The first name of Army wrestler Gunner Filipowicz is not a nickname, nor was it intended to fit someone who attends West Point.

But its origin is definitely something the 22-year-old junior and native of Alpharetta, Ga., has been asked many times.

“It’s my actual first name,” said the second of two sons of Dave and Laura Filipowicz. “My dad met a family whose last name was the Gunners and told my mom I’ve got a name for our second son.”

But Gunner’s name does fit for someone who always wanted to attend the United States Military Academy in upstate New York along the Hudson River and eventually turned his success in wrestling into his ticket to West Point.

“I grew up hearing my dad say, ‘What an honor it is to serve in the military,’” said Filipowicz, a two-time state champion from Woodward Academy. “As my wrestling improved in high school, I found that it could be a real possibility and I took that chance.”

The only issue Gunner faced in choosing an academy was that he planned on taking a different path to that of his brother, Jackson, who is two years older and also attended West Point before graduating in 2024.

“Growing up, my brother wanted to go to the Naval Academy and as a brother I would usually go against him,” Gunner said. “He ended up getting offers from all three academies and ended up choosing Army.

“Then when I got offered, I said, ‘Hey, you kind of stole the school that I wanted to go to.’”

Wrestling has been a big part of the Filipowicz family; from their father competing at the University of Chattanooga, to seeing Jackson return to the mat after a short absence when the boys were in high school.

“That is one of my happiest memories,” Gunner said. “Wrestling with him in high school, going to practice together, traveling on all the trips.”

And Jackson, who ended up playing football for Army, has helped Gunner adjust to West Point life in or outside of athletics with words of wisdom.

“A lot of times, it’s about having a positive mindset and never dwell on the past because there are a lot of things that happen,” Gunner said. “I’ve had a lot of setbacks in my career before.

“There are two things that you can do: You can start feeling sorry for yourself or you can learn from the past. Getting upset about your past does nothing beneficial for your future.”

Troy Nickerson, who in his first year as Army head coach, found something unique about this independent-minded wrestler when they first met last summer.

“It was his resiliency,” Nickerson said. “Gunner is approaching this every day as it is his journey, and I believe that is the only way to approach it.”

On the mat, Filipowicz has had plenty of success by compiling a 62-21 career record at 165 pounds, including 13-4 this winter as of Jan. 19, when he was ranked #18 by Flowrestling. He is also a three-time Southern Scuffle finalist, including a championship in 2025 before losing in the finals to #5-ranked Matty Bianchi of Little Rock earlier this month in Chattanooga.

Filipowicz is also a two-time NCAA qualifier, but in search of his first All-American honor.

“Gunner has all the skillsets and tools to get on the podium,” said Nickerson, an NCAA champ and multiple All-American during his career at Cornell. “He’s in great shape and wrestles hard.

“He needs to continue to embrace who he is and stick to his strong suits when he’s on the mat. It’s also about feeling his best for three days in March and getting on a roll and performing.”

“Even though I lost (in the Scuffle final), I proved to myself that I do belong at that level and can compete there,” Filipowicz said. “My style is go, go, go and a lot of rolls. I do feel like I’ve become more of a technical wrestler, who hustles and never quits. That’s my motto and it’s saved me in a lot of matches.

“With that, I believe that I gained a lot of technical experience from the things that the coaches have been teaching me. That’s where I’ve made the biggest leaps.”

Like many NCAA Division I wrestlers, Filipowicz has dealt with his share on injuries. He believes Nickerson is helping him avoid those issues this season.

“Under coach Nickerson, I really like his training style and schedule he has for us,” Filipowicz said. “It’s a lot less live (wrestling) and a lot more individualized, which I needed.”

Filipowicz also understands the academic and physical demands placed on him that is different from that of the typical D-I wrestler.

“I wake up and have an early-morning lift, go to 4-5 classes a day, eat lunch, have practice, then 3-4 hours of homework each night,” he said. “Then do the same thing the next day.”

There are also few offseason breaks for Army wrestlers, who spend their summers with Cadet Field Training, where you will find them wide awake in the woods at 3 a.m.

“Sometimes it takes a toll but you can also cherish the fact that you are doing something hard and setting yourself up for the best future,” he said. “I remember that a lot when it gets hard and boring. I remember that I’m here for a reason. I came here to make myself a better person, and I truly believe that is what It’s doing.”

Also a member of Company G2, which he compares to a fraternity in a non-military school, Filipowicz has counted on his fellow Cadets during his West Point journey.

“I think we are one of the closest teams in Division I wrestling,” he said. 

“We call it BHAW (Brotherhood, Heart, Attitude and Warrior),” Nickerson said. “That’s pretty significant and special today because of the transfer portal, where you have teammates every year, these guys are together, a family over four straight years. They know their brother is going to be beside them the next year.”

Nickerson also appreciates the leadership skills many of his wrestlers obtain from the academy and serve a purpose in wrestling.

“Gunner is one of those guys who is going to show leadership,” Nickerson said. “He performs at a high level for us with his work ethic and the things he does on the mat. That’s his strong suit through our program

“I encourage every one of them to be a leader within their scope. The quicker they figure that out, the quicker they can be an asset to this program.”

Filipowicz, who plans on choosing the Infantry and later Military Intelligence as line of work within the Army once he graduates, is already looking forward to his future days in the Army.

“I do look to that because it is my end goal and why I keep going through the hard days,” he said. “When you have a hard day, think about the future when you are on your own.”

This Gunner definitely has all his goals in sight.

Watch Army West Point home duals this season live on Flowrestling.