Gardner-Webb downs SIUE
BOILING SPRINGS – Gardner-Webb scored bonus points in three of its first six bouts Friday night and cruised to a 35-6 Southern Conference win over SIUE in the 2015-2016 home opener in Paul Porter Arena.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs (3-4, 2-0 SoCon) will travel to preseason favorite Chattanooga next Friday for another key SoCon dual (7 p.m.).
The match started well for the ‘Dogs at 165 pounds, with Austin Trott jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead over Nate Higgins. A four-point near fall early in the second period effectively put the bout out of reach, and Trott cruised to a 15-9 victory.
Brett Stein followed with a dominant first period at 174, taking a 12-2 lead after the first period – with a near fall aiding that effort in the final minute. Stein pulled away in the second period and ended the match with another near fall, which resulted in an 18-3 technical-fall victory.
The match continued to trend in Gardner-Webb’s favor at 184 pounds, as 2013 NCAA qualifier Hunter Gamble methodically put away Derek Nagle, pinning the Cougars’ grappler with 50 seconds remaining in the bout to push GWU’s team lead to 14-0.
Jake Tindle got the Cougars on the board with an 8-4 win over Gray Jones at 197 pounds to snap Gardner-Webb’s early streak.
Boyce Cornwell put Gardner-Webb back in the win column at 285 pounds, outlasting Chris Johnson in a tight match. Cornwell led 6-5 late in the third period and registered a takedown with 17 seconds on the clock for the final 8-5 margin. Cornwell improved to 15-4 overall on the season (2-0 SoCon) and 7-0 in dual competition.
Cortez Starkes fell behind very early at 125 pounds but rallied just as quickly and put the pedal down in the final 10 seconds of the second period, recording eight points on a pair of four-point near falls. Starkes added another near fall midway through the third period to end the match with Gardner-Webb’s second technical-fall win of the night.
Tyler Ziegler opened up a lead in the second period at 133 pounds and held off a late rally by Dakota Leach to take a 7-5 decision and push Gardner-Webb’s team lead to an insurmountable 25-3 with three bouts remaining on the card.
SIUE captured a win at 141 pounds, a 13-7 decision by John Muldoon over Ryan Hull, but a forfeit win for Gardner-Webb at 149 pounds and a major decision at 157 pounds for Chris Vassar capped a fine night for the Runnin’ Bulldogs.
SIUE returns to action at Appalachian State on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Gardner-Webb 35, SIUE 6
165 – Austin Trott (GW) dec. over Nate Higgins (SIUE) – 15-9 (3-0)
174 – Brett Stein (GW) tech. fall over Clayton Bass (SIUE) – 18-3 (8-0)
184 – Hunter Gamble (GW) pinned Derek Nagle (SIUE) – 6:10 (14-0)
197 – Jake Tindle (SIUE) dec. over Gray Jones (GW) – 8-4 (14-3)
285 – Boyce Cornwell (GW) vs. Chris Johnson (SIUE) – 8-5 (17-3)
125 – Cortez Starkes (GW) tech. fall over Joe Antonelli (SIUE) – 19-3 (22-3)
133 – Tyler Ziegler (GW) dec. over Dakota Leach (SIUE) – 7-5 (25-3)
141 – John Muldoon (SIUE) dec. over Ryan Hull (GW) – 13-7 (25-6)
149 – Ryan Mosley (GW) win by forfeit – (31-6)
157 – Chris Vassar (GW) major dec. over Erik Travers (SIUE) – 10-2 (35-6)
Chattanooga advances to Gold Bracket at Virginia Duals
HAMPTON, Va. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team had a strong opening day at the Virginia Duals at the Hampton Coliseum. The Mocs scored wins over Grand Canyon and Rider to advance to Saturday's Gold Bracket.
UTC opened with a 21-9 win over Grand Canyon, but it was the 24-13 victory against Rider that was the most impressive to this point in the season. The Broncos were coming off a fifth-place showing at the Midlands Championships and had four ranked individuals in their probable lineup.
UTC junior Scottie Boykin took out one of Rider's ranked individuals with a 4-3 decision over No. 20 Ryan Wolfe. That win sealed the deal against the Broncos and stopped a potential comeback.
Freshman Alonzo Allen opened the match against Rider with a 10-3 decision against Zach Valcarce, but the Broncos came back with a major decision at 133. Junior Michael Pongracz sparked Chattanooga with a pin at 141 that gave the Mocs a 9-4 lead.
Newcomer Chase Zemenak followed with a tech fall at 149 that put the Mocs in control with a 14-4 lead. It was Zemenak's second win of the day. The sophomore from Nazareth, Pa., just transferred in during the semester break from Bloomsburg.
Freshman Kamaal Shakur stretched the margin to 18-4 after a major decision at 157. Freshman Dominic Lampe just missed a big upset before falling 9-7 to No. 20 Connor Brennan at 165. Rider took the next two to close the gap to 18-13, but Boykin put the match out of reach with his win at 197. No. 11 Jared Johnson improved to 16-3 overall with his win at heavyweight to close out the match.
UTC won seven against the Antelopes of Grand Canyon but did not pick up bonus points in the first dual. Pongracz, Zemenak, Shakur, Lampe, juniors Sean Mappes and McCoy Newberg and Boykin all had wins in the first outing.
Chattanooga advances to the Gold Bracket on Saturday, where it faces No. 15 Iowa State. The Cyclones are 5-2 overall and feature three ranked individuals. Match time is set for 2 p.m.
Arizona State and No. 3 Virginia Tech are on the other side of the championship bracket and the finals/consolations are set for 8:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Chattanooga 21, Grand Canyon 9
125: Trayton Libolt (GCU) – Dec. 5-3 - Cody Minnick (UTC) – GCU 3-0
133: Juaquin Olivas (GCU) – Dec. 5-1 - Cody Hill (UTC) – GCU 6-0
141: Michael Pongracz (UTC) – Dec. 3-0 - Steven Abayon (GCU) – GCU 6-3
149: Chase Zemenak (UTC) – Dec. 1-0 - Blake Monty (GCU) – Tied 6-6
157: Kamaal Shakur (UTC) – Dec. 7-2 - Zackary Velasquez (GCU) – UTC 9-6
165: Dominic Lampe (UTC) – Dec. 6-1 - Casey Larson (GCU) – UTC 12-6
174: Sean Mappes (UTC) – Dec. 3-1 - Kenneth Moore (GCU) – UTC 15-6
184: McCoy Newberg (UTC) – Dec. 4-0 - Austin Trujillo (GCU) – UTC 18-6
197: Scottie Boykin (UTC) – Dec. 9-8 - Austin Gaun (GCU) – UTC 21-6
285: Daniel Chaid (GCU) – Dec. 8-2 - Connor Tolley (UTC) – UTC 21-9
Chattanooga 24, Rider 13
125: Alonzo Allen (UTC) Dec. 10 -3 - Zach Valcarce (Rider) – UTC 3-0
133: Robert Deutsch (Rider) – MD 19-5 - Cody Hill (UTC) – Rider 4-3
141: Michael Pongracz (UTC) – Fall 3:38 - Paul Kirchner (Rider) – UTC 9-4
149: Chase Zemenak (UTC) – Tech Fall 19-4 - Jimmy Morris (Rider) – UTC 14-4
157: Kamaal Shakur (UTC) – MD 14-5 - Jesse Rodgers (Rider) – UTC 18-4
165: No. 20 Connor Brennan (Rider) – Dec. 9-7 - Dominic Lampe (UTC) – UTC 21-7
174: Wayne Stinson (Rider) – Dec. 6-3 – Sean Mappes (UTC) – UTC 18-10
184: Michale Fagg-Daves (Rider) – Dec. 7-5 - McCoy Newberg (UTC) – UTC 18-13
197: Scottie Boykin (UTC) – Dec. 4-3 - No. 20 Ryan Wolfe (Rider) – UTC 21-13
285: No. 11 Jared Johnson (UTC) – Dec. 2-0 - Greg Velasco (Rider) – UTC 24-13
The Citadel drops three at Virginia Duals
HAMPTON, Va. – The Citadel wrestling team suffered three defeats in day one of the Virginia Duals, falling to Bucknell 32-9, No. 5 Virginia Tech 34-9 and Grand Canyon 23-12. The loss to Bucknell was the first of the season for the Bulldogs (3-3).
In the first dual against Bucknell, Aaron Walker and Marshall Haas remained perfect in dual matches. Walker (13-5) faced Zach Kelly and earned the win by fall in 6:54 to improve to 4-0 in duals this season. Haas, the SoCon Wrestler of the Month for December, also picked up his fourth dual win after edging Bucknell’s Tyler Green by a 6-5 decision.
The Bulldogs had little time to regroup before heading into the next match of the day against Virginia Tech at 11 a.m.
Ty Buckiso kept things close at 141 pounds, trailing by only four against No. 12 Solomon Chisko heading into the third period, but the sophomore’s comeback fell short as he eventually dropped a 7-2 decision. Buckiso (10-8) was the only Bulldog to face two ranked opponents on Friday, as he dropped an 8-3 decision to No. 20 Tyler Smith of Bucknell.
At 149 pounds, Matt Frisch held a 3-1 lead over Virginia Tech’s Chad Saunders heading into the third period after recording a two-point takedown and an escape. Despite an escape from Saunders in the third period, Frisch secured the riding-time point and hung on to pick up the 4-2 decision. The win was the first of the match for the Bulldogs.
Walker followed Frisch with his second pin of the day, defeating Justus Weaver in just 2:32 and closing the Hokies’ lead to four heading into the 165 matchup.
Daniel Smith took to the mat at 165 for the Bulldogs but despite a gritty effort was pinned in 4:41 by No. 18 David McFadden, pushing Virginia Tech’s lead to 10.
At 197 pounds Haas found himself in another close match, this time with the Hokies’ Jared Haught. Haught, ranked No. 8 in the country, held a 1-0 lead heading into the third period but Haas recorded an escape to even things at 1-1. With less than a minute left, Haught recorded a two-point takedown to make the score 3-1. Haas was able to tally an escape with seconds remaining but it would not be enough and the senior would take the 3-2 loss.
Of the 10 Hokies the Bulldogs faced in the dual, six were ranked in the top 20.
The Citadel then moved on to the first round of the Bronze bracket where they faced Grand Canyon. Despite wins from Patrick Kearney, Frisch, Walker and Haas, the Bulldogs were unable to pull out the win and dropped to 3-3 this season with the 23-12 loss.
The Citadel returns to the mat on Saturday for the final day of competition where they will face SoCon foe Campbell at 10 a.m.
Bucknell 32, The Citadel 9
125 Frank Satriale (Bucknell) over Patrick Kearney (The Citadel) (Dec. 11‐5)
133 Grimaldi Gonzalez (Bucknell) over Caleb Smtih (The Citadel) (Dec. 6‐0)
141 Tyler Smith (Bucknell) over Ty Buckiso (The Citadel) (Dec. 8‐3)
149 Victor Lopez (Bucknell) over Matt Frisch (The Citadel) (MD 17‐6)
157 Aaron Walker (The Citadel) over Zach Kelly (Bucknell) (F, 6:54)
165 DJ Hollingshead (Bucknell) over Daniel Smith (Citadel) (MD 16‐3)
174 Rustin Barrack (Bucknell) over Timothy Knipl (The Citadel) (MD 12‐0)
184 Tom Sleigh (Bucknell) over Sawyer Root (The Citadel) (TF 19‐2)
197 Marshall Haas (The Citadel) over Tyler Greene (Bucknell) (Dec. 6‐5)
HWT Joe Stolfi (Bucknell) over Joe Bexley (The Citadel) (F, 5:41)
No. 4 Virginia Tech 34, The Citadel 9
133 Dennis Gustafason (VT) over Caleb Smtih (The Citadel) (TF 17‐0)
141 Soloman Chishko (VT) over Ty Buckiso (The Citadel) (Dec. 7‐2)
149 Matt Frisch (The Citadel) over Chad Saunders (VT) (Dec. 4‐2)
157 Aaron Walker (The Citadel) over Justus Weaver (VT) (F, 2:32)
165 David McFadden (VT) over Daniel Smith (Citadel) (F, 3:41)
174 Cody Hughes (VT) over Timothy Knipl (The Citadel) (MD 12‐2)
184 Zack Zavatsky (VT) over Sawyer Root (The Citadel) (TF 17‐2)
197 Jared Haught (VT) over Marshall Haas (The Citadel) (Dec. 3‐2)
HWT Ty Walz (VT) over Joe Bexley (The Citadel) (Dec. 8‐3)
Grand Canyon 23, The Citadel 12
125 Patrick Kearney (The Citadel) over Trayton Libolt (GCU) (Dec. 3‐2)
133 Juaquin Olivas (GCU) over Caleb Smtih (The Citadel) (TF 17‐2)
141 Ralphy Tovar (GCU) over Ty Buckiso (The Citadel) (Dec. 2‐0)
149 Matt Frisch (The Citadel) over Blake Monty (GCU) (SV‐1 Dec. 6‐2)
157 Aaron Walker (The Citadel) over Zackary Velasquez (GCU) (Dec. 5‐1)
165 Casey Larson (GCU) over Daniel Smith (Citadel) (F, 4:58)
174 Kenneth Moore (GCU) over Timothy Knipl (The Citadel) (Dec. 7‐2)
184 Austin Trujillo (GCU) over Sawyer Root (The Citadel) (Dec. 4‐3)
197 Marshall Haas (The Citadel) over Jared Haught (GCU) (Dec. 4‐2)
HWT Daniel Chaid (GCU) over Joe Bexley (The Citadel) (MD 10‐0)
Campbell drops three at Virginia Duals
HAMPTON, Va. – Nathan Kraisser went 3-0 on day one of the 36th annual Virginia Duals, while Ville Heino and Paul Duggan both finished 2-1 on the day as Campbell completed the day's action 0-3 as it fell to Arizona State 30-9, Old Dominion 28-16 and George Mason 26-10.
The Camels now sit 0-10 on the season heading into day two of the Virginia Duals, as they will face The Citadel at 10 a.m.
The Camels met the Sun Devils of Arizona State in a rematch of their dual from the Mountaineer Duals back on Nov. 8. The match started with Ares Carpio earning his second win over a Camel at 125 pounds, as he downed Collin Stewart in a 14-7 decision. Kraisser followed at 133 pounds and gave Campbell the points lead, recording his third pin in 6:32 over Alex Dalusio.
ASU went on to win the next three bouts with an 18-6 major decision at 141 pounds, a 24-8 tech fall at 149 pounds and 14-4 major at 157 pounds. Redshirt senior Paul Duggan would be the only other Camel to win his bout and contribute to the team points.
Duggan squared off with Jacen Petersen at 165 pounds in a tense battle for points. Petersen looked as though he had control of the bout as he earned a takedown and a 2-point near fall to go up 4-0 in the first period. Duggan scored six points right out of the gate starting the second period, as he earned a takedown and a 4-point near fall to go up 6-4. The bout went to sudden victory after ending regulation tied at 8 and Duggan scored the first takedown to win the bout in a 10-8 decision and make the team score 16-9.
The Sun Devils extended their lead to win the match 30-9 as they won out the remaining four matches with two decisions (174 and 285) and two majors (184 and 197).
Campbell had about 20 minutes to recover before it began its second dual of the day against No. 24 Old Dominion. The Monarchs got a hot start out of the gates with an 18-0 tech fall by Brandon Jeske over Collin Stewart at 125 pounds to put ODU up 5-0.
Kraisser picked up his second win of the day as he defeated Emilio Saavedra at 133 pounds in a 14-5 major decision to pull the Camels within one (5-4). The Monarchs followed with five straight wins, including two decisions (141 and 165), a pin over Zane Knight in 1:18 at 149 pounds and two major decisions (157 and 174).
The Camels got a spark back when 184-pound junior Heino took to the mat and pinned Terrell Forbes in 2:59 to put the team score at 25-10. In the 197 bout, it was a battle of Austins as Austin Coburn (ODU) faced off with Austin McNeill (CU). Coburn managed to outlast McNeill, earning three team points on a 3-1 decision. With just the heavyweights remaining, the Camels trailed 28-10, and Jere Heino came to the mat and took care of business, earning his second and fastest fall of the season in 2:31 over Andrew Snyder to put the final score 28-16.
Campbell moved on to the Bronze consolation bracket, where they faced George Mason for the third match of the day. The Patriots won seven of the 10 weight classes, including four decisions, two tech falls and a major decision.
Kraisser won his third match of the day in a 5-4 decision over Vince Rodriguez. Duggan earned his second win, taking down Patrick Davis in a 3-2 decision with 1:02 riding time deciding the winner. Ville Heino was the last of the Camels to win and picked up his second win of the day in an 18-6 major decision over Luke Ludke in the 184 bout.
The Camels have one more dual while at the Virginia Duals and are slated to face The Citadel on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Arizona State 30, Campbell 9
125 Ares Carpio (Arizona State) over Collin Stewart (Campbell) Dec 14-7
133 Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) over Alex Dalusio (Arizona State) Fall 6:32
141 Robert Mathers (Arizona State) over Luke Stewart (Campbell) MD 18-6
149 Christian Pagdilao (Arizona State) over Zane Knight (Campbell) TF 24-8
157 Gene `Oliver` Pierce (Arizona State) over Quentin Perez (Campbell) MD 14-4
165 Paul Duggan (Campbell) over Jacen Petersen (Arizona State) SV-1 10-8
174 Anthony Anderson (Arizona State) over Matthew Olauson (Campbell) Dec 6-0
184 Blake Stauffer (Arizona State) over Ville Heino (Campbell) MD 12-4
197 Joshua Dasilveira (Arizona State) over Austin McNeill (Campbell) MD 12-4
285 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) over Jere Heino (Campbell) Dec 4-1
Old Dominion 28, Campbell 16
125 Brandon Jeske (Old Dominion) over Collin Stewart (Campbell) TF 18-0
133 Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) over Emilio Saavedra (Old Dominion) MD 14-5
141 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) over Luke Stewart (Campbell) Dec 7-3
149 Alexander Richardson (Old Dominion) over Zane Knight (Campbell) Fall 1:18
157 Devin Geoghegan (Old Dominion) over Quentin Perez (Campbell) MD 9-0
165 Seldon Wright (Old Dominion) over Paul Duggan (Campbell) Dec 6-3
174 Climmons Brooks (Old Dominion) over Matthew Olauson (Campbell) MD 12-3
184 Ville Heino (Campbell) over Terrell Forbes (Old Dominion) Fall 2:59
197 Austin Coburn (Old Dominion) over Austin McNeill (Campbell) Dec 3-1
285 Jere Heino (Campbell) over Andrew Snyder (Old Dominion) Fall 2:31
George Mason 26, Campbell 10
125 Ibrahim Banduka (George Mason) over Collin Stewart (Campbell) MD 13-5
133 Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) over Vince Rodriguez (George Mason) Dec 5-4
141 Tejon Anthony (George Mason) over Luke Stewart (Campbell) Dec 12-7
149 Blake Roulo (George Mason) over Zane Knight (Campbell) TF 17-1
157 Gregory Flournoy (George Mason) over Quentin Perez (Campbell) TF 19-4
165 Paul Duggan (Campbell) over Patrick Davis (George Mason) 3-2 RT-1:02
174 Ryan Forrest (George Mason) over Matthew Olauson (Campbell) Dec 6-4
184 Ville Heino (Campbell) over Luke Ludke (George Mason) MD 18-6
197 Cameron Houston (George Mason) over Austin McNeill (Campbell) Dec 8-2
285 Matt Voss (George Mason) over Jere Heino (Campbell) Dec 9-5
VMI falls to No. 16 Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. – Facing one of the top teams in the country, the VMI wrestling team fell to No. 16 Virginia by a 35-7 score Friday night in a neutral setting at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond.
The Keydets trailed by a 17-4 score through five bouts and were unable to pick up momentum in the final half as the Cavaliers picked up the win.
Dalton Henderson earned a quick win for VMI at 125 pounds for a 4-0 lead by dominating Joe Martinez in a 13-2 major decision. The advantage was short-lived, however, as the Cavaliers rallied for four consecutive victories to build a 17-4 lead through five bouts. VMI 133-pounder Bennie Pachello was pinned by the fifth-ranked wrestler in the country, George DiCamillo, in the second period (5:54). Virginia also earned major-decision victories at 141 and 157 pounds to build the lead.
Junior Shabaka Johns put three more points on the board for VMI by defeating Virginia’s Dustin Roemer by an 11-8 decision at 165 pounds. Despite the win, the Keydets were unable to pick up additional points in the final four matches as the Cavaliers earned bonus points in three of the bouts.
The Keydets return to action next Friday, Jan. 15, with a dual against Southern Conference opponent Campbell at home. The match is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start at The Pit at Cormack Hall.
No. 16 Virginia 35, VMI 7
125: Dalton Henderson maj. dec. Joe Martinez (UVa), 13-2 (4-0)
133: No. 5 George DiCamillo (UVa) pinned Bennie Pachello, 5:54 (4-6)
141: Emilio Martinez (UVa) maj. dec. Hunter Starner, 11-2 (4-10)
149: TJ Miller (UVa) dec. Darren Ostrander, 6-1 (4-13)
157: No. 19 Andrew Atkinson (UVa) maj. dec. Neal Richards, 16-2 (4-17)
165: Shabaka Johns dec. Dustin Roemer (UVa), 11-8(7-17)
174: Fox Baldwin (UVa) pinned Calvin Lawson, 1:21 (7-23)
184: Will Schany (UVa) maj. dec. Derek Thurman, 16-7 (7-27)
197: No. 10 Zach Nye (UVa) tech fall Taylor Thomas, 19-3 (6:21) (7-32)
285: Ethan Hayes (UVa) dec. Tasi Mathias, 10-4 (7-35)