Chattanooga edges The Citadel, 22-20

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team opened the Southern Conference portion of its 2013 schedule with 22-20 win over The Citadel on Sunday. The Mocs treated the Legends Weekend crowd to a hard-fought battle over a talented Bulldog team, improving to 5-6 overall and 1-0 in league action.

Nearly 600 fans filled Maclellan Gym to see the Mocs honor the Jim Morgan era of UTC wrestling. And just like so many of Coach Morgan's championship squads, it took a full team effort to pull out the win Sunday.

The Mocs started strong behind a 12-3 major decision win from sophomore Nick Soto. Ranked as high as No. 18 in the nation at 125, Soto defeated Joaquin Marquez to improve to 18-6 overall and give the Mocs a 4-0 lead.

The Citadel tied the match at 133 when Aaron Hansen earned an 8-0 major decision over Chattanooga freshman Marvin Lopez. The Bulldogs took the lead when No. 8 Ugi Khishignyam posted an 8-1 win over senior Dean Pavlou at 141.

Chattanooga junior Alex Hudson evened the team score again with a 9-3 victory against Jordan Dix at 149. He posted a takedown at the buzzer in the first period to grab a 4-1 lead that he would not let go.

The Citadel went back up 11-7 after a major-decision win at 157, but that would be the last lead for the Bulldogs on the day. It may have been the intermission session that sparked the Mocs the rest of the way. Coach Morgan and dozens of his wrestlers were honored on the mat following the 157-pound match

When action resumed, Chattanooga senior Josh Condon dominated his match at 165 with Vincent Bellaran. He was up 12-4 when he put Bellaran on his back at the 5:52 mark to give UTC a 13-11 lead.

Freshman John Lampe had a huge win at 174. He moved up a weight and scored a 3-2 victory over Jack Duane, giving the Mocs some breathing room with a 16-11 lead.

The Citadel’s Josh Tuck took a 10-3 decision over Robert Prigmore at 184, leaving Chattanooga with a 16-14 advantage with two matches left.

No. 18 Niko Brown clinched the win for the Mocs with his pin against Marshall Haas at the 5:44 mark in the 197-pound match. It was Brown's team-high 21st win of the season, as well as his team-best seventh pin of the year.

The Citadel's 14^th-ranked heavyweight Odie Delaney pinned freshman Kevin Malone to make the final score 22-20.

Chattanooga is now the lone team in the SoCon without a loss. Appalachian State (3-1), Campbell (2-1) and SIUE (1-1) each have one loss, while The Citadel dropped to 2-2 in league action and 3-5 overall.

UTC hits the road for two matches this weekend. The Mocs visit Gardner-Webb on Friday for a 7 p.m. match against the Runnin' Bulldogs. Chattanooga then travels to Appalachian State for a 2 p.m. bout against the Mountaineers on Sunday.

Next up for the Bulldogs is Southern Conference newcomer SIUE on Wednesday in McAlister Field House in Charleston, S.C., at 7 p.m.

Chattanooga 22, The Citadel 20
125: Nick Soto (UTC) - MD 12-3 - Joaquin Marquez (CIT) - UTC 4-0
133: Aaron Hansen (CIT) - MD 8-0 - Marvin Lopez (UTC) - 4-4
141: Ugi Khishignyam (CIT) - Dec. 8-1 - Dean Pavlou (UTC) - The Citadel 7-4
149: Alex Hudson (UTC) - Dec. 9-3 - Jordan Dix (CIT) - 7-7
157: Matthew Frisch (CIT) - MD 10-2 - Trey Stavrum (UTC) - The Citadel 11-7
165: Josh Condon (UTC) - Fall 5:52 - Vincent Bellaran (CIT) - UTC 13-11
174: John Lampe (UTC) - Dec. 3-2 - John Duane (CIT) - UTC 16-11
184: Josh Tuck (CIT) - Dec. 10-3 - Robert Prigmore (UTC) - UTC 16-14
197: Niko Brown (UTC) - Fall 5:44 - Marshall Haas (CIT) - UTC 22-14
285: Odie Delaney (CIT) - Fall 3:53 - Kevin Malone (UTC) - UTC 22-20

 

VMI splits, Davidson swept at tri-meet

DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson wrestling team was defeated by Boston University, 34-6, before suffering a 36-0 setback to Southern Conference foe VMI, in a tri-meet Sunday afternoon in Belk Arena. VMI dropped a 34-6 decision to Boston University to open the day.

The shutout was VMI’s first since Jan. 29, 2004, when the Keydets bested James Madison University 43-0 in Lexington, Va. The victory over Davidson improved VMI to 25-1-1 all-time against the Wildcats while extending a winning streak over Davidson to four in a row.

Not only did VMI (1-10, 1-2 SoCon) pick up its first SoCon victory of the 2012-13 season, but the Keydets also snapped a 14-match skid, dating back to Jan. 26, 2012.

In the opener against Boston University (7-4), which began at 174 pounds, VMI started off on the right foot as John Dommert, who went 2-0 on the day, won a 9-4 decision over Andrew Maksimovic at 174 pounds. The Terriers then put together five straight victories, four of which came with bonus points.

At 141 pounds, Emmitt Kelly halted BU’s run with a 4-1 decision over Dane Harlowe. But it was too little, too late, as the Terriers went on to take the match 34-6.

Davidson (5-8, 0-3 SoCon) did not yield any falls or technical falls in its two matches, but sophomore Kevin Birmingham was the only Wildcat to claim victory, pinning Boston University’s Nick Tourville in just 12 seconds.

Hunter Meys (197 pounds), Kevin Innis (285 pounds) and Tyler Scotton (141 pounds) all earned major decisions to lead the Terriers early against Davidson, as BU claimed the first seven matches, with the aid of one Davidson forfeit, for a 27-0 lead to clinch the match.

Birmingham’s quick pin put the ‘Cats on the scoreboard before BU claimed the final two matches, including another major decision by Nestor Taffur at 157, for the final margin.

In the VMI-Davidson match, it was once again Dommert who got things going for the Keydets, as he posted his second victory of the day with a 5-0 shutout against Ian Solcz. Conor Black continued the Keydets’ winning ways with a 9-4 decision at 184 pounds against Scott Patrick.

In the next bout at 197 pounds, Urayoan Garcia collected his first major decision of the season, dominating with a 14-2 victory over Carson Stack. In the heavyweight division, Michael LaPrade picked up his first SoCon victory with a 6-1 decision against Eddie Isola.

VMI got an afternoon-high six points at 125 pounds as Armando Herrera earned an injury default victory against Philip Elias in the opening moments of the bout. The 133-pound match saw Andriy Onufriyenko keep the shutout alive, edging out Anthony Elias 4-3.

At 141 pounds, Ryan Goodsell continued his strong wrestling, winning his sixth match in his last eight appearances on the mat. Goodsell, who reached double-figure wins for the season, posted a major decision with a 13-1 victory against Matt Zarth.

The 149-pound match was another close affair, but VMI’s Zeb Stewart came out on top 4-2 over Birmingham. Ted Gottwald got the win at 157 pounds with a major decision victory against Patrick Devlin, 9-1.

In the final bout of the tri-match, the Keydets completed the shutout with Mark Darr logging a 10-4 victory over Christopher Cirenza.

VMI returns to the friendly confines of the The Thunderdome on Wednesday as it hosts in-state rival George Mason University. Action is set for 7:30 p.m. at Cocke Hall.

Davidson will host another tri-meet Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. against conference foe SIUE. The Wildcats will also face Duke in a 2 p.m. match.

Boston University 34, VMI 6
174: John Dommert (V) dec. Andrew Maksimovic (B), 9-4
184: Alex Najjar (B) maj. dec. Conor Black (V), 14-3
197: Hunter Meys (B) pinned Urayoan Garcia (V), 1:00
285: Kevin Innis (B) dec. Michael LaPrade (V), 9-3
125: Bubba McGinley (B) maj. dec. Armando Herrera (V),10-0
133: B.J. Suitor (B) pinned Brandon Goodwyn (V), 2:39
141: Emmitt Kelly (V) dec. Dane Harlowe (B), 4-1
149: Nick Tourville (B) dec. Zeb Stewart (V), 2-1
157: Nestor Taffur (B) tech. fall Ted Gottwald (V), 16-0
165: Mitchell Wightman (B) dec. Mark Darr (V), 3-1

BU 34, Davidson 6
174: Eric Deslauries (B) dec. Ian Solcz (D), 5-0
184: Alex Najjar (B) won by forfeit
197: Hunter Meys (B) maj. dec. Carson Stack (D), 10-0
285: Kevin Innis (B) maj. dec. Eddie Isola (D), 11-3
125: Chris McGinley (B) dec. Philip Elias (D), 6-0
133: B.J. Suitor (B) dec. Anthony Elias (D), 8-2
141: Tyler Scotton (B) maj. dec. Sejiro Littleton (D), 11-3
149: Kevin Birmingham (D) pinned Nick Tourville (B), 0:12
157: Nestor Taffur (B) maj. dec. Christopher Talevi (D), 15-1
165: Mitchell Wightman (B) dec. Christopher Cirenza (D), 8-3

VMI 36, Davidson 0
174: John Dommert (V) dec. Ian Solcz (D), 5-0
184: Conor Black (V) dec. Scott Patrick (D), 9-4
197: Urayoan Garcia (V) maj. dec. Carson Stack (D), 14-2
285: Michael LaPrade (V) dec. Eddie Isola (D), 6-1
125: Armondo Herrera-Dos Reis (V) inj. def. Philip Elias (D), 0:09
133: Andriy Onufriyenko (V) dec. Anthony Elias (D), 4-3
141: Ryan Goodsell (V) maj. dec. Matt Zarth (D), 13-1
149: Zeb Stewart (V) dec. Kevin Birmingham (D), 4-2
157: Edward Gottwald (V) maj. dec. Patrick Devlin (D), 9-1
165: Mark Darr (V) dec. Christopher Cirenza (D), 10-4

 

SIUE falls to Campbellsville, 20-19

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE’s wrestling team won three of the final four matches but the Cougars were held off by Campbellsville 20-19 Sunday at the Vadalabene Center.

Sunday's event was a rescheduled match from Friday because of weather concerns. The Cougars dropped to 2-11 overall. Campbellsville improved to 9-2.

Jake Residori and David Devine recorded pins for the Cougars. Devine, a heavyweight, struck hardest with a fall over Terrell Moore at 1:01. Residori, at 174 pounds, pinned Michael Johnson in 3:37.

Derek Nagel also picked up a 6-1 victory with a takedown and two back points coming in the final seconds of his 184-pound match win over Nate Knauf.

Patrick Myers was SIUE's only other winner with an 11-2 major decision over Tyler Alsip at 133 pounds. Myers used a pair of five-point moves to trip up Alsip.

SIUE returns to Southern Conference wrestling with a 7 p.m. ET match Wednesday at The Citadel.

The Cougars also stay out East for three matches Saturday. The Cougars have SoCon matches against Davidson and Campbell as well as a matchup with Duke. All three of Saturday's matches will take places at the Davidson Duals in Davidson, N.C.

Campbellsville 20, SIUE 19
125: Jarvis Elam (Campbellsville) def. Tyler Gilleland (SIUE) 8-1
133: Patrick Myers (SIUE) def. Tyler Alsip (Campbellsville) 11-2
141: Brandon Westerman (Campbellsville) def. Brandon Brindley (SIUE) 7-0
149: Kyle Terry (Campbellsville) def. Dillon Pousson (SIUE) 6-1
157: Conor Young (Campbellsville) won by TF over Logun Taylor (SIUE) 5:00 16-0
165: Joe Whalen (Campbellsville) def. Kyle Lowman (SIUE) 8-6
174: Jake Residori (SIUE) pinned Michael Johnson (Campbellsville) 3:37
184: Derek Nagel (SIUE) def. Nate Knauf (Campbellsville) 6-1
197: Allen Scruggs (Campbellsville) def. Jake Tindle (SIUE) 3-1
285: David Devine (SIUE) pinned Terrell Moore (Campbellsville) 1:01