Wrestling Southern Conference

Two Davidson Wildcats Garner Fourth Place in Final Competition

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Sophomore Patrick Coman and senior Mark O'Hair both garnered fourth place finishes with records of 2-2 at the 2004 Southern Conference Wrestling Championships on the campus of the University of Virginia on Saturday. Coman and O'Hair were the only Davidson wrestlers to post wins, earning 10 team points for the Wildcats.

Both Coman and O'Hair got off to a good start, each winning his opening bout in decisive fashion. Coman (125) pinned UNC Greensboro's Kyle Terrell just 1:16 into the match. It was Coman's second win over Terrell this season; he posted a 15-0 technical fall in the regular season match on Jan. 15. O'Hair recorded an 8-0 major decision over the UNCG's Charles Jones to advance to the semifinals of the 174-pound weight class.

Coman fell to Matt Pitts of Chattanooga in semifinal competition, 16-8, dropping into the consolation bracket of the championships. He rebounded with a 6-1 decision over Guy Gibson of Appalachian State, a wrestler he had also beat in regular season competition. In a tightly contested consolation final, Coman dropped a 2-0 overtime decision to VMI's Juan Sanchez to finish in fourth place overall.

O'Hair ended the day in similar fashion, losing the semifinal match to The Citadel's Keith Clifton, 10-0. The senior stayed in the competition with a 6-0 win over Aaron Kerkhof of VMI. In the battle for third place, O'Hair suffered a 4-1 loss to Appalachian's Dominic Buckman.

Coman closes his second season with a record of 20-17 overall and his first-ever place in the conference championships. O'Hair ended his Wildcat career with a 19-20 record in his final season. His best-ever finish at SoCon's was third place in 2002.