Davidson 21, Lock Haven 15; Gardner-Webb 25, Davidson 19; Virginia Tech 34, Davidson 11
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. ? The Davidson wrestling team picked up a monumental 21-15 win over perennial national power Lock Haven University in the final match of the Bulldog Duals on Saturday in Boiling Springs, N.C. The Wildcats dropped their first two matches to Virginia Tech and host Gardner-Webb.
The Wildcats used victories in four of the final six matches to secure the team win, including an 8-7 decision at 285 by Charlie Wolff to give the ?Cats their final 21-15 lead. Kevin Cook, Thomas Jasterzbski, and Joe McGinley also scored points for Davidson, thwarting a possible Lock Haven comeback.
Junior Ben Altman started the scoring at 125 with a forfeit victory, then was followed by Vitaly Radsky’s 6-4 decision to put the Wildcats up, 9-3. Head Coach Bob Patnesky was impressed by his team’s performance against such a strong program.
“It’s a huge victory for our program, to defeat such a historic team as Lock Haven,” he said. “Not to take nothing away from them, but our team truly came together and wrestled as one, and it took a total team effort to get the win. We can’t be content with beating Lock Haven, but we can use it as a stepping stone to achieving our goals at the conference tournament in March.”
In the first match, Davidson got out to an early lead, taking victories at the first three weight classes over the host Bulldogs. Altman opened up the action with a 7-4 decision, then was followed by back-to-back pins by Alex Radsky at 133, and his brother Vitaly at 141, his ninth-straight win this season.
Finding themselves up 15-0, Davidson then dropped the next three matches, cutting the lead down to 15-6, before freshman Tyler Mullen stopped the slide with a 9-0 major decision. Gardner-Webb then pulled ahead courtesy of four-straight wins, with one major decision and two pins. The last fall, in the 285-pound class, gave the Bulldogs the lead for good, as they would go on to win 25-19.
Davidson then took the mat against the undefeated Virginia Tech Hokies in the second match of the day. Altman again kicked off the match with a win, this time recording a 17-2 technical fall in 4:11. His would be the only points gained by Davidson (3-7) until Wolff was granted a forfeit victory at 285. Virginia Tech moved to 9-0 on the season with a 34-11 win.
The Wildcats will now begin a stretch of four consecutive dual meets this Saturday, Jan. 17, when they take on North Carolina in a neutral site matchup at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C.
Gardner-Webb 25, Davidson 19
125: Altman (DAV) dec. Roberts (GWU), 7-4, 0-3
133: Radsky (DAV) pinned Featherston (GWU), 2:25, 0-9
141: Radsky (DAV) pinned Tate (GWU), 4:40, 0-15
149: Reece (GWU) dec. Decamp (DAV), 6-2, 3-15
157: Guthrie (GWU) dec. McGinley (DAV), 4-2 OT, 6-15
165: Mullen (DAV) maj. dec. Pelsang (GWU), 9-0, 6-19
174: Salyer (GWU) dec. Justerzbski (DAV), 4-3, 9-19
184: A. Piasecki (GWU) maj. dec. O’Hair (DAV), 10-1, 13-19
197: T. Porter (GWU) pinned Estrada (DAV), 2:20, 19-19
285: D. Porter (GWU) pinned Wolff (DAV), 1:30, 25-19
Virginia Tech 34, Davidson 11
125: Ben Altman (DAV) tech fall Schuyler Swanton (VT), 17-2 (4:11)
133: Jared Jones (VT) dec. Alex Radsky (DAV), 5-1
141: Scott Chene (VT) dec. Vitaly Radsky (DAV), 4-3
149: Matt Rosen (VT) dec. David DeCamp (DAV), 7-0
157: Jesse Dong (VT) fall Joe McGinley (DAV), 1:46
165: Matt Epperly (VT) dec. Tyler Mullen (DAV), 5-1
174: Anthony Trongone (VT) maj. dec. Kevin Cook (DAV), 9-0
184: Tommy Spellman (VT) fall Sam O’Hair (DAV), 2:55
197: D.J. Bruce (VT) fall Jorge Estrada (DAV), 2:07
285: Charlie Wolff (DAV) wins by forfeit
Davidson 21, Lock Haven 15
125: Ben Altman (DAV) wins by forfeit, 6-0
133: Billy Ashnault (LHU) dec. Alex Radsky (DAV) 5-3, 6-3
141: Vitaly Radsky (DAV) dec. Zach Kell (LHU) 6-4, 9-3
149: Matt Fittery (LHU) major dec. David DeCamp (DAV) 12-2, 9-7
157: Joe McGinley (DAV) dec. Ollie Cooperwood (LHU) 4-1, 12-7
165: Thomas Jasterzbski (DAV) dec. Aaron Ernest (LHU) 5-4, 15-7
174: Kevin Cook (DAV) dec. Daniel Tolbert (LHU)6-5, 18-7
184: Tom Kocher (LHU) major dec. Sam O'Hair (DAV) 13-1, 18-11
197: Ben Hepburn (LHU) major dec. Jorge Estrada (DAV) 12-4, 18-15
285: Charlie Wolff (DAV) dec. Gabe Murtorff (LHU) 8-7, 21-15
UNC Greensboro 36, Appalachian State 7
GREENSBORO, NC ? UNC Greensboro won eight of the 10 matches as they defeated Appalachian State, 36-7, on Sunday afternoon in Southern Conference wrestling action.
Junior Mitchell Johnson set the tempo for the rest of the match at 125 pounds for the Spartans. He scored a first period takedown and then locked up a cradle to pin Andrew Sifakis at the 2:44 mark in the first period. Appalachian State's Frank Celorrio responded for the Mountaineers by defeating Casey Boyle, 13-0, to bring the team score within 6-4, but that was as close as the Mountaineers would get all afternoon.
Senior Chris Bencivenga came out at 141 pounds and scored early and often as he recorded a technical fall, 24-8, over Mike Kessler with just over a minute remaining in the match. Ben Wilmore then received a forfeit at 149 pounds to push the Spartan lead to 17-4.
Andrew Saunders helped extend that lead at 157 pounds by scoring a five point move midway through the first period on his way to a 13-3 major decision. Kyle Blevins pulled the Mountaineers within 21-7 by defeating Victor Hojilla at 165 pounds, 7-1, but the Spartans would win the final four matches of the afternoon to finish the match.
In the closest match of the afternoon, UNCG's Byron Sigmon recorded a
5-4 decision over Antionne Jones at 174 pounds. Sigmon scored on an inside trip for the early lead, but Jones came back in the final period to make it interesting. After Jones received a point for a stalling call on Sigmon to tie the match at 4-4, Sigmon managed to record an escape with less than 15 seconds remaining to secure the victory. At 184 pounds, Mikal McKee used two first period takedowns to build an early 4-1 lead and then cruised to a 5-2 decision to make the team score, 27-7, in favor of the Spartans.
Junior Ryan Sughrue then bumped up to take on David Pritz from Appalachian State at 197 pounds. Sughrue scored a takedown late in the first period and then another midway through the third as he won, 5-0. In the final match of the afternoon, Joe Sheffield recorded a takedown and two near fall points off of a tilt to build a 4-1 lead at the end of the first period. In the second period, Sheffield got a takedown on the edge of the mat and was able to turn Dustin Heiser for the pin at the 4:04 mark to make the final score, 36-7.
UNCG continues the SoCon portion of their schedule on Wednesday as they travel to VMI for a 7:30 pm dual.
UNC Greensboro 36, Appalachian State 7
125: Mitchell Johnson (UNCG) fall Andrew Sifakis (ASU), 2:44 (6-0)
133: Frank Celorrio (ASU) maj. dec Casey Boyle (UNCG), 13-0 (6-4)
141: Chris Bencivenga (UNCG) tech. fall Mike Kessler (ASU), 24-8 at 5:55 (11-4)
149: Ben Wilmore (UNCG) won by forfeit (17-4)
157: Andrew Saunders (UNCG) maj. dec. Alex Cooke (ASU), 13-3 (21-4)
165: Kyle Blevins (ASU) dec. Victor Hojilla (UNCG), 7-1 (21-7)
174: Byron Sigmon (UNCG) dec. Antionne Jones (ASU), 5-4 (24-7)
184: Mikal McKee (UNCG) dec. Dylan Temple (ASU), 5-2 (27-7)
197: Ryan Sughrue (UNCG) dec. David Pritz (ASU), 5-0 (30-7)
285: Joe Sheffield (UNCG) fall Dustin Heiser (ASU), 4:04 (36-7)
No. 10 Oklahoma 23, Chattanooga 14
The Chattanooga wrestling squad put up a tough fight against No. 10 Oklahoma in Maclellan Gym on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus today. Junior Cody Cleveland and sophomore Josh Statum both recorded wins for the Mocs, but the Sooners won the dual meet 23-14. UTC’s season record evens at 6-6 (1-0 SoCon) while OU improves to 12-0 on the year.
Action began with freshman Paul Garza taking on 12th-ranked Joey Fio at 125. Garza, 3-10 on the year, hung in with Fio (12-3) for most of the match before falling 4-1.
The 133-pound class saw Statum even the team score at 3-3 with his win over OU’s Brian Shelton, 8-5. Shelton held an early 5-0 lead in the first period, but Statum closed the gap to 5-3 before the end of the first three minutes. A near-fall in the second period put Statum 6-5, an edge he would hold on to for his second individual win of the season.
Statum’s win got the crowd of nearly 1,000 going, giving the Mocs the momentum heading into one of the most dominating performances of the afternoon at 141. Cleveland, ranked No. 9 in the class in the most recent polls, earned a technical fall over OU’s Zack Bailey. Cleveland’s win improved his record to 12-4 on the year while giving UTC an 8-3 advantage after three matches.
Freshman Dan Waddell lost a major decision (14-3) to No. 15 Kyle Terry at 149 to close the overall gap to 8-7. Chattanooga junior Joey Knox, ranked No. 19 at 157, fell to Chad Terry 6-0 to give OU a 10-8 lead.
Chattanooga head coach Chris Bono had planned to forfeit the 184 match, but coming out of intermission, he shuffled his lineup. Oklahoma forfeited 165 and UTC’s Brandon Wright stepped in to take the points, giving the Mocs a 14-10 lead.
Senior Seth Garvin, scheduled to wrestle at 165 where he is ranked 19th in the nation, moved up to 174. There he battled No. 9 Jeff James to a near-stalemate, falling 7-5.
Freshman Jason McCroskey moved from 174 to 184 and took on No. 19 Pat Flynn. McCroskey gave a solid effort before dropping his match 6-1. Oklahoma took the final two matches to secure their 23-14 win.
“We fought hard and that was a big improvement from the last time we were in this gym,” stated Bono. “It is something we have been preaching - to go out and fight and let the chips fall where they fall.”
“We need to get better technically. Our conditioning looks like we are getting where we need to be...not great yet, but we just got to keep getting better.”
Chattanooga next travels to Columbia Missouri to take on the fifth-ranked Tigers and West Virginia on Jan. 18. The Mocs next home match is against Campbellsville and The Citadel on Jan. 30 in McKenzie Arena at 6:00 p.m.
Results
125 - No. 12 Joey Fio (OU) defeated Paul Garza (UTC) - D, 4-1
133 - Josh Statum (UTC) defeated Brian Shelton (OU) - D, 8-5
141 - No. 9 Cody Cleveland (UTC) defeated Zack Bailey (OU) ? Tec. Fall (7:00)
149 - No. 15 Kyle Terry (OU) defeated Dan Waddell (UTC) ? MD, 14-3
157 - Chad Terry (OU) defeated No. 19 Joey Knox (UTC) ? D, 6-0
165 - Brandon Wright (UTC) won by forfeit
174 ? No. 9 Jeff James (OU) defeated No. 19 Seth Garvin (UTC) ? D, 6-5
184 ? No. 19 Pat Flynn (OU) defeated Jason McCroskey (UTC) ? D, 6-1
197 ? No. 9 Eric Lapotsky (OU) defeated Ethan Winel (UTC) ? D, 9-2
285 ? No. 19 Nathan Fernandez (OU) defeated Cody Sliger (UTC) ? MD, 16-4
VMI Wrestlers Compete at “Shorty” Hitchcock Memorial Classic
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. ? Senior Leon Barrow claimed a 3-2 decision over sophomore Josh Wine in the final to claim the heavyweight title at the “Shorty” Hitchcock Memorial Classic, hosted by Millersville (Pa.) on Saturday.
Barrow and Wine were joined by freshman Andrew Szymborski, who placed third at 174 lbs., as placewinners for VMI at the tournament. The title was the second of the season for Barrow and third of his career, after he won the heavyweight class at the Davidson Open for a second-straight year.
“We wrestled better today as a whole, but there’s a long way to go yet,” said VMI head coach John Trudgeon. “We certainly made some progress at the tournament today. Leon wrestled well, and Josh is really starting to get his confidence back. Andrew had a good run today, winning seven of his eight matches. It was good to get a lot of guys some experience today. You can’t get better without getting out there and wrestling matches, and we had 19 guys out there today. We’ve got the tough part of the schedule coming up here. It’s been a long week, but I feel like we’re moving forward.”
Barrow won five matches on the way to his title, including four decisions and one injury forfeit. Barrow began by taking a 6-2 decision over Kutztown’s Cory Rutt, before scoring a 3-1 win against Hofstra’s Paul Snyder. The Keydet heavyweight then advanced over Nassau’s Brandon Williamson on an injury forfeiture, then won a 4-2 match against Campbell’s Khiry Reid to advance to the final, where he dispatched of Wine.
Wine, meanwhile, took a different route on his way to the final, pinning both Hofstra’s Devion Smith and Edinboro’s Michael Horton. The Keydet then advanced to the championship by defeating Kutztown’s Kevin Bolinsky 4-1 before falling to Barrow.
Szymborski began his day with an impressive 15-1 major decision against Kutztown’s Sonny Flood before suffering his lone loss of the day, coming to Shippersburg’s Chris Barrick in a 12-3 major decision. Szymborski immediately bounced back, running off four consecutive decisions before a medical forfeit put him in the third-place match. The Keydet posted an 8-4 victory over Drexel’s Woodall to mark his best collegiate finish.
Other Keydet highlights came from freshmen Michael Bowman and Vinnie Gallo. Bowman won his first two matches at 133, finishing just one victory short of placing, while Gallo pinned a pair of opponents in the consolation bracket at 165.
Junior Michael Long and freshman Joel Hutchens each won a pair of matches in the championship bracket at 149. Long needed only 1:50 to pin his first opponent of the day before outlasting Kutztown’s Brett Martinez in overtime, 6-5. Hutchens, meanwhile, won 6-0 and 4-2 decisions before dropping his next two matches at 149.
Virginia Tech 29, The Citadel 9; The Citadel 24, Lock Haven 24; The Citadel 41, Gardner-Webb 3
Boiling Springs, N.C. ? The Citadel wrestling team was in action on Jan. 10 in Boiling Springs, N.C., where it faced teams from Lock Haven, Va. Tech and Gardner-Webb in a quad meet.
The Bulldogs were led by 141-pound Derek Royster, who won all three of his matches.
Royster pinned 2007 NCAA qualifier Rob Tate from Gardner-Webb to add six points to the overall team score.
The Citadel grapplers started off the quad meet with a 29-9 loss to Va. Tech, before tying Lock Haven, 24-24. The final meet of the day was against the grapplers from Gardner-Webb. The cadets dominated the competition and walked away with a 41-3 victory.
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Jan. 21 when they compete in the Campbell Duals.