Drexel-Rider dual meet features top two winningest coaches

There will be no dearth of coaching experience in tonight's CAA dual wrestling meet between Drexel and Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J.

Dragons coach Jack Childs and Broncs coach Gary Taylor hold a combined 67 years of coaching experience at the Division I level. They are the top two winningest active D-I wrestling coaches, Childs with 420 career wins; Taylor with 367.

"Gary and I are not only adversaries on the mat, we are best friends off it. I respect Gary for his longevity and competiveness," said Childs, who is retiring after this season.

"It is not the number of wins, it is the total number of matches we have coached, the number of young men we have educated, coached, and helped to develop into professional and family men," Childs added. "This has been my reward, and as I tell my team, 'Smile because it happened, don't cry because it's over.' "

Said Taylor: "Jack and I have competed against each other over the past 32 years so we are very used to doing so . . . I do in fact smile with Jack that it happened, and I smile that he has earned a right to rejoice in the wonderful job he has done."

Tonight's match, which begins at 7, also will be a preview of the NCAA Wrestling Championships, to be held at the Wells Fargo Center March 17-19.