Chattanooga downs Oklahoma
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – As far as collegiate sporting events go, it doesn’t get much more fun or exciting than the wrestling match between Chattanooga and Oklahoma in the EAS Sports Nutrition/NWCA National Duals presented by Hibiclens and the United States Marine Corps in Maclellan Gym on Sunday afternoon. The hometown Mocs erased a 16-9 deficit in the final three matches to score a 19-16 win over the Sooners.
UTC’s sophomore trio of McCoy Newberg, Scottie Boykin and Jared Johnson had three big victories in the comeback. For fans that missed it, the full replay can be found on the SoCon Digital Network.
Down 16-9 with three matches left, Newberg took on Brook Climmons at 184. A takedown and two back points in the first period set the tone. Another takedown and two more back points in the third rounded out a 13-2 major decision. That closed the gap to 16-13 in favor of the Sooners.
Boykin’s bout did not feature the high-scoring highlights normally seen when he steps on the mat. In fact, he was trailing 1-0 in the third to Andrew Dixon after allowing an escape. He turned up the pressure and forced two stalling calls to even the match a 1-1 at the end of regulation.
To the chants of SCOTT-EEE BOY-KIN, he scored the win with a quick takedown early in overtime. That not only tied the dual at 16-16 but sent the crowd of nearly 600 into a frenzy. Those were the 20th wins of the season for both Newberg (20-5) and Boykin (20-9).
On paper, the heavyweight match between Johnson (26-6) and No. 11 Ross Larson (22-6) looked like a good one. With the match tied and everything on the line, it was a great one.
Johnson kept the crowd going with a quick takedown in the first period. He quickly turned Larson for two back points and a 4-0 lead. He increased his lead to 7-0 with three more back points, but Larson countered with a reversal before the first buzzer. Regardless, Johnson built up nearly two minutes of riding time that would play a huge role later.
Larson chose bottom to start the second period and scored another reversal. He quickly caught Johnson on his back and nearly ended the match with a pin. Johnson got loose for an escape to carry an 8-7 lead into the final period.
Johnson chose neutral to start the final two minutes, but gave up a takedown and the lead early in the last frame. He tied it at 9-9 with an escape and sent the crowd into orbit with a takedown in the last 30 seconds. Larson came right back with a reversal to even the score at 11-11, but the reaction of the crowd, and the chants of U-T-C, made it clear that Johnson had the riding-time point when the final horn sounded.
Seniors Sean Boyle (125) and Shawn Greevy (149) and sophomore Michael Pongracz (141) had wins early in the match. The Mocs actually held a 9-4 lead before dropping matches a 157, 165 and 174.
The win is the ninth in a row for Chattanooga, which improved to 12-5 overall. Oklahoma dropped to 6-10. UTC advances to the quarterfinals of the NWCA National Duals on Feb. 21 at the University of Iowa.
Chattanooga 19, Oklahoma 16
125: No. 10 Sean Boyle (UTC) – Dec. 9-3 - Ryan Millhof (Oklahoma) – UTC 3-0
133: No. 4 Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) – MD 15-3 – No. 13 Nick Soto (UTC) – Oklahoma 4-3
141: Michael Pongracz (UTC) – Dec. 2-0 - Trae Blackwell (Oklahoma) – UTC 6-4
149: Shawn Greevy (UTC) – Dec. 6-2 - Shayne Tucker (Oklahoma) – UTC 9-4
157: No. 19 Justin DeAngelis (Oklahoma) – Dec. 7-1 - Austin Sams (UTC) – UTC 9-7
165: Clark Glass (Oklahoma) – Fall 4:32 - Justin Lampe (UTC) – Oklahoma 13-9
174: No. 17 Matt Reed (Oklahoma) – Dec. 7-5 - Sean Mappes (UTC) – Oklahoma 16-9
184: McCoy Newberg (UTC) – MD 13-2 – Brooks Climmons (Oklahoma) – Oklahoma 16-13
197: Scottie Boykin (UTC) – SV-1, 3-1 - Andrew Dixon (Oklahoma) – Tied 16-16
285: Jared Johnson (UTC) – Dec. 12-11 – No. 11 Ross Larson (Oklahoma) – UTC 19-16
Gardner-Webb splits with SIUE, Indiana; SIUE swept
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Gardner-Webb rolled to a key Southern Conference victory Sunday morning, topping SIUE, 31-13 on the road, but fell to Big Ten foe Indiana, 28-9, in the nightcap. SIUE fell to Indiana 26-13 in the tri-dual.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs started strong against SIUE, getting a pin from heavyweight Justin Kozera in the first match. Kozera dumped Chris Johnson in just 2:14 for his eighth pin of the season.
The two teams traded matches at the lower weights, with SIUE taking a forfeit win at 125 pounds (illness). Tyler Ziegler slipped past Dakota Leach for a 3-1 decision at 133 pounds and – after an SIUE win at 141, Ryan Mosley continued his excellent season at 149 pounds with a 16-5 major decision over Karsten Van Velsor.
Austin Trott widened Gardner-Webb’s lead with his 10th pin of the season at 165, taking down Connor McMahon in 2:28. Trott remains among the NCAA leaders in pin falls this season.
Brett Stein and Hunter Gamble each picked up key wins at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively, and Boyce Cornwell capped the win in style – dropping Jake Tindle in 3:54 for his second pin of the season at 197 pounds.
Ziegler picked up a 2-1 win to spark a three-match surge for Gardner-Webb against Indiana, with Ryan Hull (9-5) and Mosley (5-1) also taking victories at 141 and 149 pounds. Mosley moved to 25-8 with his second win of the day.
The Hoosiers picked up a pair of pins in the next two weight classes, however, with NCAA sixth-ranked Taylor Walsh dropping Trott at 165 pounds (1:57). Nationally ranked Nathan Jackson picked up a 15-4 major decision over Stein at 174 pounds and the Hoosiers also won at 184 and 197 pounds.
Gardner-Webb returns home to close out the regular season next Sunday, Feb. 22, hosting Ohio and Cleveland State in Paul Porter Arena. GWU will take on Ohio at 12:30 p.m. and will host CSU at 2 p.m.
SIUE’s Angelo Silvestro picked up two wins at 141 pounds to highlight the Cougars’ day.
Silvestro, a redshirt freshman, won his fifth Southern Conference match of the season with a 10-4 victory over Ryan Hull. Silvestro also defeated Indiana's Sean Brown 9-0.
Dakota Leach emerged from redshirt status with a 1-1 record this weekend at 133 pounds. He defeated Indiana's Alonzo Shepherd 4-1 and was a mere takedown away from victory against Gardner-Webb's Tyler Ziegler.
Clayton Bass also went 1-1 for the weekend with a SoCon victory over Gardner-Webb's Joseph Evans. It was Bass's first major decision of the season, a 13-0 win.
SIUE's season finale is set for next Sunday as the Cougars take on SoCon rival Chattanooga. The first match is set for 1 p.m. CST.
Gardner-Webb 31, SIUE 13
285 - Justin Kozera (Gardner-Webb) over Chris Johnson (SIUE) (Fall 2:14)
125 - Nathan Day (SIUE) wins by forfeit
133 - Tyler Ziegler (Gardner-Webb) over Dakota Leach (SIUE) (Dec 3-1)
141 - Angelo Silvestro (SIUE) over Ryan Hull (Gardner-Webb) (Dec 10-4)
149 - Ryan Mosley (Gardner-Webb) over Karsten Van Velsor (SIUE) (MD 16-5)
157 - Clayton Bass (SIUE) over Joseph Evans (Gardner-Webb) (MD 13-0)
165 - Austin Trott (Gardner-Webb) over Connor McMahon (SIUE) (Fall 2:28)
174 - Brett Stein (Gardner-Webb) over Jake Residori (SIUE) (Dec 7-3)
184 - Hunter Gamble (Gardner-Webb) over Derek Nagel (SIUE) (Dec 10-5)
197 - Boyce Cornwell (Gardner-Webb) over Jake Tindle (SIUE) (Fall 3:54)
Indiana 26, SIUE 13
125 - Nathan Day (SIUE) wins by forfeit
133 - Dakota Leach (SIUE) over Alonzo Shepherd (Indiana) (Dec 4-1)
141 - Angelo Silvestro (SIUE) over Sean Brown (Indiana) (MD 9-0)
149 - Trevor Moody (Indiana) over Karsten Van Velsor (SIUE) (MD 13-3)
157 - Luke Blanton (Indiana) over Clayton Bass (SIUE) (MD 11-3)
165 - Taylor Walsh (Indiana) over Connor McMahon (SIUE) (Fall 2:08)
174 - Nathan Jackson (Indiana) over Jake Residori (SIUE) (Dec 10-7)
184 - Matt Irick (Indiana) over Derek Nagel (SIUE) (Dec 12-9)
197 - Luke Sheridan (Indiana) over Jake Tindle (SIUE) (Dec 3-1)
285 - Garret Goldman (Indiana) over Chris Johnson (SIUE) (Dec 3-2)
Indiana 28, Gardner-Webb 9
125 - Double forfeit
133 - Tyler Ziegler (GWU) dec. Alonzo Shepherd (IU), 2-1
141 - Ryan Hull (GWU) dec. Sean Brown (IU), 9-5
149 - Ryan Mosley (GWU) dec. Trevor Moody (IU), 5-1
157 - Luke Blanton (IU) pinned Joseph Evans (GWU), 1:57
165 - #6 Taylor Walsh (IU) pinned Austin Trott (GWU), 1:57
174 - Nathan Jackson (IU) major dec. Brett Stein (GWU), 15-4
184 - Matt Irick (IU) dec. Gray Jones (GWU), 10-3
197 - Luke Sheridan (IU) pinned Boyce Cornwell (GWU), 1:28
285 - Garret Goldman (IU) dec. Justin Kozera (GWU), 5-2
Davidson sweeps Campbell, Coker; Camels fall twice
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson wrestling team won a pair of home contests, defeating SoCon foe Campbell, 36-6, and Coker, 22-18 Sunday at Belk Arena. Coker topped the Camels 44-4.
Nathaniel Powers and Scott Patrick each registered a pin, while the Wildcats used four sets of bonus points against Coker. Davidson improved to 6-13 overall and 1-4 in conference play.
In the first match, Campbell forfeited four of the 10 bouts, including a double forfeit at 125. At the first competitive weight, Alex Palinski dropped a 5-2 decision before Patrick Devlin fell at 165 pounds.
Powers took the mat and pinned Campbell's Monte Britton just 2:03 into the first period at 174 pounds. The junior leads the 'Cats with five falls on the season. Scott Patrick padded Davidson's lead with a 6-1 decision over Ville Heino at 184 pounds. Patrick remains undefeated in SoCon action with a perfect 5-0 mark. After another forfeit at 197 pounds, Eddie Isola registered a takedown and a three-point near fall late in the third period to win a hard fought 7-5 decision over Cody Ryba.
After a forfeit at 125 pounds to begin the dual against Coker, Anthony Elias followed up with an 18-3 technical fall over Travis Laxton at 133 pounds. Dustin Runzo picked up his first win of the year at 141 pounds with his 10-1 major decision over Cody Walker, giving the Wildcats a 9-6 edge in the team scores.
Coker responded with a sudden-victory-1 decision at 149 pounds. The Cobras edged closer with decisions at 157 pounds and 165 pounds, setting themselves up for a potential comeback.
A 10-0 major decision victory for Powers over Rocco Hladney put Davidson back in the win column. Patrick pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 19-15 after the senior pinned Zach Discus at the 3:48 mark.
Ian Solcz secured the win for Davidson, however, earning a 5-1 decision over Luis Pequero to move the score to 22-15. Solcz leads the team with 15 wins this season.
Davidson will return to action Wednesday with a trip to SoCon rival The Citadel. The match is slated for 7 p.m.
For Campbell, sophomore Ville Heino tallied the Camels’ lone victory in the team's match against the Coker Cobras. Heino picked up his 19th win of the season, a new career high for the Helsinki, Finland, native.
The Camels wrapped up their season with an 0-10 overall mark and 0-7 record in the SoCon.
Davidson 22, Coker 18
125: Mikel Nelson (Coker) win by forfeit
133: Anthony Elias (Davidson) tec. fall over Travis Laxton (Coker) 18-3
141: Dustin Runzo (Davidson) major decision over Cody Walker (Coker) 10-1
149: Rashad Cunningham (Coker) dec. over James McCord (Davidson) SV-1 3-1
157: Tristan Sommer (Coker) dec. over Alex Palinski (Davidson) 8-2
165: Derrick Booth (Coker) dec. over Patrick Devlin (Davidson) 3-2
174: Nathaniel Powers (Davidson) major dec over Rocco Hladney (Coker) 10-0
184: Scott Patrick (Davidson) fall over Zach Discus (Coker) 3:48
197: Ian Solcz (Davidson) dec. over Luis Pequero (Coker) 5-1
285: John Allen Griswold (Coker) over Ed Isola (Davidson) 4-1
Davidson 33, Campbell 9
125: Double forfeit
133: Anthony Elias (Davidson) wins by forfeit
141: Dustin Runzo (Davidson) wins by forfeit
149: James McCord (Davidson) wins by forfeit
157: Daniel Luty (Campbell) dec. over Alex Palinski (Davidson) 5-2
165: Garrison Matthews (Campbell) dec. over Patrick Devlin (Davidson) 3-2
174: Nathaniel Powers (Davidson) fall over Monte Britton (Campbell) 2:03
184: Scott Patrick (Davidson) dec over Ville Heino (Campbell) 6-1
197: Ian Solcz (Davidson) wins by forfeit
285: Ed Isola (Davidson) dec over Cody Ryba (Campbell) 7-5
Coker 44, Campbell 4
125: Mikel Nelson (Coker), FF
133: Travis Laxton (Coker), FF
141 Cody Walker, (Coker) FF
149: Rashad Cunningham (Coker), FF
157: Tristan Sommer (Coker) def. Daniel Luty (Campbell) Dec., 7-1
165: Derrick Booth (Coker) def. Garrison Matthews (Campbell) Dec., 4-0
174: Rocco Hladney (Coker) def. Monte Britton (Campbell) TF, 23-6 (7:00)
184: Ville Heino (Campbell) def. Zach Dicus (Coker) MD 13-3
197: Luis Peguero (Coker), FF
285: Alex Green (Coker) def. Cody Ryba (Campbell) Dec. 7-3
VMI vs. Appalachian State moved to Wednesday
LEXINGTON, Va. – For more than 70 years, the Virginia Military Institute and Appalachian State University have met on the wrestling mat. The rivalry continues on Wednesday as VMI hosts its Southern Conference foe Mountaineers for a 7:30 p.m. start. With heavy snows predicted for the Blue Ridge region on Monday, the match has been bumped back two days.