Mocs Clinch at Least a Share of SoCon Championship
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga scored two big wins "Senior Day" at Maclellan Gym today. First, the Mocs wrapped up at least a tie for their sixth-straight Southern Conference title with a 30-9 win over Appalachian State (7-10, 1-2 SoCon). UTC (10-6, 4-0 SoCon) then stunned Northern Iowa (7-11, 3-3 WWC) with a 16-15 comeback win.
In the first match of the day, the Mocs dominated the visiting Mountaineers. Freshman Niko Brown opened at 197 with a 10-7 win over Dylan Temple. UTC went up 6-0 when junior Tom Minwell scored a 6-2 decision in the heavyweight match.
Chattanooga scored its first bonus points when sophomore Demetrius Johnson pinned Tony Gravely at 125. Gravely surprised Johnson with a takedown in the first period and took an early lead. However, Johnson took control of the match and scored his second pin of the year.
Senior Josh Statum was the only Moc competing in his final home match today. He moved to 4-0 in SoCon action this season with his shutout against Jacob Earp 4-0. Sophomore Ben Johnson scored his first win in three tries this season. He logged a 9-4 decision over Chris Collura at 141.
Savva Kostis finally got Appalachian State on the board with his pin over freshman Dean Pavlou. Leading 18-6, freshman Josh Condon put away thoughts of an ASU comeback with a pin over Chip Powell at 157. Sophomore Brandon Wright secured the win with a hard-fought 4-3 decision over Kyle Blevins to put the match out of reach at 27-6. UTC split the final two matches with freshman Jake Young winning at 174 and sophomore Jason McCroskey falling at 184.
Chattanooga improved to 4-0 in SoCon action with the win. They hold a one-game lead over UNC Greensboro who is 3-1 in league play. Both teams still have to face VMI before the end of the SoCon regular season.
Northern Iowa and Appalachian State wrestled in the second match of the day with the Panthers also posting a 30-9 win. That win by UNI set-up the much-anticipated finale with UTC.
Dustin Bauman gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead with his 10-5 decision over Brown at 197. The next match was one of many exciting bouts in the dual meet. Minwell jumped out to a surprising 4-2 lead after two periods against Christian Brantley. He quickly moved ahead 5-2 after an escape to begin the third, but Brantley turned on the offense. Brantley scored three straight takedowns and took an 8-7 lead with 10 seconds left. Minwell owned the riding time point and Brantley could have stayed on top and forced overtime. However, he let Minwell up to tie the score at 8-8. Brantley scored the winning takedown at the buzzer to put UNI up 6-3.
Another nail-biter took place at 125 between Johnson and Caleb Flores. Neither was able to get any offense going in the match and the score was tied at 1-1 after three periods. Johnson finally got the win with a takedown in overtime.
Statum kept up his impressive afternoon, holding on for a tough 4-3 decision over Joey Lazor to tie the match at 6-6. Ben Johnson got his second win of the year with his 5-2 win at 141 over Charlie Ettleson. That win gave UTC its first lead at 9-6.
The Panthers tied it up at 9-9 when Trent Washington posted a 10-3 win over Pavlou at 149. Pavlou battled hard and scored a late takedown to keep the Panthers from taking the lead on bonus points. Tyson Reiner's 8-3 win over Condon at 157 gave UNI a 12-9 lead.
Wright battled David Bonin to a 1-1 tie after two periods in a match the Mocs' needed to even the score. Wright secured the 3-1 win with a takedown in the third period to knot the team total at 12-12.
Northern Iowa returned the favor at 174 when Jarion Beats took down Young in the third period for a 3-1. That left the Mocs trailing 15-12 heading into the last match between McCroskey and Scott Hazen.
McCroskey, the 2009 SoCon Freshman of the Year, had struggled as of late, dropping three of his last four matches. Needing bonus points to secure the win, McCroskey dominated Hazen, posting a four-point major decision with a 14-0 win.
Chattanooga will next travel to No. 10 Oklahoma on Friday, Feb. 12 before closing out the regular season at VMI on Feb. 18.
Chattanooga 30 - Appalachian State 9
197: Nikolas Brown (UTC) - Dec. 10-7 - Dylan Temple (ASU) - UTC 3-0
285: Tom Minwell (UTC) - Dec. 6-2 - Kenneth Altarac (ASU) - UTC 6-0
125: Demetrius Johnson (UTC) - Fall (4:53) - Tony Gravely (ASU) - UTC 12-0
133: Josh Statum (UTC) - Dec. 4-0 - Jacob Earp (ASU) - UTC 15-0
141: Ben Johnson (UTC) - Dec. 9-4 - Chris Collura (ASU) - UTC 18-0
149: Savva Kostis (ASU) - Fall (4:33) - Dean Pavlou (UTC) - UTC 18-6
157: Josh Condon (UTC) - Fall (4:32) - William Powell (ASU) - UTC 24-6
165: Brandon Wright (UTC) - Dec. 4-3 - Kyle Blevins (ASU) - UTC 27-6
174: Jake Young (UTC) - Dec. 6-2 - Andrew Downs (ASU) - UTC 30-6
184: Austin Trotman (ASU) - Dec. 9-4 - Jason McCroskey (UTC) - UTC 30-9
Chattanooga 16, Northern Iowa 15
197: Dustin Bauman (UNI) - Dec. 10-5 - Niko Brown (UTC) - UNI 3-0
285: Christian Brantley (UNI) - Dec. 10-8 - Tom Minwell (UTC) - UNI 6-0
125: Demetrius Johnson (UTC) - Dec. 3-1 (OT) - Caleb Flores (UNI) - UNI 6-3
133: Josh Statum (UTC) - Dec. 4-3 - Joey Lazor (UNI) - 6-6
141: Ben Johnson (UTC) - Dec. 5-2 - Charlie Ettleson (UNI) - UTC 9-6
149: Trent Washington (UNI) - Dec. 10-3 - Dean Pavlou (UTC) - 9-9
157: Tyson Reiner (UNI) - Dec. 8-3 Josh Condon (UTC) - UNI 12-9
165: Brandon Wright (UTC) - Dec. 3-1 - David Bonin (UNI) - 12-12
174: Jarion Beats (UNI) - Dec. 3-1 - Jake Young (UTC) - UNI 15-12
184: Jason McCroskey (UTC) - Dec. 14-0 - Scott Hazen (UNI) - UTC 16-15
Bulldogs Finish Third at All-Academy Championships, Place Seven Wrestlers
Annapolis, Md. - The Citadel wrestling team finished third at the 16th annual All-Academy Championships on Saturday in front of a limited crowd that braved the more than 20 inches of snow that blasted the Eastern seaboard.
Navy hosted the annual event that featured all of the regular military schools with the exception of Army, who opted out of competing at any athletic events in the Annapolis area over the weekend. The Bulldogs featured seven placers, including a champion, on their way to a third place team finish. Air Force narrowly beat out The Citadel for second place, while the host Midshipmen ran away with the tournament.
Odie Delaney earned the heavyweight crown after he pulled the upset of VMI's Josh Wine in the semifinals. Wine beat Delaney earlier this year in the two teams' dual meet in Charleston. The Keydets heavyweight is the two-time defending SoCon champion and NCAA qualifier and was undefeated this year at 16-0 and ranked nationally before Delaney earned a 3-0 decision behind a takedown in the second period. Delaney earned the crown when Navy's top-seeded Scott Steele forefited the final due to injury.
Other notable performances for the Bulldogs included second place finishes by Derek Royster at 149 and J.C. Oddo at 174 pounds, who both went 2-1 on the day. Third place champions included Jordan Dix at 133, Turtogtokh Luvsandorj at 157 and Kelby Smith at 184. All three Cadets went 3-1 on the day's action. Nick LaFevre took fourth place at 141 after going 2-2. Richard Alarcon and Justin Sparrow also partcipated in this year's event.
The Bulldogs had a strong showing overall as they used seven pins, two each by Luvsandorj and Smith, to take an overall team lead after the opening round. Navy came on strong in the semifinals as all 10 weight classes featured a Midshipman wrestler and Air Force used a strong final round to narrowly slip past the Bulldogs to take second place.
The Citadel Results by Weight Class
125: Sam Sheppard (AFA) dec. Richard Alarcon (CIT), 9-5
125: Johnathan Pope (VMI) dec. Richard Alarcon (CIT), 5-4
133: Jordan Dix (CIT) pinned Ian Nisely (MMA), 2:24
133: Derek Gillespie (AFA) maj. dec. Jordan Dix (CIT), 14-4
133: Jordan Dix (CIT) tech. fall. Luke Todd (VMI), 17-0
133: Jordan Dix (CIT) dec. Andrew Armstrong (CGA), 9-2
Dix places third
141: Nick LaFevre (CIT) BYE
141: Matt Pagan (NAV) dec. Nick LaFevre (CIT), 4-1
141: Nick LaFevre (CIT) pinned Garrick Skubon (MMA), 4:26
141: David Yost (VMI) dec. Nick LaFevre, 4-2
LaFevre places fourth
149: Derek Royster (CIT) tech. fall Curtis Hayes (CGA), 16-0; 2:31
149: Derek Royster (CIT) dec. Martin Bell (MMA), 9-3
149: Glen Shober (NAV) dec. Derek Royster (CIT), 8-3
Royster places second
157: Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) pinned Darren Stowe (AFA), 4:24
157: Bryce Saddoris (NAV) dec. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT), 4-1
157: Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) pinned Adam Edgerton (NOR), 4:44
157: Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (CIT) dec. Joseph Munno (VMI), 14-8
Luvsandorj places third
174: J.C. Oddo (CIT) pinned Will Stark (CGA), 1:25
174: Justin Diesel (MMA) dec. J.C. Oddo (CIT), 5-2
174: Mike Billings (NAV) dec. J.C. Oddo (CIT), 6-4
Oddo places second
184: Kelby Smith (CIT) pinned Vincent Gallo (VMI), 2:48
184: Andrew Buck (NAV) dec. Kelby Smith (CIT), 7-6
184: Kelby Smith (CIT) pinned Dan Pereira (CGA), 4:04
184: Kelby Smith (CIT) dec. Erik Schott (MMA). 10-6
Smith places third
197: Neil Delaney (AFA) dec. Justin Sparrow (CIT), 6-1
197: Ronnie Ellsworth (VMI) dec. Justin Sparrow (CIT), 3-2
HWT: Odie Delaney (CIT) med. forefit Raistlin Delisle (NOR)
HWT: Odie Delaney (CIT) dec. Josh Wine (VMI), 3-0
HWT: Odie Delaney (CIT) forefit win Scott Steele (NAV)
Delaney places first
Team Results
Navy (123.5)
Air Force (74.5)
The Citadel (70)
Merchant Marine (51)
VMI (47.5)
Coast Guard (10)
Norwich (0.5)
The Citadel returns to action on Sunday, Feb. 14 when they return home to McAlister Field House to take on Duke at 2 p.m.
VMI Wrestling Places Eight at All-Academy Championships
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The VMI wrestling team had eight placewinners at the 16th Annual USAA All-Academy Championships, contested at the Halsey Field House in Annapolis, Md. on Saturday.
Five Keydets managed third-place finishes in their weight classes, including John Pope (125 lbs.), David Yost (141 lbs.), Michael Long (149 lbs.), Conor Black (165 lbs.) and Josh Wine (285 lbs.). VMI also scored fourth-place showings from Joe Munno (157 lbs.), Andrew Szymborski (174 lbs.) and Ronnie Ellsworth (197 lbs.).
"We got off to a really poor start to the tournament," said VMI head coach John "Rocky" Trudgeon. "We just weren't sharp at all those first couple of rounds, and unfortunately, we paid the price in the team score. You score your points in the winner's bracket, and we didn't do that today. Later on, in the consolations, I thought we wrested well. We turned around some matches that we lost against The Citadel a couple of weeks ago. We advanced eight to the third-place matches and won five of them. We just have to get back at it, watch the tape, see the mistakes we made and correct them. Hopefully we learned some lessons today, and we need a good week of practice to get ready for two big SoCon matches next weekend."
Navy captured the team title for the second year in a row, as the Midshipmen had finalists in each of the ten weight classes, including six champions. Air Force placed second in the team standings, just ahead of The Citadel. Merchant Marine placed fourth while claiming an individual champ for the second straight season, while VMI came in fifth. Coast Guard and Norwich rounded out the team standings, while Army was unable to make the trip to Annapolis due to weather concerns.
Pope's day began with a technical fall loss to eventual 125-pound champion Aaron Kalil of Navy, before he bounced back to avenge a defeat earlier this year to The Citadel's Richard Alarcon, winning 5-4 in the Consolation Semifinals. Pope then outlasted Merchant Marine's Jordan Alfaro, 8-6, winning the bout in the first sudden victory period to claim third place.
Yost started his day at 141 lbs. with a 4-1 defeat of Merchant Marine's Garrick Skubon, but then was pinned by eventual champ Cole VonOhlen of Air Force. In the consolation bracket, Yost defeated Coast Guard's Fred Green, 5-1, then knocked off The Citadel's Nick LaFevre, 4-2 after dropping a dual decision to the Bulldog last month.
Long's run at 149 lbs. began after the Keydet lost a 12-4 major decision to Navy's Glen Shober, who also went on to claim his bracket's title. Long then won a 10-3 decision over Norwich's Joe Eon to reach the Consolation Final, where he defeated Air Force's Gabe Martinez, 8-2.
Black lost a 7-2 decision in his first 165-pound match, sending him to the consolation bracket. There he was the recipient of a pair of medical forfeits, as both Norwich's Clayton Brittingham and Air Force's Justin Shadrix bowed out.
Wine pinned his first opponent of the day, Coast Guard's Paul Hah-Rauch, in 2:34, but then suffered his first loss of the season to a familiar opponent, falling 3-0 to The Citadel's Odie Delaney, who Wine defeated 12-5 just three weeks ago. Wine rebounded by pinning Merchant Marine's Judd Connell in 2:15, then scoring an 8-4 decision against Air Force's Steve Larson, bringing his record on the season to 17-1.
"Josh just didn't wrestle very well in the early match, and just didn't give himself a chance to win against a good opponent," said Trudgeon. "Josh came back and wrestled well against a couple of tough opponents, and that was good to see."
After Munno was pinned by eventual champ Bryce Saddoris at 157 pounds, but came back with a 15-3 major decision victory over Air Force's Darren Stowe and a 10-4 win over Coast Guard's Andy Snyder to reach the Consolation Finals. There, he dropped a decision to The Citadel's Turtogtokh Luvsandorj for the second time in a month, this time falling 14-8.
Szymborski was another Keydet to suffer a first-round loss to his bracket's eventual champ, as Navy's Mike Billings won a 6-1 decision. Szymborski won a 3-1 decision over Merchant Marine's Justin Diesel to reach the third-place match, but was forced into a medical forfeit, ending his run at 174 pounds.
Ellsworth opened his day with an 8-3 dispatching of Coast Guard's Troy Robison, but was then pinned by Navy's Charles Carafano in the Championship Semifinals. Ellsworth came back with a 3-2 decision over The Citadel's Justin Sparrow, but then fell 3-1 to Air Force's Neil Delaney to finish his day.
Each Keydet competing on the day won a match, as both Luke Todd (133 lbs.) and Vinnie Gallo (184 lbs.) claimed victories. Todd won a 14-6 major decision against Norwich's John Dasilva, while Gallo's lone win of the day came via pin, taking down Norwich's Michael Monica in 2:24.
The Keydets return to action next weekend, taking on two SoCon opponents on back-to-back days. VMI will travel to UNC Greensboro on Saturday, Feb. 13, then take on Appalachian State on Sunday afternoon.
ASU Wrestling Shut Down by Chattanooga and Northern Iowa
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Appalachian State University wrestling had their five match winning streak snapped as the Mountaineers fell to Chattanooga 30-9 Saturday afternoon at Chattanooga. The Apps fell to Northern Iowa in their second match of the day, 30-9.
The Mocs won the first five matches on the day en route to their 29th straight win in Southern Conference play. Chattanooga moves to 9-6 overall and 4-0 in the Southern Conference. The win clinches at least a share of Chattanooga’s sixth straight SoCon Championship. With the loss, ASU falls to 7-9 overall and 1-2 in the SoCon
The tone for the day was set when Nikolas Brown defeated Dylan Temple 10-7 in a hard fought match. UTC got its second straight win when Tom Minwell got a 6-2 decision over Ken Altarac.
Demetrius Johnson got a pinfall win at 125 pounds over Tony Gravely and Josh Statum and Bennett Johnson got back-to-back decisions for the Mocs.
Savva Kostis trailed UTC’s Dean Pavlou 6-3 before reversing Pavlou and earning the pin for ASU’s first six points of the match. With the win, Kostis earned his 18th win of the season, which is tied for the team lead.
Josh Condon got a bounce back win for Chattanooga with a pin over Chip Powell. The Mocs clinched the win when No. 19 Brandon Wright grabbed a 4-3 decision over Kyle Blevins.
Austin Trotman ended the match for ASU on a winning note, defeating Jason McCroskey 9-4.
The Mountaineers’ took a quick 3-0 lead on Northern Iowa when Temple earned a 6-2 decision over Dustin Bauman.
The Panthers won the next six matches to take a commanding 27-3 lead. Blevins broke the Panthers’ streak with a 5-3 overtime decision over David Bonin.
Trotman ended the match with his second win of the night, this one an 11-4 win over Scott Hazen.
With the pair of losses, ASU falls to 7-10 on the year. ASU returns home on Tuesday night to host Davidson at 6 p.m.
Chattanooga 30 Appalachian State 9
197- Nikolas Brown (UTC) dec. Dylan Temple (ASU) 10-7 UTC 3-0
285- Tom Minwell (UTC) dec. Ken Altarac (ASU) 6-2 UTC 6-0
125- Demetrius Johnson (UTC) Fall Tony Gravely (ASU) 4:53 UTC 12-0
133- Josh Statum (UTC) dec. Jacob Earp (ASU) 4-0 UTC 15-0
141- Bennett Johnson (UTC) dec. Chris Collura (ASU) UTC 18-0
149- Savva Kostis (ASU) Fall Dean Pavlou (UTC) 4:33 UTC 18-6
157- Josh Condon (UTC) Fall Chip Powell (ASU) 4:32 UTC 24-6
165- Brandon Wright (UTC) dec. Kyle Blevins (ASU) 4-3 UTC 27-6
174- Jake Young (UTC) dec. Carter Downs (ASU) 6-2 UTC 30-6
184- Austin Trotman (ASU) dec. Jason McCroskey (UTC) 9-4 UTC 30-9
Northern Iowa 30 ? Appalachian State 9
197: Dylan Temple (ASU) ? Dec. 6-2 - Dustin Bauman (UNI) - ASU 3-0
285: Christian Brantley (UNI) ? Dec. 10-3 - Ken Altarac (ASU) ? 3-3
125: Caleb Flores (UNI) ? TF (7:00) - Tony Gravely (ASU) ? UNI 8-3
133: Joey Lazor (UNI) ? MD 12-4 - Jacob Earp (ASU) ? UNI 12-3
141: Charlie Ettelson (UNI) ? Fall (2:56) - Chris Collura (ASU) ? UNI 18-3
149: Trent Washington (UNI) ? MD 15-5 - Savva Kostis (ASU) ? UNI 22-3
157: Tyson Reiner (UNI) ? TF (6:44) - Chip Powell (ASU) ? UNI 27-3
165: Kyle Blevins (ASU) ? Dec. 5-3 (OT) ? David Bonin (UNI) ? UNI 27-6
174: Jarion Beets (UNI) ? Dec. 8-2 - Carter Downs (ASU) ? UNI 30-6
184: Austin Trotman (ASU) ? Dec. 11-4 - Scott Hazen (UNI) ? UNI 30-9
UNCG Wrestling at George Mason tri-dual cancelled
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Due to inclement weather in the Fairfax, Va. area this weekend, the wrestling team will not travel to George Mason for the tri-dual with the Patriots and American University.
The team will return to competition on Wednesday as they travel to NC State for a 7:30 p.m. match as UNCG looks to make it three-straight wins over the Wolfpack.