No. 23 Chattanooga 35, SIUE 6
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The 23rd-ranked Chattanooga wrestling team scored a dominating 35-6 win at SIUE in Southern Conference action Sunday. The Mocs improved to 11-5 overall and 2-0 in league matches, while the Cougars dropped to 3-10 and 1-1 in SoCon matches.
For the Mocs, it was their fourth straight dual win, improving them to 6-5 all-time against SIUE. UTC has won 10 consecutive SoCon matches and is 24-1 in league duals under fifth-year head coach Heath Eslinger.
SIUE opened with a 3-0 lead after Dakota Leach scored a 9-6 win against freshman Byron Smith at 125. That advantage was short-lived, as the Mocs ran off eight straight wins, starting with back-to-back major decisions. Junior Nick Soto posted a 15-2 victory over Patrick Meyers at 133, while freshman Michael Pongracz shut out Drew Vrbenec 8-0 at 141.
Wins by sophomore Austin Sams and senior Alex Hudson at 149 and 157, respectively, pushed the Mocs’ lead to 15-3 before UTC really turned up the heat. Junior Corey Mock posted a technical fall against Matthew Lester at 165 before junior Levi Clemons and sophomore John Lampe scored consecutive pins at 174 and 184.
Freshman Scottie Boykin closed out the Mocs’ scoring with a 12-6 decision over Chris Johnson at 197. SIUE got three more points when heavyweight David Devine scored a 7-5 win in overtime against freshman Dawson Peck. It was the first loss for Peck in six matches since transferring to UTC from Virginia Tech at the semester break.
UTC gets right back on the road this week, traveling to The Citadel (3-2, 1-0 SoCon) for a Wednesday match at 7 p.m. Chattanooga closes out its home schedule against Appalachian State on Sunday, Feb. 2, in Maclelland Gym. Match time against the Mountaineers is set for 2 p.m.
SIUE returns to action Saturday at the Grand View Open in Des Moines, Iowa.
No. 23 Chattanooga 35, SIUE 6
125: Dakota Leach (SIUE) – Dec. 9-6 - Byron Smith (UTC) – SIUE 3-0
133: No. 11 Nick Soto (UTC) – MD 15-2 - Patrick Myers (SIUE) – UTC 4-3
141: Michael Pongracz (UTC) – MD 8-0 - Drew Vrbenec (SIUE) – UTC 8-3
149: Austin Sams (UTC) – Dec. 14-10 - Karsten Van Velsor (SIUE) – UTC 11-3
157: Alex Hudson (UTC) – MD 13-0 - Logun Taylor (SIUE) – UTC 15-3
165: No. 6 Corey Mock (UTC) – Tech. Fall 16-0 (5:58) - Matthew Lester (SIUE) – UTC 20-3
174: Levi Clemons (UTC) – Fall 6:46 - Jake Residori (SIUE) – UTC 26-3
184: John Lampe (UTC) – Fall 4:24 - Derek Nagel (SIUE) – UTC 32-3
197: Scottie Boykin (UTC) – Dec. 12-6 - Chris Johnson (SIUE) – UTC 35-3
285: David Devine (SIUE) – Dec. 7-5 (SV1) - Dawson Peck (UTC) – UTC 35-6
The Citadel 25, Appalachian State 9
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel wrestling team opened its Southern Conference schedule with an impressive 25-9 win over Appalachian State on Sunday afternoon at McAlister Fieldhouse.
The win was The Citadel's second straight over Appalachian State (4-6, 1-2 SoCon) and seventh in the last 13 meetings.
Redshirt junior Joaquin Marquez recorded a 4:14 fall over grappler Vito Pasone to give the Bulldogs (3-2, 1-0 SoCon) a quick 6-0 lead and jumpstart the team to three consecutive wins to open the match.
Aaron Hansen extended the lead to 9-0 after a 4-2 decision over Chris Johnson and Ugi Khishignyam followed up with an impressive 13-4 major decision over Jake Smith.
Khishignyam, who was recently granted one additional season of competition by the NCAA, collected five third-period takedowns to earn his first victory since becoming an All-American with a fourth-place finish at the 2013 NCAA Championship.
Matt Frisch fell just short in a hard-fought 5-3 decision against ninth-ranked Dylan Cottrell at 149 to put the Mountaineers on the board, but Aaron Walker and No. 16 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj each produced 6-2 decisions to give The Citadel a commanding 19-3 lead.
The win was Luvsandorj's 21st of the season and 116th of his career. The senior grappler is just 10 wins shy of becoming the winningest wrestler in program history.
Kenneth Radford sealed the win in one of the most exciting matches of the day on a late third-period reversal followed by a takedown on Dominick Vetell to gain the 7-4 win and improve the lead to 16 with two bouts left.
Haas finished out the scoring for the Bulldogs with an impressive 7-1 win over Kacee Hutchinson to improve his record to 15-11 on the season.
The Bulldogs remain at home for a Wednesday night conference dual against No. 23 Chattanooga at 6 p.m. in McAlister Fieldhouse.
The Apps will look to bounce back on Wednesday when they host the Duke Blue Devils at Varsity Gym. The match is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.
The Citadel 25, Appalachian State 9
125 – Joaquin Marquez (The Citadel) won by fall over Vito Pasone at 4:14
133 – Aaron Hansen (The Citadel) won by decision over Chris Johnson, 4-2
141 – Ugi Khishignyam (The Citadel) won by major decision over Jake Smith, 13-4
149 – #9 Dylan Cottrell (Appalachian State) won by decision over Matt Frisch, 5-3
157 – Aaron Walker (The Citadel) won by decision over Nick Hall, 6-2
165 – #16 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel) won by decision over Zack Strickland, 6-2
174 – Colin Hedash (Appalachian State) won by decision over Terrell Forbes, 2-0
184 – Kenneth Radford (The Citadel) won by decision over Dominick Vetell, 7-4
197 – Marshall Haas (The Citadel) won by decision over Kacee Hutchinson, 7-1
HWT – Denzel Dejournette (Appalachian State) won by decision over Joe Bexley, 2-1
George Mason 22, VMI 12
FAIRFAX, Va. – In its second match in three days, the Virginia Military Institute wrestling team traveled to Northern Virginia to take on George Mason University on Sunday evening. The Patriots took the win 22-12, but the spread was not a true indication of how close the nonconference dual was.
Of the 10 weight classes contested at the Patriots’ Recreation Athletic Complex, five of the bouts were decided by three points or fewer. George Mason won three of those five matches.
Things started strongly for the Keydets (2-11), as Dalton Henderson won his 125-pound bout by pinning William Prochniewski midway through the third period. The Patriots won the next two weight classes, with a major decision at 133 pounds as Christopher Rodriguez beat VMI’s Michael Flora 15-4.
The 141-pound bout was one of the close matches of the evening. After a scoreless first period, VMI’s Emmitt Kelly elected to start down in the second period, escaping just 10 seconds into the period. Sahid Kargbo took the Keydet to the mat with 40 seconds left in the second but Kelly once again escaped to tie the match 2-2 at the end of the period.
Like Kelly, Kargbo started the third period on bottom. With the match tied, the Patriot wriggled free and got an escape point with 26 seconds left in the match. He sealed the win with a last-second takedown for the 5-2 win.
For the second time in as many dual matches, a weight class needed overtime to decide a winner. After VMI’s Ted Gottwald fell in sudden victory on Friday against Campbell, his teammate and 149-pounder Shabaka Johns reversed VMI’s fortunes with a 6-4 extra-time win over Donald Takagi. The decision gave VMI a narrow 9-7 lead through four matches.
Gottwald found himself in another tight match but fell 2-0 against Greg Flournoy at 157 pounds. The first period was scoreless and Flournoy elected to start the second period on bottom, escaping from Gottwald’s grasp early in the period. No more points were scored in the bout until the final buzzer, when Flournoy picked up one point for holding more than a minute of riding time.
The Keydets collected three more team points after the 165-pound bout and grabbed a 12-10 lead over George Mason, thanks to a 7-4 decision from Mark Darr over Ryan Forrest. Darr was down 4-1 at the end of the first period after Forrest took him to the mat twice and escaping from the first takedown. Forrest started the second period on bottom, hoping to get an escape or reversal to add to his lead, but Darr was up to the task and turned Forrest on his back and picked up two nearfall points, pulling within one point, down 4-3. Darr began the third period on bottom, escaping just seven seconds into the period to tie the match 4-4. Thirty seconds later, Darr snagged a takedown and rode out the rest of the clock, amassing 1:39 of riding time and getting the bonus point to win 7-4.
The Patriots (5-10) ripped off wins in the next four weight classes, all by decision, to build to their 22-12 win. The final match of the day was a one-point decision by Mason’s Jacob Kettler over VMI’s Juan Adams.
The first point of the bout was not scored until the second period, when Kettler, who started the stanza on bottom, escaped and grabbed a 1-0 lead which held up through the rest of the period. Adams kicked off the third period on bottom and escaped 25 seconds later, tying the match 1-1, but Kettler took VMI’s big man to the mat with just 34 seconds left in the match and went up 3-1. Adams escaped and pulled within one but could not complete the rally and fell 3-2.
The Keydets return to Lexington, Va., for a dual match with Southern Conference foe Davidson College on Friday night at The Thunderdome. Action is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. in Cocke Hall.
George Mason 22, VMI 12
125: Dalton Henderson (VMI) win by fall William Prochniewski (GMU) 5:55 (6-0)
133: Christopher Rodriguez (GMU) MAJ DEC Michael Flora (VMI) 15-4 (6-4)
141: Sahid Kargbo (GMU) DEC Emmitt Kelly (VMI) 5-2 (6-7)
149: Shabaka Johns (VMI) SV-1 Donald Takagi (GMU) 6-4 (9-7)
157: Gregory Flournoy (GMU) DEC Ted Gottwald (VMI) 2-0 (9-10)
165: Mark Darr (VMI) DEC Ryan Forrest (GMU) 7-4 (12-10)
174: Zachary Martinez (GMU) DEC Derek Thurman (VMI) 8-4 (12-13)
184: Ryan Hembury (GMU) DEC Hardy Hendren (VMI) 10-3 (12-16)
197: Matt Meadows (GMU) DEC Andrew Embree (VMI) 10-4 (12-19)
285: Jacob Kettler (GMU) DEC Juan Adams (VMI) 3-2 (12-22)
Gardner-Webb drops pair of dual matches
WASHINGTON, D.C. – No. 30 Austin Trott extended his winning streak to nine straight matches, including a win against No. 17 Josh Houldsworth of Columbia University, as Gardner-Webb fell to Columbia and American University at American’s two-mat triangular on Sunday afternoon.
American (5-5) held off Gardner-Webb (6-11) 28-11 in the first match, claiming the final five matchups to break an 11-11 tie. Columbia (5-3) bested the Bulldogs 32-6 in a hard-fought matchup to close out the afternoon for Gardner-Webb.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs fell behind early in the opening match against American, as No. 11 David Terao won a major decision against Philip Anderson 13-5 at 125 pounds before Esteban Gomez-Rivera gave American a 7-0 lead with a 7-3 decision against Robbie Golde at 133 pounds.
Ryan Mosley and Tyler Ziegler responded for Gardner-Webb at 141 and 149 pounds, posting decisions of 10-4 and 3-1, respectively, to pull the Runnin’ Bulldogs back to within one at 7-6.
After John Boyle earned a 12-4 major decision against Alex Bennett at 157 pounds, Trott recorded his eighth straight win with an 18-2 technical fall against Cristian Masaya at 165 pounds to tie the match at 11-11.
American countered with a 14-3 major decision for Keithen Cast against Aaron Rabin at 174 pounds and a 6-2 decision for Jason Grimes at 184 pounds against Zach Bennett, regaining the advantage at 18-11. No. 9 Daniel Mitchell pushed the lead to 24-11 with a 48-second pin of Terry Henderson at 197 pounds before Blake Herrin won a major decision against Justin Kozera, 16-6, at heavyweight, giving American a 28-11 win.
Trott opened the match against Columbia with perhaps his biggest win of the season, winning an 8-2 decision against Houldsworth, ranked 17th in this week’s InterMat poll at 165 pounds. Columbia answered with three straight wins, including a pair of pins by No. 20 Shane Hughes against Rabin in 1:37 at 174 pounds and a 2:17 pin by Matt Idelson against Henderson at 197 pounds.
Kozera countered with a 3-1 decision against Wyatt Baker at heavyweight after Zack Hernandez won a 5-0 decision over Zach Bennett at 184 pounds, cutting the lead to 15-6. Columbia would take the final five matches of the day, including a hard-fought battle between Mosley and Matt Bystol that resulted in a 5-2 decision for Columbia.
Gardner-Webb resumes Southern Conference competition on Thursday, hosting Campbell at 7 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
American 28, Gardner-Webb 11
125: #11 David Terao (AU) major dec. Phillip Anderson (GW), 13-5; American leads, 4-0
133: Esteban Gomez-Rivera (AU) dec. Robbie Golde (GW), 7-3; American leads, 7-0
141: Ryan Mosley (GW) dec. Spencer Slishman (AU), 10-4; American leads, 7-3
149: Tyler Ziegler (GW) dec. Brad Mutchnik (AU), 3-1; American leads, 7-6
157: John Boyle (AU) major dec. Alex Bennett (GW), 12-4; American leads, 11-6
165: Austin Trott (GW) tech. fall Cristian Masaya (AU), 18-2 (4:30); Tied, 11-11
174: Keithen Cast (AU) major dec. Aaron Rabin (GW), 14-3; American leads, 15-11
184: Jason Grimes (AU) dec. Zach Bennett (GW), 6-2; American leads, 18-11
197: #9 Daniel Mitchell (AU) fall Terry Henderson (GW), 0:48; American leads, 24-11
HWT: Blake Herrin (AU) major dec. Justin Kozera (GW), 16-6; American wins, 28-11
Columbia 32, Gardner-Webb 6
165: Austin Trott (GW) dec. #17 Josh Houldsworth (CU), 8-2; Gardner-Webb leads, 3-0
174: #20 Shane Hughes (CU) fall Aaron Rabin (GW), 1:37; Columbia leads, 6-3
184: Zack Hernandez (CU) dec. Zach Bennett (GW), 5-0; Columbia leads, 9-3
197: Matt Idelson (CU) fall Terry Henderson (GW), 2:17; Columbia leads, 15-3
HWT: Justin Kozera (GW) dec. Wyatt Baker (CU), 3-1; Columbia leads, 15-6
125: Penn Gottfried (CU) dec. Phillip Anderson (GW), 4-0; Columbia leads, 18-6
133: Angelo Amenta (CU) dec. Robbie Golde (GW), 8-4; Columbia leads, 21-6
141: Matt Bystol (CU) dec. Ryan Mosley (GW), 5-2; Columbia leads, 24-6
149: Ryan Ponte (CU) major dec. Tyler Ziegler (GW), 8-0; Columbia leads, 28-6
157: Markus Schneidel (CU) major dec. Alex Bennett (GW), 17-4; Columbia wins, 32-6