Mocs Upset No. 12 Stanford to Split Dual Matches Today

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team posted a huge 22-15 win over No. 12 Stanford in Maclellan Gym today. The Mocs also battled hard against a tough Central Michigan team before falling 24-8.

Chattanooga hosted the tri-meet with a crowd of nearly 800 attending the matches. Central Michigan opened the afternoon with a 22-13 win over the Cardinal. Chattanooga then took on Stanford with senior Demetrius Johnson (Memphis, Tenn.) leading off at 125 for his first action of the season. Despite wrestling with an injured knee, he posted his first win of the year, a 5-0 decision over Matt Sencenbaugh.

"It was a good day. It could have been a great day because we were right in that second one," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "I am proud of the guys. I am extremely proud of Demetrius Johnson at 125 for overcoming some injuries. He put himself out on the line for our team and really won us the dual meet. He started us off right and got us some energy going."

True freshman Nick Soto (Spring Hill, Fla.) got the crowd behind him with his aggressive style in the opening period against All-American and sixth-ranked Ryan Mango at 133. Mango proved to be too much in the end, winning a 14-6 major decision, but the fans in attendance appreciated Soto's effort.

Ahead 4-3 after the bonus point, that was the only lead for Stanford in the dual. Sophomore Shawn Greevy (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) gave UTC the lead right back with his 8-4 win over Alex Manley at 141. Senior Kelly Felix (Franklin, Tenn.) followed that up with a 4-1 win over Timmy Boone at 149.

Senior Dan Waddell (Chattanooga, Tenn.) gave UTC a bonus point of its own when he posted a 10-2 major decision over Josh Lauderdale at 157, increasing the Mocs' advantage to 13-4. Senior Brandon Wright (Germantown, Tenn.) added to that lead with a 4-1 win over Matt Schneider at 165.

Josh Condon (Powder Springs, Ga.) had his hands full at 174, taking on All-American and No. 1-ranked Nick Amuchastegui. Condon battled throughout the match and avoided the pin, but gave up five points on a technical fall. Add in a win for the Cardinal at 184 and Chattanooga's lead shrunk to 16-12 with two matches remaining.

Junior Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.) stepped out to face Alen Yen in the 197 match. Less than two minutes into the match, Brown clinched the dual with a pin (1:55). It was his team-high third pin of the year for Brown who improves to 5-2 overall. Chattanooga freshman Kevin Malone (Carrollton, Ohio) dropped the heavyweight match, ending the dual the score 22-15 in favor of the Mocs.

UTC knew Central Michigan would be a tough opponent with four individuals ranked in the top-10. The match was much closer than the final score with Chattanooga dropping five matches by two points or less.

"I thought we did a good job of winning the close matches against Stanford and I thought Central Michigan did a good job of winning the close matches against us," added Eslinger. "There were five one (or two)-point matches (against CMU) and if we win three of them we win that dual meet."

Having just returned from a knee-injury, Johnson was not scheduled to go at 125 in the second match. True freshman Cole Gallagher (Davidsonville, Md.) took his place and dropped a tough major decision to Joe Roth (12-3). Soto posted a strong win over Tyler Keselring at 133 to close the team score to 4-3.

Greevy had a gutsy performance at 141 against No. 20 Scott Mattingly. Early in the match, he twisted his knee and was in serious pain. It looked like he was unable to continue, but rather than surrender the full six points, he limped back out to the mat. Mattingly chose down after the injury time, but Greevy shocked the crowd with a reversal. He nearly pulled off the upset with a pin, coming away with two back points. That was all the scoring he could muster on one good leg, but he did not give up any bonus points in the 8-4 loss.

Felix closed the gap to 7-6 with a decision at 149, but things got chippy following the match. Both he and CMU's Joey Kielbasa cost their team one point each with unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

The Chippewas would take the next three matches by one point each to open a 15-5 lead. A technical fall by CMU at 184 clinched its second team win of the day. Brown capped off an impressive afternoon with his second win at 197 for UTC, but it was not enough.

"We are alright," said Eslinger. "There is a lot of time left and we will keep getting better. I think we have made progress in the last two weeks and we will keep making those two-week progressions."

UTC moves to 2-2 on the year while Stanford falls to 4-3 and Central Michigan improves to 2-0. The Mocs are back in action on Monday, Dec. 12 when they host Ohio at 6:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) in Maclellan Gym.

Chattanooga 22, No. 12 Stanford 15
125: Demetrius Johnson (UTC) - Dec. 5-0 - Matt Sencenbaugh (Stanford) - UTC 3-0
133: No. 6 Ryan Mangno (Stanford) - MD 14-6 - Nick Soto (UTC) - Stanford 4-3
141: Shawn Greevy (UTC) - Dec. 8-4 -Alex Manley (Stanford) - UTC 6-4
149: Kelly Felix (UTC) - Dec. 4-1 - Timmy Boone (Stanford) - UTC 9-4
157: Dan Waddell (UTC) - MD 10-2 - Josh Lauderdale (Stanford) - UTC 13-4
165: Brandon Wright (UTC) - Dec. 4-1 - Matt Schneider (Stanford) - UTC 16-4
174: No. 1 Nick Amuchastegui (Stanford) - Tec. Fall - 7:00 (17-2) - Josh Condon (UTC) - UTC 16-9
184: Spence Patrick (Stanford) - Dec. 6-2 - Robert Prigmore (UTC) - UTC 16-12
197: Niko Brown (UTC) - Fall 1:55 - Alen Yen (Stanford) - UTC 22-12
285: Dan Scherer (Stanford) - Dec. 2-0 - Kevin Malone (UTC) - UTC 22-15

Central Michigan 24, Chattanooga 8
125: Joe Roth (CMU) - MD - 12-3 - Cole Gallagher (UTC) - CMU 4-0
133: Nick Soto (UTC) - Dec. 4-1 - Tyler Keselring (CMU) - CMU 4-3
141: No. 20 Scott Mattingly (CMU) - Dec. 11-9 - Shawn Greevy (UTC) - CMU 7-3
149: Kelly Felix (UTC) - Dec. 4-2 - Joey Kielbasa (CMU) - CMU 7-6
One point deduction to each team for unsportsmanlike conduct - CMU 6-5
157: No. 20 Donnie Kirby (CMU) - Dec. 3-2 - Dan Waddell (UTC) - CMU 9-5
165: Mike Ottinger (CMU) - Dec. 3-2 - Brandon Wright (UTC) - CMU 12-5
174: Anthony Brill (CMU) - Dec. 6-5 - Levi Clemons (UTC) - CMU 15-5
184: No. 9 Ben Bennett (CMU) - Tec. Fall 4:12 (15-0) - Robert Prigmore (UTC) - CMU 20-5
197: Niko Brown (UTC) - Dec. 5-3 - Chad Friend (CMU) - CMU 20-8
285: No. 15 Peter Sturgeon (CMU) - MD 10-2 - Kevin Malone (UTC) - CMU 24-8

 

Two Appalachian Wrestlers Win Titles at Keystone Classic

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Two Mountaineers came away with titles and four others were place-winners as Appalachian State wrestling had a successful day at the 2011 Keystone Classic hosted by Pennsylvania at the Palestra on Sunday. Top seeds Kyle Blevins (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa) and Austin Trotman (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) successfully navigated their respective brackets to win championships against teams from around the country.

Twenty Apps took part in the event, joined by 10 other teams including No. 7 American, No. 16 Penn and No. 24 Northwestern.

At 184 pounds No. 11 Trotman cruised through his first two matches, downing Boston's Mike Wrin (MD, 16-5) and dismissing fifth-seeded Ophir Bernstein of Brown (TF, 22-7, 7:00).

Trotman faced second-seed Cameron Croy (Harvard) in the final and came out firing, building a 4-2 lead on two first-period takedowns. Croy earned a second period takedown and leveled the score with a quick third-period escape, leaving Trotman hanging with only 45 seconds of riding accumulation, and the pair went to sudden victory. In the extra period, it took Trotman just six seconds to notch a takedown, and the senior captured his second tournament crown of the season.

No. 19 Blevins was not as dominant at 165 pounds but was equally successful in his early-round bouts. The senior earned major decisions in each of his first two matches and defeated fifth-seed Kevin Bialka of Northwestern with an 8-2 decision in the semifinal.

Facing his final opponent, third seed Lorenzo Thomas of Penn, Blevins took an early lead with a quick takedown in the first period and extended the advantage to 7-3 in the second. Thomas responded with a takedown and opened the third period with an escape to narrow the gap to 7-6. In the end, Thomas ran out of time, and Blevins secured the decision and the title.

Chip Powell, the fifth-seed at 157 pounds, followed an opening-round 40-second pin with a 17-0 technical fall in the second round. In the semifinal, nationally-ranked No. 7 Walter Peppelman of Harvard edged the senior, 4-1. Powell rebounded to earn two more wins to end the day in third place.

Rounding out the Mountaineers' placewinners, 125-pounder Tony Gravely (Martinsville, Va./Magna Vista), 149-pounder Mike Kessler (Bay City, Mich./Western) and 149-pounder Savva Kostis (Boone, N.C./Watauga) advanced to the final session of matches. Final results will be posted at GoASU.com when they are available.

Following Sunday's outing, the Mountaineers will have some time off and next take the mat for their first Division I dual opponent, Virginia Tech, with a match on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. in Blacksburg, Va.

 

Brock Brings Home Third at 174 Pounds During the Keystone Classic

PHILADELPHIA - Senior VMI wrestler Matthew Brock wrestled his way on to the podium this Sunday, claiming third place at the 2011 Keystone Classic, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania at the historic Plestra in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Keydet senior went 4-1 during the Classic, which featured 11 teams, including three nationally-ranked programs. After a first-round bye, Brock earned his first win of the day with a 2-0 decision over host Pennsylvania's Mike Steltenkamp. In the 174-pound quarterfinals, Brock cruised past Jeff Lemmer of Brown 4-1, earning a semifinal match up against the brackets top seed, Jimmy Resnick. Brock was relegated to the consolation bracket after falling to Resnick 7-1, but rebounded to reach the third-place bout.

In the wrestle back bracket, Brock pinned Princeton's Andrew Lowy in the second round, clocking his third win of the day at 2:59. Brock claimed a spot on the podium after blanking Penn's Ian Korb.

In the 141 pound bracket, Zeb Stewart reached the consolation quarterfinals, collecting a first-round major decision 10-2 over Penn's Zachary Ellis. In the second round, Stewart knocked out Alexis Wagner of Harvard with another major decision, this time 9-1.

Stewart was sent to the consolation bracket after top-seeded Matt Mariacher of American pulled out a 15-0 technical fall. In the consolation third round, Steward bounced back with an 11-6 decision over Brown's Zack Tannenbaum. But Stewart's afternoon was cut short in the consolation quarterfinals, falling to semifinalist and fifth-seeded Colin Shober of Northwestern 10-3.

At 149 pounds, David Yost, who was the No. 7 seed, also reached the quarterfinals. Yost fell in the first round 4-2 against Aaron Nestor of Rider 4-2, but won his next two matches in the consolation bracket. In the second round, Yost defeated Brown's Zach Kulczycki 12-8, followed up with a 5-2 win over VMI teammate Luke Todd. In the fourth round, Yost fell by technical fall against the weight class's fifth-seed, Colin Shober 10-3.

Northwestern claimed the team title, racking up 140 points, followed by Appalachian State with 97 points while Rider claimed third with 92.5 points.

The Keydets take a two-week hiatus before opening their home schedule on Dec. 2 against Franklin & Marshall. Action is set to begin in The Thunderdome of Cocke Hall at 7:30 p.m.

Agate:
2011 Keystone Classic - Host by University of Pennsylvania

141 Pounds:
First Round: Zeb Stewart (VMI) def. Zachary Ellis (Penn) Major Dec. 10-2
Second Round: Zeb Stewart (VMI) def. Alexis Wagner (Harvard) Major Dec. 9-1
Quarterfinals: #1 Matt Mariacher (American) def. Zeb Stewart (VMI) Tech. Fall 15-0
Consolation Third Round: Zeb Stewart (VMI) def. Zack Tannenbaum (Brown) dec. 11-6
Consolation Quarterfinals: #5 Colin Shober (Northwestern) def. Zeb Stewart (VMI) dec. 10-3

149 Pounds:
First Round: Aaron Nestor (Rider) def. #7 David Yost (VMI) Dec. 4-2
Consolation Second Round: #7 David Yost (VMI) def. Zach Kulczycki (Brown) Dec. 12-8
Consolation Third Round: #7 David Yost (VMI) def. Luke Todd (VMI) Dec. 5-2
Consolation Fourth Round: #3 Paul Liguori (Harvard) def. #7 David Yost (VMI) Tech. Fall 17-0

First Round: Luke Todd (VMI) bye
Second Round: #1 Kaleb Friedley (Northwestern) def. Luke Todd (VMI) Fall 0:45
Consolation Second Round: Luke Todd (VMI) bye
Consolation Third Round: #7 David Yost (VMI) def. Luke Todd (VMI) Dec. 5-2

157 Pounds:
First Round: Ted Gottwald (VMI) def. Max Lewin (Brown) Dec. 4-1
Second Round: #1 Walter Peppelman (Harvard) def. Ted Gottwald (VMI) Fall 0:08
Consolation Second Round: Dylan Marriott (Northwestern) def. (VMI) Major Dec. 13-4

165 Pounds:
First Round: Van Grimes (VMI) bye
Second Round: Brandon Lintner (Rider) def. Van Grimes (VMI) Fall 1:35
Consolation Second Round: Van Grimes (VMI) bye
Consolation Third Round: Pat Labuz (Brown) def. Van Grimes (VMI) Fall 4:27

First Round: Hardy Hendren (VMI) bye
Second Round: #4 Kyle Czarnecki (Boston U.) def. Hardy Hendren (VMI) Fall 4:14
Consolation First Round: Ryan Harding (Duke) def. Hardy Hendren (VMI) Fall 4:39

First Round: Jonathan Jones (VMI) bye
Second Round: #3 Lorenzo Thomas (Penn) def. Jonathan Jones (VMI) Fall 6:35
Consolation First Round: Mark Cirello (American) def. Jonathan Jones (VMI) Dec. 6-5

First Round: #7 Carry Joseph (VMI) bye
Second Round: #7 Carry Joseph (VMI) def. Richard Eva (Princeton) Dec. 7-2
Quarterfinals: #2 Pierce Harger (Northwestern) def. #7 Carry Joseph (VMI) Major Dec. 9-0
Consolation Third Round: Ryan Harding (Duke) def. #7 Carry Joseph (VMI) Fall 2:49

174 Pounds
First Round: Matthew Brock (VMI) bye
Second Round: Matthew Brock (VMI) def. Mike Steltenkamp (Penn) Dec. 2-0
Quarterfinals: Matthew Brock (VMI) def. Jeff Lemmer (Brown) Dec. 4-1
Semifinals: #1 Jimmy Resnick (Rider) def. Matthew Brock (VMI) Dec. 7-1
Consolation Semifinals: Matthew Brock (VMI) def. Andrew Lowy (Princeton) Fall 2:59
Third-Place Bout: Matthew Brock (VMI) def. Ian Korb (Penn) Dec. 5-0

285 Pounds:
First Round: #2 Blake Herrin (American) def. Andrew Embree (VMI) Major Dec. 12-4
Consolation First Round: Andrew Embree (VMI) def. Tyler Cowman (Brown) Dec. 8-2
Consolation Second Round: Andrew Embree (VMI) def. Brock Durfee (App. State) Dec. 6-3
Consolation Quarterfinals: #4 David Ng (Harvard) def. Andrew Embree (VMI) Dec. 9-4