Bulldogs Rout Wildcats, 29-9
Charleston, S.C. - The Citadel wrestling team won their Southern Conference opening dual on Saturday in convincing fashion over Davidson at McAlister Field House, 29-9.
The Bulldogs (2-5, 1-0) move to 48-0 all-time against the Wildcats (0-1, 0-1). Davidson won the opening match, but The Citadel won the following six matchups to break open the dual.
"I thought we wrestled well overall," said Bulldogs Head Coach Rob Hjerling. "It's nice to get a win to start out conference action. We are finishing this semester on a positive note. The guys will get some rest and get ready to get back after it here as the Southern Scuffle approaches."
Starting at 141 pounds, Davidson's Vitaly Radsky used three takedowns to power past Jordan Dix. Earning four escape points, Dix could not get anything going as Radsky added a point for an escape and a riding time point to double-up Dix, 8-4, to give Davidson the early dual lead.
Nick LaFevre snagged a takedown on Scott Ray late in the first period and rode him out. In the second period, LaFevre would once again register a late takedown to double his lead to 4-0 heading to the third period. Starting down in the final period, LaFevre escaped to go up 5-0 for the win at 149 pounds.
At 157, Pierre Frazile put Davidson's Brent Mowry on the mat early with a takedown. After a Wildcat escape, Frazile would once again put Mowry down, going up 4-1. A third takedown in the first period, following a Mowry escape would increase the lead to 6-2. Frazile and Mowry would exchange escape points to begin the second and third periods. Frazile earned a final takedown late in the third period and Mowry escaped as time expired. A riding time point would give Frazile the 10-4 win and would give The Citadel their first team lead of the afternoon at 6-3.
No. 14 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj's early takedown of the Wildcats' Tyler Mullen in the first stanza was the difference at 165 pounds. Mullen earned back-to-back escape points to tie the match heading to the final period and an escape by Luvsandorj to start the third proved to be the match winner at 3-2 for the Bulldogs.
An early takedown by J.C. Oddo at 174 pounds, set the tone of the match with Davidson's Scott Patrick .Oddo nearly had Patrick pinned to the end first period, but time expired and Oddo was awarded two more points. Starting down in the second period, Oddo quickly escaped and then downed Patrick, who was not able to escape this time around as Oddo earned the pin at the 4:46 mark to put The Citadel in front, 15-3.
"It's nice to get a team win here to start the conference season," said Oddo. "We have had a very challenging schedule early on that has prepared us to get to this point. Hopefully the win will propel us towards some of our goals as we head into the new year."
Justin Sparrow came out of gate quickly for the Bulldogs at 184 as he took down Davidson's Ike Crews and then nearly pinned the Wildcat to move ahead, 5-0. Another nearfall would give Sparrow a 7-0 advantage to end the first period. A late takedown in the second period increased Sparrow's lead to 9-0. The third period saw Sparrow score another takedown, awarded a warning point and earned a point for riding time for a 13-0 major decision.
A forfeit by Davidson at 197 would give Kelby Smith the win and increase the Bulldogs' team lead to 25-3.
At heavyweight, Luke Johnson and Davidson's Charlie Wolff did not score in the opening period. Both grapplers would exchange escape points in the second and third periods and in overtime. A stalemate once again in the first tie-breaker, Wolff was finally able to wear down the freshman and earned a win with a takedown in the second tie-breaker, 5-3.
Turning over the line-up, Richard Alarcon quickly downed Davidson's Matt Zarth in the first period at 125 pounds. An escape by Zarth quickly turned into another takedown for Alarcon. A reversal by Zarth would cut the lead, but not to be outdone, Alarcon reversed back on Zarth to go up 6-3. Another takedown and nearfall for Alarcon put the Bulldog in front, 11-3, at the end of one period. Starting down in the second, Alarcon escaped and took down Zarth once again to move in front, 14-3. A late escape by Davidson would the lead to 14-4 heading to the third period. Another escape by Zarth and a riding time point for Alarcon would make the final score 15-5.
In the final and perhaps most anticipated match of the day, returning SoCon champion Alex Radsky of Davidson would square off with three-time SoCon placer Tyler Sim at 133 pounds. Radsky took down Sim late in the first period to move in front, 2-0. Starting down in the second period, Sim would escape, but another takedown by Radsky would move the Wildcat in front, 4-1. Another escape by Sim would quickly turn into the third takedown of the day by Radsky. Starting down in the third, Radsky escaped to move in front 7-2. A late takedown by Sim would cut into the defecit, but a reversal by Radsky, coupled with a riding time point would give Davidson the win, 10-4.
The Citadel 29, Davidson 9
141: Vitaly Radsky (DAV) dec. Jordan Dix (CIT), 8-4
149: Nick LaFevre (CIT) dec. Scott Ray (DAV), 5-0
157: Pierre Frazile (CIT) dec. Brent Mowry (DAV), 10-4
165: #14 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) dec. Tyler Mullen (DAV), 3-2
174: J.C. Oddo (CIT) pinned Scott Patrick (DAV), 4:46
184: Justin Sparrow (CIT) maj. dec. Ike Crews (DAV), 13-0
197: Kelby Smith (CIT) wins by forfeit
285: Charlie Wolff (DAV) dec. Luke Johnson (CIT), 5-3 TB2
125: Richard Alarcon (CIT) maj. dec. Matt Zarth (DAV), 15-5
133: Alex Radsky (DAV) dec. Tyler Sim (CIT), 10-4
The Bulldogs return to action on Dec. 29 and 30 at the annual Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. For more information on Bulldog Wrestling, visit CitadelSports.com.
Mocs Finish Sixth at the Reno TOC
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team competed in the Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev., today. The Mocs finished sixth overall among the 30 collegiate teams participating. Junior Jason McCroskey's (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) fourth place finish at 184 led four Mocs who advanced to the medal rounds.
Ranked No. 20 in the nation and seeded No. 5 in the tournament, McCroskey won his first three matches, all by decisions, as he advanced to the semifinals of the main bracket. There he took on Wyoming's Joe LeBlanc, ranked No. 1 in the nation at 184. McCroskey lost that match when he was pinned at 1:29.
In the wrestleback, McCroskey pinned Cal State Fullerton's Todd Noel to advance to the third place match. There he fell to Buffalo's Jimmy Hamel in a 5-3 decision. McCroskey improves to 14-6 on the year with five of his losses coming against ranked opponents.
Senior Cody Cleveland (Tullahoma, Tenn.), ranked No. 7 in the nation and seeded No. 3 in the tournament, was cruising through the 141 bracket before he was sidelined with a hamstring injury. He posted three-straight pins to improve to 5-0 on the year before pulling out of the semifinals of the main draw. He managed a sixth place showing by default.
Sophomore Prescott Garner (West Linn, Ore.) earned a No. 6 seed at 125. He advanced to the quarters of the main draw before falling to No. 3 seed Trent Sprenkle in a tight 7-6 decision. He went 2-2 in the wrestleback to finish in sixth place and improve to 14-7 on the year.
Sophomore Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.) fought his way through the consolation brackets to finish sixth at 197. He lost his second match of the day to Buffalo's Josh Peter 7-6 to put him in the wrestleback. He posted back-to-back wins to put himself in position for the strong finish.
Other Mocs who competed in the event include freshman Joe DeAngelo (Mebane, N.C.) at 125, sophomore Dean Pavlou (Cleveland, Tenn.) at 149, sophomore Josh Condon (Powder Springs, Ga.) and junior Dan Waddell (Chattanooga, Tenn.) at 157, junior Brandon Wright (Germantown, Tenn.) at 165, freshman Levi Clemons (Kissimmee, Fla.) at 174 and sophomore Robert Prigmore (Southlake, Texas) at 285.
UTC will take a few weeks off from competition for the Christmas Break. The Mocs are back on the mat on Jan. 3 when they travel to Ohio University for a 6:00 p.m. (E.D.T.) match with the Bobcats.
Mocs Fall at Stanford, 20-17
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team dropped a hard-fought match at Stanford 20-17 tonight. The Mocs fell behind early and could not complete the comeback in the loss. UTC drops to 4-6 on the year while the Cardinal improves to 3-5 overall.
Chattanooga got in an early 9-0 hole after giving up a decision and a fall in the first two matches. Action began at 165 with junior Brandon Wright (Germantown, Tenn.) falling to Lucas Espericueta 9-6. Freshman Levi Clemons (Kissimmee, Fla.) was pinned less than two minutes into his 174 match with fourth-ranked Nick Amuchastegui.
The Mocs then reeled off three straight wins, starting with junior Jason McCroskey (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) at 184. The 20th-ranked McCroskey posted a 2-0 decision over Spence Patrick to close the gap in the team score to 9-3. He scored an escape and riding time to get the low-scoring win, improving to 10-4 on the year.
Sophomore Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.) scored bonus points with his 15-3 major decision at 197. That made the team score 9-7 for the Cardinal. Brown is now 9-4, with wins in five of his last six matches.
Sophomore Robert Prigmore (Southlake, Texas) was the surprise of the event. He competes a 197, but moved up to heavyweight to replace injured starting senior Matt Lettner (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.). Prigmore gave the Mocs the lead at 11-9 with his 11-0 major decision shutout against Stanford's Alan Yen.
Stanford took the next two matches, beginning with No. 10 Ryan Mango's 15-8 win over sophomore Prescott Garner (West Linn, Ore.) at 125. Garner actually trailed just 8-7 before he was outscored 7-1 down the stretch. The Cardinal regained the lead, 12-11, and did not let it go the rest of the way.
UTC's final win came at 141 when senior Cody Cleveland (Tullahoma, Tenn.) posted a 9-2 decision. Ranked No. 7 in the nation, Cleveland improved to 3-0 on the year, closing the team gap to 16-14 in favor of Stanford.
With two matches left, sophomore Dean Pavlou (Cleveland, Tenn.) needed to post some points in his 149 match. However, he gave up a major decision to Timmy Boone, giving the Cardinal a 20-14 lead with one match left.
Sophomore Josh Condon (Powder Springs, Ga.) needed to pin Mike Kent at 157 to give UTC a tie. He did post a 7-4 decision, but that could not make up the difference. The final score stood 20-17 in favor of Stanford. It was Condon's team-leading 11th win of the year against just two losses.
The Mocs will now travel to Reno, Nev., for the Reno Tournament of Champions. The all day event is set for Sunday, Dec. 19. Be sure to check back to GoMocs.com for updates. Fans can also follow the Mocs on the wrestling Twitter page, www.twitter.com/utcwrestling, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/utcwrestling.
Stanford 20, Chattanooga 17
165: Lucas Espericueta (Stanford) - Dec. 9-6 - Brandon Wright (UTC) - Stanford 3-0
174: No. 4 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) - Fall 1:27 - Levi Clemons (UTC) - Stanford 9-0
184: Jason McCroskey (UTC) - Dec. 2-0 - Spence Patrick (Stanford) - Stanford 9-3
197: Niko Brown (UTC) - MD 15-3 - Dan Scherer (Stanford) - Stanford 9-7
HWT: Robert Prigmore (UTC) - MD 11-0 - Alan Yen (Stanford) - UTC 11-9
125: No. 10 Ryan Mango (Stanford) - Dec. 15-8 - Prescott Garner (UTC) - Stanford 12-11
133: Justin Paulsen (Stanford) - MD 13-5 - Joe DeAngelo (UTC) - Stanford 16-11
141: No. 7 Cody Cleveland (UTC) - Dec. 9-2 - Jordan Gray (Stanford) - Stanford 16-14
149: Timmy Boone (Stanford) - MD 11-3 - Dean Pavlou (UTC) - Stanford 20-14
157: Josh Condon (UTC) - Dec 7-4 - Mike Kent (Stanford) - Stanford 20-17
Two ASU Wrestlers Place at Reno Tournament of Champions
RENO, Nev.- Appalachian State University wrestling (3-4) had two wrestlers place at the 17th-annual Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday at the prestigious event in Reno, Nev.
Both juniors Kyle Blevins (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa) and Savva Kostis (Boone, N.C./Watauga) placed third and fifth, respectively in the wrestleback round of the tournament to earn major points for the Mountaineers.
Blevins, who was one of two Apps to earn a seed in tournament, started off his Sunday with a 6-4 decision over Donnie Jones from West Virginia. The #4 seed then defeated Jameon Rush of Hastings by fall in 4:32 in his second match. Blevins took care of #5-seed John-Martin Cannon of Buffalo, 4-1, before he ran into overall 165-pound top-seed Shane Onufer (Wyoming) and was beat by fall in 1:38. After the loss, Blevins entered the wrestleback round of the tournament where he earned decisions over Chad Porter of Liberty by forfeit and Thomas Scotton (North Carolina), 5-2 to claim third place.
Kostis rattled off back-to-back decisions at 149 by fall before he upset #6-seed Anthony Weerheim of Northern Montana State, 7-3 in his third match of the afternoon. Kostis was then taken down by fall by #3-seeded Cole Dallasera (Wyoming) in 2:25 to send the Boone-native into the wrestleback portion of the tournament. Kostis won his first two matches of the round before he ran into #4-seed Justin Gaethje from Northern Colorado, where he was defeated by fall in 1:42. Kostis proceeded on to the fifth-place match and beat Brad Squire (Ohio) by forfeit to earn fifth place.
Sophomores Brett Boston (Morganton, N.C./Freedom) and Tony Gravely (Martinsville, Va./Magna Vista) and juniors Mike Kessler (Bay City, Mich./Western) and #3-seeded Austin Trotman (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) each recorded multiple wins during the tournament.
As a team, the Mountaineers earned 13th place out of 30 teams with 50.2 points.
Appalachian returns to action on Dec. 29-30 at the Southern Scuffle hosted by UNC Greensboro.