Gardner-Webb sweeps pair of duals
BOONE, N.C. – Gardner-Webb rallied from an early deficit to blow past Buffalo, 32-7, and rolled to a 56-0 win over Cumberland on Sunday for a pair of wins at the 2014 Mountaineer Duals at Appalachian State.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs (2-0) fell behind 7-0 to Buffalo after the first two matches but ran off 32 unanswered points over the final eight individual bouts for a convincing win over the Bulls.
It marked Gardner-Webb’s first win over a team from the Mid-American Conference.
Preseason All-SoCon selection Chris Vasser topped Jason Estevez at 141 pounds to start the rally, picking up an 8-3 win. Ryan Mosley defeated Justin Cooksey (4-0) at 149 pounds and Kyle Ash picked up a 10-7 decision at 157 pounds before standout sophomore Austin Trott recorded a tech fall win over Rrok Ndokaj (16-0) at 165 pounds to put the ‘Dogs up 14-7.
An injury default win for Hunter Gamble at 174 pounds was followed by consecutive decisions at 184 pounds for Brett Stein (10-4) and 197 pounds for Gray Jones (2-1).
Heavyweight veteran Justin Kozera capped the match by pinning Mike Silvis in 1:43 for the final margin.
Gardner-Webb recorded seven pins in its 10 individual bouts against Cumberland and won the other three via two major decisions and a tech fall.
Trott at 165 (1:30), Mosley at 149 (1:32) and Vassar at 141 (2:01) recorded the three quickest falls.
Cortez Starkes (125, 6:19), Gamble (174, 4:37), Stein (184, 3:21) and Kozera (HVY, 2:25) also recorded pins.
Tyler Ziegler picked up a 10-2 major decision over Robbie Resendiz at 133 pounds and Ash recorded a 16-1 tech fall win at 157 pounds over Dalton Baysinger. Gray Jones picked up a 10-2 major decision at 197 pounds over Kyle Delaune.
Up next for Gardner-Webb is an appearance at The 2014 Hokie Open at Virginia Tech on Sunday, Nov. 9. The next dual match action for GWU will come at Virginia on Saturday, Nov. 15, followed by a busy Nov. 16 that features dual matches with Virginia Tech (3 p.m.) and North Dakota State (4:30 p.m.).
Gardner-Webb 32, Buffalo 7
125: Max Soria (BUF) major dec. Cortez Starkes (GW), 12-3 (BUF 4-0)
133: Sean Peacock (BUF) dec. Tyler Ziegler (GW), 4-1 (BUF 7-0)
141: Chris Vassar (GW) dec. Jason Estevez (BUF), 8-3 (BUF 7-3)
149: Ryan Mosley (GW) dec. Justin Cooksey (BUF), 4-0 (BUF 7-6)
157: Kyle Ash (GW) dec. Alex Smythe (BUF), 10-7 (GW 9-7)
165: Austin Trott (GW) tech fall Rrok Ndokaj (BUF), 16-0 (GW 14-7)
174: Hunter Gamble (GW) injury default Tyler Rill (BUF), (GW 20-7)
184: Brett Stein (GW) dec. Austin Weigel (BUF), 10-4 (GW 23-7)
197: Gray Jones (GW) dec. Joe Ariola (BUF), 2-1 (GW 26-7)
HWT: Justin Kozera fall (GW) Mike Silvis, 1:43 (GW 32-7)
Gardner-Webb 56, Cumberland 0
125: Cortez Starkes (GW) fall Chris Mosher (CU), 6:19 (GW 6-0)
133: Tyler Ziegler (GW) major dec. Robbie Resendiz (CU), 10-2 (GW 10-0)
141: Chris Vassar (GW) fall Ladigo Williams (CU), 2:01 (GW 16-0)
149: Ryan Mosley (GW) fall Ethyn Holbrook (CU), 1:32 (GW 22-0)
157: Kyle Ash (GW) tech fall Dalton Baysinger (CU), 16-1 (GW 27-0)
165: Austin Trott (GW) fall Michael Gonzalez (CU), 1:30 (GW 33-0)
174: Hunter Gamble (GW) fall Dustin Harris (CU), 4:37 (GW 39-0)
184: Brett Stein (GW) fall Aric Fernandez (CU), 3:21 (GW 45-0)
197: Gray Jones (GW) major dec. Kyle Delaune (CU), 10-2 (GW 50-0)
HWT: Justin Kozera (GW) fall Corey Daniels (CU), 2:25 (GW 56-0)
Appalachian State splits opening bouts
BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State began its 2014-15 season on Sunday when it hosted the Mountaineer Duals in Varsity Gymnasium.
The Mountaineers (1-1) wrestled both Cumberland University and Buffalo. App State began the day with a dominating 46-6 win over Cumberland and fell 20-18 to Buffalo.
2014 Southern Conference champion, NCAA qualifier and current No. 32-ranked Dominic Parisi got the Mountaineers started off with a lightning-fast pin against Dakota Bromley of Cumberland. The pin came just 1:27 into the bout.
True freshman Jacob Grigg followed up Parisi’s pin with a 9-5 decision to put App State in front 9-0. Another true freshman, Mike Longo, dominated his opponent and did everything but pin him with a 17-0 technical fall.
With App State up 14-0, 2014 Southern Conference champion, NCAA qualifier and current No. 10 Dylan Cottrell earned his first win of the year with a pin in 1:44. In what will prove to be a tough back-to-back for opponents all year long, No. 33 Zack Strickland earned a pin at 157 over Cumberland’s Dalton Baysinger. The pin took Strickland just 1:13.
True freshman Colton Jackson gave head coach JohnMark Bentley and the Mountaineers its third straight pin and won by fall in 1:46. Forrest Przybysz, like Longo, dominated and earned himself an 18-2 technical fall to extend App’s lead to 37-0.
Following a Nick Vetell 4-0 decision, Tyler Radford was pinned by Kyle Delaune for Cumberland’s first points of the match. With a score of 40-6, Denzel Dejournette took care of business at heavyweight and earned App State’s fifth pin of the match and won by fall over Corey Daniels. Dejournette’s pin took just 1:15.
The second and most intense match of the day saw App State and Buffalo face off on the mats. The Bulls began with Max Soria earning a decision over Parisi and Sean Peacock winning by major decision over Grigg for a 7-0 lead.
Jason Estevez then earned a decision over Longo to put Buffalo in front 10-0 after three bouts. The tough back-to-back for App State at 149 and 157 got the Apps right back in it. Cottrell earned his second pin of the day, over Justin Cooksey, in 1:57 to cut the lead to 10-6.
Strickland followed Cottrell’s pin with a 9-0 major decision over Alex Smythe to tie the team score at 10-10. After Buffalo’s Rrok Ndokaj won by decision over Jackson, Przybysz would tie the score again for Appalachian with a huge 7-4 decision.
The Bulls would take the next two bouts at 184 and 197 to clinch the match with a seven-point lead and just one bout remaining. Dejournette won by major decision 10-2 in the final match.
The Mountaineers will return to action on Friday, Nov. 14, when they travel to Gilroy, Calif., for two duals against CSU Bakersfield and Illinois. Both duals come two days before the Apps will compete at the Roadrunner Open in Fresno, Calif.
Appalachian State 46, Cumberland 6
125: Dominic Parisi (APP) fall Dakota Bromley (CU), 1:27 (APP 6-0)
133: Jacob Grigg (APP) dec. Robbie Resendiz (CU), 9-5 (APP 9-0)
141: Mike Longo (APP) tech fall Ladigo Williams (CU), 17-0 (APP 14-0)
149: Dylan Cottrell (APP) fall Ethyn Holbrook (CU), 1:44 (APP 20-0)
157: Zack Strickland (APP) fall Dalton Baysinger (CU), 1:13 (APP 26-0)
165: Colton Jackson (APP) fall JohnMark Reddick (CU), 1:46 (APP 32-0)
174: Forrest Przybysz (APP) tech fall Dustin Harris (CU), 18-2 (APP 37-0)
184: Nick Vetell (APP) dec. Aric Fernandez (CU), 4-0 (APP 40-0)
197: Kyle Delaune (CU) fall Tyler Radford (APP), 2:22 (APP 40-6)
HWT: Denzel Dejournette (APP) fall Corey Daniels (CU), 1:15 (APP 46-6)
Buffalo 20, Appalachian State 18
125: Max Soria (BUF) dec. Dominic Parisi (APP), 5-3 (BUF 3-0)
133: Sean Peacock (BUF) major dec. Jacob Grigg (APP), 12-3 (BUF 7-0)
141: Jason Estevez (BUF) dec. Mike Longo (APP), 6-5 (BUF 10-0)
149: Dylan Cottrell (APP) fall Justin Cooksey (BUF), 1:57 (BUF 10-6)
157: Zack Strickland (APP) major dec. Alex Smythe (BUF), 9-0 (Tied 10-10)
165: Rrok Ndokaj (BUF) dec. Colton Jackson (APP),11-5 (BUF 13-10)
174: Forrest Przybysz (APP) dec. Tyler Rill (BUF), 7-4 (Tied 13-13)
184: Brett Perry (BUF) dec. Nick Vetell (APP), 3-1 (BUF 16-13)
197: Joe Ariola (BUF) major dec. Tyler Radford (APP), 13-1 (BUF 20-13)
HWT: Denzel Dejournette (APP) major dec. Mike Silvis (BUF), 10-2 (BUF 20-18)
VMI opens season with trio of duals
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia Military Institute wrestling program officially kicked off the 2014-15 season on Saturday, taking on a trio of opponents at the Cavalier Duals, hosted by the University of Virginia at Memorial Gymnasium. The Keydets went 1-2 on the day, falling in their first two matches but prevailing in the afternoon’s finale.
VMI (1-2) fell in the opener against George Mason 25-6, followed by a loss against Virginia, which was ranked 11th in the first USA Today/NWCA Division I Coaches’ Poll, by a 51-0 count. But the Keydets rebounded for a 28-12 win over Anderson.
The Keydets got a 2-1 afternoon from Shabaka Johns and Jake Koch at 165 and 184 pounds, respectively. Dalton Henderson, Emmitt Kelly, BJ Crozier, Jake Tomlinson and Yousef Malik all logged wins over their opponents from Anderson.
Despite the final score, VMI wrestled well against George Mason, with three of the first five matches decided by three points or fewer. The Keydets gave up decisions in the first five matches against the Patriots, falling behind 15-0 before Johns came in at 165 pounds to pick up the first VMI victory of the fresh season, 4-0 over Patrick Davis. Johns’ win was followed two bouts later by Koch, who won the first match of his career by a 1-0 decision over Derek Dwyer.
VMI hit a stumbling block against its oldest foe, Virginia, a team the Keydets first faced in 1921. The 11th-ranked Cavaliers, who went undefeated on the day, utilized bonus points in the first four matches, including a pair of technical falls and two wins by fall, to break the match open. Crozier was edged in a decision 8-4 against Andrew Atkinson, but the Virginia lineup, which featured five ranked wrestlers, proved too much for the Keydets.
But the Keydets rallied in the final match of the opening weekend as Henderson pinned Anderson’s Dylan Crossland in the second period for a 6-0 lead. The Trojans responded with Zach Hale cutting the lead to 6-3 with a decision over Hunter Starner, followed by a VMI win from Kelly at 141 pounds, topping Conor Caffrey 6-3.
The Trojans notched the match at 9-9 as Dan Telhada pinned Jake Krall in the first period. VMI responded with back-to-back wins from Crozier and Johns at 157 and 165 pounds, respectively. Crozier picked up a win by fall over Sean Turner to open the Keydet lead to 15-9, while Johns’ 3-2 decision over Zane Newton further opened the gap to 18-9.
Mark Darr was edged in the final moments of the 174-pound bout by Trevontay Rhodes by a 9-5 count, pulling the Trojans within six points of the lead. But a run of three straight wins from 184 to 285 helped VMI to its first victory of the season while snapping a seven-match slide, dating back to last season. Koch picked up a 7-0 win over Stephen Washington, followed by a 10-2 major decision from Tomlinson at 197 pounds over Will Diamond. Malik picked up his first collegiate win as an attached wrestler with a 7-2 decision at heavyweight.
The Keydets are on the road next weekend at the Hokie Open, hosted by Virginia Tech at Rector Fieldhouse in Blacksburg, Va. All-day action is slated for a 9 a.m. start.
George Mason 25, VMI 6
125: Ibrahim Bunduka (GMU) dec. Dalton Henderson (VMI), 6-4; GMU 3-0
133: Vince Rodriguez (GMU) dec. Hunter Starner (VMI), 10-5; GMU 6-0
141: Sahid Kargbo (GMU) dec. Emmitt Kelly (VMI), 5-2; GMU 9-0
149: Ryan Hunsberger (GMU) dec. Jake Krall (VMI), 5-0; GMU 12-0
157: Greg Flournoy (GMU) dec. BJ Crozier (VMI), 2-0; GMU 15-0
165: Shabaka Johns (VMI) dec. Patrick Davis (GMU), 4-0; GMU 15-3
174: Ryan Forrest (GMU) dec. Mark Darr (VMI), 13-12; GMU 18-3
184: Jake Koch (VMI) dec. Derek Dwyer (GMU) 1-0; GMU 18-6
197: Matt Meadows (GMU) major dec. Jake Tomlinson (VMI), 11-2; GMU 22-6
285: Jake Kettler (GMU) dec. Juan Adams (VMI), 7-3; GMU 25-6
No. 11 Virginia 51, VMI 0
125: Will Mason (UVa) tech fall Dalton Henderson (VMI), 16-0 (5:15); UVa 5-0
133: No. 10 George DiCamillo (UVa) tech fall Hunter Starner (VMI), 23-7 (6:49); UVa 10-0
141: No. 14 Joe Spisak (UVa) pinned Emmitt Kelly (VMI), 2:56; UVa 16-0
149: TJ Miller (UVa) pinned Jake Krall (VMI), 2:06; UVa 22-0
157: Andrew Atkinson (UVa) dec. BJ Crozier (VMI), 8-4; UVa 25-0
165: No. 2 Nick Sulzer (UVa) major dec. Shabaka Johns (VMI), 18-5; UVa 29-0
174: No. 12 Blaise Butler (UVa) pinned Mark Darr (VMI), 2:45; UVa 35-0
184: Billy Coggins (UVa) tech fall Jake Koch (VMI), 15-0 (2:17); UVa 40-0
197: No. 14 Zach Nye (UVa) tech fall Jake Tomlinson (VMI), 17-1 (3:08); UVa 45-0
285: Derek Papagianopoulos (UVa) pinned Juan Adams (VMI), 7:58; UVa 51-0
VMI 28, Anderson 12
125: Dalton Henderson (VMI) pinned Dylan Crossland (AU), 3:50; VMI 6-0
133: Zak Hale (AU) dec. Hunter Starner (VMI), 7-0; VMI 6-3
141: Emmitt Kelly (VMI) dec. Conor Caffrey (AU), 6-3; VMI 9-3
149: Dan Telhada (AU) pinned Jake Krall (VMI), 2:21; tied 9-9
157: BJ Crozier (VMI) pinned Sean Turner (AU), 2:40; VMI 15-9
165: Shabaka Johns (VMI) dec. Zane Newton (AU), 3-2; VMI 18-9
174: Trevontay Rhodes (AU) dec. Mark Darr (VMI), 9-5; VMI 18-12
184: Jake Koch (VMI) dec. Stephen Washington (AU), 7-0; VMI 21-12
197: Jake Tomlinson (VMI) major dec. Will Diamond (AU), 10-2; VMI 25-12
285: Yousef Malik (VMI) dec. Wyatt McCrackin (AU), 7-2; VMI 28-12
Exhibition: Eric DeAngelo (AU) dec. Jed Harris (VMI), 5-0
Davidson went 2-1 at Maryland Duals
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Senior Kevin Birmingham was undefeated on the day as the Davidson wrestling team took to the mat three times Sunday at the Maryland Duals.
The Wildcats went 2-1, sandwiching a loss to Maryland, 36-9, around wins over Alderson-Broaddus, 31-9, and Johns Hopkins, 47-6.
Birmingham went a perfect 3-0 at 149 pounds, recording pins over Alderson-Broaddus's Jason West, Maryland's Dorsay and Johns Hopkins's Tommy Grifa.
The Wildcats took the first four bouts against Alderson-Broaddus. Philip Elias registered a 12-5 decision over Cody Buchanan at 125 pounds before Dustin Runzo posted a 12-5 decision over Micah Powell at 133 pounds and James McCord picked up a 13-5 major decision over Chris Bent at 141. At 197, senior Ian Solcz pinned Nick Nester at 3:54 before Eddie Isola sealed the victory with a 2-1 overtime win over Aerison Parrish at 285 pounds.
Maryland opened the meet with wins at 125 pounds, 133 pounds and 141 pounds, before Birmingham got Davidson on the board at 149 pounds. The senior pinned Dorsay at the 6:48 mark. Freshman Ryan Devlin picked up Davidson's only other win against Maryland at 184 pounds. Devlin registered a decision over Arashdeep Gill.
The Wildcats were solid from start to finish in their victory over Johns Hopkins, posting nine total wins, including four pins. After Birmingham pinned Tommy Grifa at 149 pounds, junior Nathan Powers took down Jared Forman at the 2:58 mark at 174 pounds. Solcz pinned Joey Tilson in the 197 weight class before Will Cooley finished things out strong for the Wildcats with a pin over Ellis Flannery at 285 pounds.
The Wildcats will welcome Belmont Abbey to Davidson on Friday, Nov. 7, in their home opener. The Wildcats and Crusaders will take to the mat at 7 p.m.
Davidson 31, Alderson-Broaddus 9
125: Philip Elias (DC) dec. Cody Buchanan (AB), 12-5 (3-0)
133: Dustin Runzo (DC) dec. Micah Powell (AB), 12-5 (6-0)
141: James McCord (DC) maj. dec. Chris Brent (AB), 13-5(10-0)
149: Kevin Birmingham (DC) fall over Jason West (AB), 2:46 (16-0)
157: Keith Stednitz (AB) dec. Alex Palinski (DC), 9-6(16-3)
165: Logan Shurina (AB) dec. Patrick Devlin (DC), 4-1 (16-6)
174: Nathan Powers (DC) fall over Davis Solak (AB), 1:16,(22-6)
184: Garret Onderko (AB) dec. Ryan Devlin (DC), 8-3 (22-9)
197: Ian Solcz fall over Nick Nester (AB) 3:54 (28-9)
285: Eddie Isola (DC) dec. Aerison Parrish, 2-1 OT (31-9)
Maryland 36, Davidson 9
125: Josh Polacek (MD) dec. Philip Elias (DC), 4-2 (3-0)
133: Billy Rappo (MD) fall over Dustin Runzo (DC), 2:39 (9-0)
141: Daniel Sanchez (MD) dec. over James McCord (DC), 4-1 (12-0)
149: Kevin Birmingham (DC) fall over Ben Dorsay (MD), 6:48 (12-6)
157: Justin Alexander (MD) fall over Alex Palinski (DC), 4:14 (18-6)
165: Tyler Manion (MD) maj. dec. Patrick Devlin (DC), 12-2 (22-6)
174: Josh Snook (MD) maj. dec. Nathan Powers (DC), 13-1 (26-6)
184: Ryan Devlin (DC) dec. Arashdeep Gill (MD), 10-5 (28-9)
197: Rob Fitzgerald (MD) maj. dec. Ian Solcz (DC), 11-3 (30-9)
285: Sean Twigg (MD) fall over Eddie Isola (DC) 2:56 (36-9)
Davidson 47, Johns Hopkins 6
125: Philip Elias (DC) wins by forfeit, (6-0)
133: Dustin Runzo (DC) dec. Christian Vallis, (JHU) 10-5 (9-0)
141: James McCord (DC) dec. Lucas Escobar (JHU), 5-3 (12-0)
149: Kevin Birmingham fall over Tommy Grifa, (18-3)
157: Alex Palinski (DC) wins by forfeit (24-3)
165: Patrick Devlin (DC) wins by forfeit (30-3)
174: Nathan Powers (DC) fall over Jared Forman (JHU), 2:58 (36-3)
184: Evan Johnson (JHU) dec. Connor Schillt (DC), 5-3 (35-6)
197: Ian Solcz (DC) fall over Joey Tilson (JHU), 4:03 (41-6)
285: Wil Cooley (DC) fall over Ellis Flannery (JHU), 4:02 (47-6)