By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Just two months after saying he would wrestle at Virginia Tech, Christiansburg High School standout Brandon Crowder is now headed to Belmont Abbey.
Brandon Crowder is coming off his second straight state title this past year and has not said what spurred his change in plans.
He compiled a 118-29 mark over the past two years, including 28 wins this season.
Belmont Abbey College is a private Catholic liberal-arts college in Belmont, N.C., and has an enrollment of 1,556 students. Crowder will join former Christiansburg teammate Andrew Morgan, who is a rising sophomore at BA.
The school competes in the NCAA Division II ranks. This past season, the BA Crusaders finished the season with a 14-4 record and a 6-1 South Atlantic Conference Carolinas record. Coach Kenn Caudell was named the conference’s Coach of the Year. The team finished second at the NCAA DII Super Regional II.
Caudell is the only coach in the program’s history and has spent 10 years at BA after serving as an assistant at Mt. Union for three years.