WILKES, Pa. - Junior Josh Wine won five straight matches to capture the 285 lb. championship at the Wilkes Open, hosted on Monday by Wilkes University.

Wine improved to 7-0 on the season with four consecutive decisions before posting a major decision in the championship match.  The Fredericksburg, Va. native began the day with an 8-3 win over Tom Foote of Williams, then blanked Blair's Rodney Sharp, 7-0.  In the Championship Quarterfinals, Wine advanced via a 5-1 decision against Brown's Tyler Cowman, before reaching the Finals with a 10-3 win over Drexel's Kyle Frey.  Facing Binghamton's Corey Waite in the Championship, Wine scored a 12-2 major decision, capturing VMI's first individual title of the season.

Junior Ronnie Ellsworth (10-4) was the other Keydet to place in the tournament, coming in fourth at 197 lbs.  The Newport News, Va. native started his run with 12-7 and 11-4 decisions over Mike McKeever of Binghamton and David Khovin of Nassau, respectively.  In the Championship Quarterfinals, Ellsworth was dealt a 10-3 setback against Wilkes' Rex Harris.  In the consolation bracket, Ellsworth notched back-to-back 5-2 and 3-2 victories to reach the Semifinals, where a medical forfeit sent him to the third-place match.  There, he lost 4-1 to East Stroudsburg's Eddie Ebewo, placing for the first time since coming in fourth at last season's Southern Conference Championships.

Two other Keydets finished just a match shy of placing, as redshirt junior John Pope went 2-2 at 125 lbs. while senior Michael Long went 3-2 at 149 lbs.  Sophomore Joe Munno won a pair of matches at 157 lbs., including a pin of Franklin & Marshall's David Pucci in 3:50.

The Keydets return to action on Thursday, Jan. 7, taking on George Mason in a dual scheduled for 7 p.m. in Fairfax, Va.