Gardner-Webb
takes sixth at Brute Invitational
LOCK
HAVEN, Pa. – After a slow start to the day across the board, the
Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldog grapplers responded with a slew of victories to
take sixth place overall as a team and see five total wrestlers place in their
respective weight classes at the 2012 Brute Invitational hosted by Lock Haven
University on Saturday.
As a team, the Runnin’ Bulldogs totaled 68.0 points to finish in sixth,
5.5 points behind George Mason, who finished in fifth place with 73.5 points.
Highlighting the day for the Runnin’ Bulldogs was redshirt senior Alex
Medved (5-1), who took third place overall at 157 pounds, making him the
highest finisher for GWU at the one-day event.
Wrestling unattached for the first time all season long, freshman Hunter
Gamble (4-2) did not let the Runnin’ Bulldogs down, as he posted a fourth-place
finish at 174 pounds.
Posting a fourth-place finish at 285 pounds for GWU was redshirt senior
Travis Porter (4-2). Porter rebounded from a first round 4-1 loss to Henry
Turner of Lock Haven to win four straight bouts in the wrestleback bracket to
advance to the third-place match.
At 197 pounds, redshirt senior Blake (Vincent) Salyer (3-2) earned a
fifth-place finish as his two losses came to the third- and fourth-place
finishers overall.
Earning a sixth-place finish at 133 pounds was redshirt sophomore Robbie
Golde (3-3).
Also posting multiple wins on the day was sophomore Davante Andujar (2-2)
at 141 pounds, as he earned a 2-0 shutout win over Jonathon Childress of Lock
Haven in the championship bracket and a 13-3 major decision win over David
Barbar of Sacred Heart in the wrestleback rounds.
Freshman Gray Jones went 1-2 at 184 pounds and Miguel Gordon went 1-2 at
174. Tyler Ziegler (133 pounds) and Justin Guthrie (165) also competed on the
day, yet failed to record wins in their respective weight classes.
GWU will have a 14-day break before returning to action on Saturday, Jan.
12, when the Runnin’ Bulldogs will host the Wolfpack of NC State in dual-match
action at 6 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena in Boiling Springs, N.C.
VMI
finishes 11th at Brute Invitational
LOCK
HAVEN, Pa. – After nearly a month away from action on the mat,
the Virginia Military Institute wrestling team got a big effort from Urayoan
Garcia at the Brute Invitational as the 197-pounder grabbed fourth place at the
event.
Garcia reached the third-place bout for a second time at Saturday’s
event, hosted by Lock Haven University. The sophomore split his results on the
day, winning two matches but stumbling twice.
In a competitive field of 13 schools, the Keydets racked up 42.0 team
points, finishing 11th overall. Bloomsburg University was crowned the team
champion (198.5), while Kent State University (154.5) took second and host Lock
Haven nabbed third (136.0).
Garcia, who took third at the Wolfpack Open in November, started his day
with a decisive 8-4 decision over Phil Sprenkle of Lock Haven. In the second
round, however, Richard Perry, the weight’s eventual champion, pinned Garcia.
The New Jersey native responded in the consolation semifinals, besting Southern
Conference foe Vincent Salyer of Gardner-Webb University with a win by fall in
the third round, sticking the Bulldog in 5:30.
Third place was not in the cards for Garcia however, who was edged 4-3 by
Matt Meadows in the third-place bout.
At 184 pounds, Jonathan Jones represented VMI well, reaching the
consolation semifinals. After a first-round bye, Jones pulled an impressive
upset of the tournament’s second-seed, Fred Garcia, pinning the eventual
third-place finisher from Lock Haven in the middle of the second round.
However, Jones fell in his next two bouts, dropping a 12-2 major decision
against Sam Wheeler of Kent State and suffered a 7-1 defeat against Old
Dominion’s Austin Coburn.
The Keydets return to the mat on Jan. 9 as they open SoCon action at
Campbell University. Match time is slated for 5 p.m. at the Camels’ John W.
Pope Jr. Convocation Center.