

Shipman currently resides in Boiling Springs, S.C., and was married to the former Annie Lewis during the summer of 2006.