John Stutzman knows his team is in the right spot. 

Some growing pains? Sure. Expected in a rebuild and with a team that wrestles “anywhere between six to eight freshmen in the lineup.” 

But Stutzman’s Bloomsburg squad boasts nine wins — its most since the 2021-22 season and could reach double-digit wins for the first time since 2012-13 when it went 17-3. 

The Huskies (9-12 overall, 0-3 MAC) will host Navy at 6 p.m. Friday. 

“Those guys (freshmen) are getting a lot of matches,” Stutzman said. “A lot of growing pains, but I think they have been good growing pains as we have a lot of guys just working really hard and just kinda figuring out what it takes at the Division I level. So, mentally, physically and everything in between.” 

Young Pups 

Bloomsburg’s current roster makeup wasn’t by choice. 

Stutzman took over for his second stint in the Pennsylvania-based school in mid-August 2024, which left him no time to recruit. Classes started 10 days after the school announced his hiring.  

Stutzman added 17 freshmen this season. 

Opportunities are aplenty. 

Graduated 125-pounder Jace Schafer missed six duals in early January, with a staph infection, Stutzman said. He returned in Friday’s loss against George Mason. 

Senior 174-pounder Eric Alderfer suffered a “freak” off-campus accident, Stutzman said.  

Alderfer hasn’t competed since Dec. 9.  

“Those guys are the older guys in the program, so when you lose two older guys like ‘25 and ‘74, we are getting those guys ready to go here soon,” Stutzman said. “Now you are putting freshmen in there that they are taking their lumps. That has been the challenge.” 

Bucking The Trend 

Stutzman presented junior heavyweight Mason Rebuck with a challenge. 

Turn the want into more than a wish.  

Rebuck constantly missed Bloomsburg’s summer morning lifts to work an offseason landscaping job, but Stutzman knew the preparation was done in the summer. 

“I told him, ‘If you want to start winning at the highest level, you need to start working out with the team and being a team leader,’” Stutzman said. 

Rebuck ditched his job a day later.  

“He just hit the weights like no other,” Stutzman said. 

Rebuck wrestled at 197 a season ago and “still probably could,” Stutzman said. 

“He is big now,” Stutzman said. “People think he is really big. He force feeds himself to get that big, but he has been pretty disciplined throughout the offseason.” 

Rebuck (16-5) boasts a 6-1 mark since the start of the New Year.  

“He told me that when he was coming out, and we didn’t recruit him, nobody wanted him,” Stutzman said. “He tried to go wrestle Division I, and nobody wanted him. They told him he wasn’t good enough to wrestle Division I. So when we got here last year, he just really bought in and tries really hard.” 

National Spotlight 

Only 10 Division I teams received the opportunity. Bloomsburg was one of them. 

The Huskies competed at the NWCA National Duals in early January, logging a 1-4 mark. 

They concluded the tournament with a 30-17 win over Campbell — a dual that included five forfeits. 

“First of all, it was an unbelievable experience for our kids,” Stutzman said. “They really did a phenomenal job of competing.” 

Drexel, Cal State Bakersfield, then-#17 Northern Iowa and Ohio beat Bloomsburg. 

“The greatest thing for me is going out there to wrestle Northern Iowa, Bakersfield,” Stutzman said. “Northern Iowa is one of the top teams in the country. Just to show them how a team like that wrestles hard and challenges themselves, I think that was really good to see for a lot of our guys. Hopefully they understand there are levels to this.” 

Rebuck led the crew with a 4-1 outing, including the Huskies’ lone win against Northern Iowa. 

Coy Raines (197) went 3-1. Jay Chase (149) and Connor Hudak (184) went 2-1. 

“Man, I really like going out there,” Stutzman said. “Hopefully, we can go out there every year. I would surely be in. I just think dual meets are king. It is a great experience for our kids and my staff. We are just excited that we had the opportunity to wrestle.” 

Watch Bloomsburg home duals this season live on Flowrestling.