No. 13 Chattanooga 40, No. 3 Missouri 8

COLUMBIA, Mo. --- It was not the method the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team wanted to use to defeat the University of Missouri Sunday, but it counts just the same.

 

The Tigers, ranked No. 3 in the nation, forfeited five matches because of a team bout of the flu, and the 13th-ranked Mocs brought home a 40-8 victory over Missouri.  The Mocs won three of the five matches which were competed.

 

It is UTC’s second win over a top-15 team this year.  The Mocs scored a 28-13 win over No. 14 Ohio State Jan. 3.

 

“A win is a win,” UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said.  “Our guys who didn’t get to wrestle were definitely disappointed.  We have all been looking forward to this match.

 

“It has been a magical year so far.  But the two most important dates of our season are coming up, the SoCon Championships and the Nationals.  They are what we have worked all year long toward.”

 

UTC, which finishes the regular season at 16-1 in dual matches, owned a 24-0 lead at the outset after Missouri (12-3) forfeited the first four matches at 125 pounds, 133, 141 and 149.  Each wrestler for UTC at those positions is nationally ranked.

 

The first match actually contested on the mat was at 157, and Jake Yost scored six points in the third period to register an 11-2 major decision over Dane Espinosa.  At 165, UTC’s T.J. Sayers defeated James Williamson, 8-1 to push the margin to 31-0.  Missouri’s Matt Pell, an All-America at 184 in 2006 who dropped down to 165 this season, was one of the wrestlers stricken with the flu bug.

 

Ben Askren finally put the Tigers on the scoreboard with a 10-2 major over 16th-ranked Lloyd Rogers.  Askren, ranked No. 1 at 174, ran his record to 33-0 and his personal win streak to 78 matches.  He was the National Champion at his weight class last year.

 

Askren and Pell are the only seniors on the Tigers’ roster and were honored prior to the match.

 

Fifth-ranked Raymond Jordan provided Missouri’s other match victory at 184, with a 16-6 major over Josh Edmondson.

 

The Tigers forfeited at 197, and UTC heavyweight Matt Koz, ranked as high as No. 13, used an escape and an extra point for riding time to defeat No. 20 Mark Ellis in the final match of the day.

 

The Mocs head to the Southern Conference Championships March 3 in Raleigh, N.C., as the favorite to win their 22nd SoCon title.

 

No. 13 Chattanooga 40, No. 3 Missouri 8

125 No. 18 Javier Maldonado (UTC) wins by forfeit 0 6

133 No. 7 Matt Keller (UTC) wins by forfeit 0 12

141 No. 14 Michael Keefe (UTC) wins by forfeit 0 18

149 No. 7 Aaron Martin (UTC) wins by forfeit 0 24

157 Jake Yost (UTC) maj. dec. Dane Espinosa (MU), 11-2 0 28

165 T.J. Sayers (UTC) dec. James Williamson (MU), 8-1 0 31

174 No. 1 Ben Askren (MU) maj. dec. No. 16 Lloyd Rogers (UTC), 10-2 4 31

184 #5 Raymond Jordan (MU) maj. dec. Josh Edmondson (UTC), 16-6 8 31

197 Nick Lorenzano (UTC) wins by forfeit 8 37

HWT No. 13 Matt Koz (UTC) dec. No. 20 Mark Ellis (MU), 2-1 8 40

 

 

 

VMI and North Carolina Defeat The Citadel in Tri-Meet

Charleston, S.C. ? The Citadel wrestling team fell to VMI and North Carolina in a tri-meet held at McAlister Field House on Sunday afternoon. VMI defeated the Bulldogs 21-18 in the final Southern Conference match for both teams while the Tar Heels prevailed over The Citadel by a score of 26-18. North Carolina went 2-0 on the day as they defeated VMI in the second match of the tri-meet by a mark of 37-2.

 

VMI (6-8, 3-2 SoCon) got on the board against The Citadel (4-9, 1-4 SoCon) in the first match of the day when Jonathan Pope pulled out an exciting 12-11 decision against freshman Tyler Sim at 125 pounds. Pope had a 4-2 lead after the first period and extended it to 9-4 as the bout headed into the third. After Pope earned two points for technical violations, Sim notched two for a takedown and added on three more as he nearly pinned the Keydet wrestler. An escape point by Pope gave him a 12-9 lead. Sim added on two more takedown points, but it wasn’t enough as Pope held on for a 12-11 decision.

 

The Keydets added on to their lead with major decisions at 133 and 141 pounds, and Sam Alvarenga made it a 14-0 VMI advantage after earning a 6-1 decision over junior Levi Duyn at 149 pounds. The Bulldogs climbed back into the match, however, as senior Travis Piccard earned a 19-2 technical fall victory over Vince Cole at 157 pounds. Piccard notched two near fall points in the closing seconds and used the 3:07 riding-time advantage to add another point and secure the technical fall. Freshman Zachary Filter won by forfeit at 165 pounds to pull the Bulldogs to within three at 14-11.

 

The Citadel took their first lead of the match after a 13-2 major decision victory by junior Darius Caldwell against Kyle Elgert at 174 pounds. Caldwell led 9-2 in the closing seconds before earning three points for a near fall and added on a point for riding-time advantage to walk away with the major decision.

 

The Keydets would take the lead for good, however, on a 3-1 overtime decision by Corry Murray over senior John Dickerson at 184 pounds. Murray earned an escape point in the second period and Dickerson countered with an escape point of his own in the third to tie the bout at one. Neither wrestler could score the rest of the period, but Murray drove Dickerson to the mat for two takedown points in overtime to come up with the decision. Dustin McCabe extended VMI’s advantage to 21-15 on an 11-3 major decision over freshman Griffen Greene at 197 pounds. Senior John Buck won a 5-2 decision against Leon Barrow at 285 pounds, but it wasn’t enough as the Keydets defeated the Bulldogs 21-18.

 

The match against the Tar Heels (9-7, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) began with a 14-5 major decision victory for Drew Forshey against Sim at 125 pounds. After Leach won by forfeit at 133 pounds, the Tar Heels took the lead back at 7-6 on a 12-6 decision by Mike Rappo against Matt Bullwinkel.

 

The Bulldogs took the advantage when Duyn notched his 19th fall of the season in 2:24 against Vincent Ramirez at 149 pounds. Piccard picked up his second victory of the day at 157 pounds against Keenan Duffie as he won a 9-3 decision to give The Citadel a 15-7 lead. A pin by Keegan Mueller, rated 15th in the nation at 165 pounds in the latest USA Today/InterMat/National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) rankings, cut the Bulldog lead to 15-13.

 

The Citadel went back up by five after a 9-5 decision by Caldwell over Deon Barrett. Caldwell took a 6-4 lead into the third period and after Barrett earned an escape point at the beginning of the period, Caldwell earned two points for a takedown and added on a point for riding-time advantage to secure the decision.

 

Dickerson lost his second close bout of the day at 184 pounds as Daniel Llamas won another 3-1 decision against the Bulldog senior. Llamas picked up an escape point in the second period to take a 1-0 lead into the third period. After Dickerson earned an escape point to tie the bout at one, Llamas notched a two-point takedown in the closing seconds to earn the victory and cut it to an 18-16 Bulldogs lead.

 

The Tar Heels took the lead for good at 22-18 on a pin by Dennis Drury against Greene at 197 pounds. Spencer Nadolsky, ranked 10th at 285 pounds in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll, ended the day with a 13-5 major decision against Buck.

 

The Bulldogs will host their last home match of the season and honor seniors Piccard and Dickerson on Wednesday as they take on Gardner-Webb at 7:30 at McAlister Field House. Live video of the match will be available at www.CitadelSports.com.

 

VMI 21 The Citadel 18

 

125 ? Pope (VMI) dec. Sim, 12-11 (3-0)

 

133 ? Anthony (VMI) maj. dec. Leach, 10-2 (7-0)

 

141 ? Franklin (VMI) maj. dec. M. Bullwinkel, 16-7 (11-0)

 

149 ? Alvarenga (VMI) dec. Duyn, 6-1 (14-0)

 

157 ? Piccard (CIT) tech. fall Cole, 19-2 (14-5)

 

165 ? Filter (CIT) fft. (14-11)

 

174 ? Caldwell (CIT) maj. dec. Elgert, 13-2 (14-15)

 

184 ? Murray (VMI) dec. Dickerson, 3-1 (17-15)

 

 

 

VMI 21, The Citadel 18

North Carolina 37, VMI 2

CHARLESTON, S.C.- On their final day of regular season competition, the VMI wrestling team clinched third place in the Southern Confernece standings by posting a 21-18 victory over The Citadel at McAlister Field House on Sunday afternoon. In the team's other match, the Keydets fell 37-2 to UNC, the second-place team in the ACC this season.

Against The Citadel, the Keydets (6-9, 3-2 SoCon) jumped out to a quick lead, taking each of the first four matches. Freshman Jonathan Pope won his first career SoCon match by a 12-11 count at 125, followed by a major decision by junior Tyler Anthony, who improved to 4-1 in the SoCon with a 10-2 victory at 133. Freshman Brandon Franklin followed suit with his fourth major decision of the season, defeating Matt Bullwinkel by a 16-7 margin at 141. Senior Sam Alvarenga then posted his 31st win of the year, handing Levi Duyn a 6-1 loss at 149 to give the Keydets a 14-0 lead.

The Bulldogs (4-9, 1-4 SoCon) responded quickly, as Travis Piccard claimed a technical fall victory against Vince Cole at 157, followed by a forfeit victory at 165 for Zachary Filter. The Bulldogs took their first lead of the match at 174, when Darius Caldwell posted a 13-2 major decision against Kyle Elgert, giving the hosts a 15-14 advantage with only three matches remaining.

The Keydets reclaimed the lead thanks to senior Corry Murray's 3-1 decision against John Dickerson, as Murray improved to 4-1 in the League on the season. Junior Dustin McCabe pushed the Keydets up by a 21-15 margin with his 11-3 major decision against Griffen Greene, as he concluded his SoCon campaign at 3-1 on the season.

Needing a pin to tie the match, The Citadel's John Buck could manage only a 5-2 decision against VMI heavyweight Leon Barrow, leaving the final margin at 21-18.

The victory is VMI's first over their military rivals since the 2002-03 season, when they took a 17-16 decision in Charleston. The Keydets hold a 19-8 advantage in the team's meetings since the 1979-80 season.

Against the Tarheels (9-7, 4-2 ACC), VMI claimed only one victory, as McCabe posted a 7-3 decision against Daniel Llamas at 184 lbs. The Tarheels also took a 26-18 victory against the Bulldogs in the final match of the day.

All three teams will next compete at MatJam 2007, where both the ACC and Southern Conference Championships will be decided in Raleigh, N.C.

VMI 21 The Citadel 18
125 ? Pope (VMI) dec. Sim, 12-11 (3-0)
133 ? Anthony (VMI) maj. dec. Leach, 10-2 (7-0)
141 ? Franklin (VMI) maj. dec. M. Bullwinkel, 16-7 (11-0)
149 ? Alvarenga (VMI) dec. Duyn, 6-1 (14-0)
157 ? Piccard (CIT) tech. fall Cole, 19-2 (14-5)
165 ? Filter (CIT) fft. (14-11)
174 ? Caldwell (CIT) maj. dec. Elgert, 13-2 (14-15)
184 ? Murray (VMI) dec. Dickerson, 3-1 (17-15)
197 ? McCabe (VMI) maj. dec. Greene, 11-3 (21-15)
285 ? Buck (CIT) dec. Barrow, 5-2 (21-18)

North Carolina 37 VMI 2
125 ? Forshey (UNC) maj. dec. Pope, 14-6 (4-0)
133 ? Sola (UNC) dec. Anthony, 3-2 (7-0)
141 ? Rappo (UNC) dec. Franklin, 6-4 (10-0)
149 ? Ramirez (UNC) dec. Alvarenga, 4-0 (13- -1)
157 ? Duffie (UNC) fall Cole; 2:46 (19- -1)
165 ? Mueller (UNC) fft. (25- -1)
174 ? Barrett (UNC) dec. Elgert, 5-3 (28- -1)
184 ? McCabe (VMI) dec. Llamas, 7-3 (28-2)
197 ? Drury (UNC) fft. (34-2)
285 ? Nadolsky (UNC) dec. Barrow, 10-4 (37-2)