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Monday, 13 February 2012 22:54 |
The Appalachian State University wrestling team went 1-1 in its home matches this weekend, beating conference opponent VMI and falling to No. 20 Virginia.
But Appalachian’s 37-9 defeat of VMI earned the team a share of the Southern Conference dual-meet title.
“Winning conference is a big deal, but we have got a lot of season left,” head coach JohnMark Bentley said. “We are hoping to send a lot of guys to the NCAA tournament and break into the top 25 as a team. That’s where our focus is at as we keep moving forward.”
The Mountaineers are only one win away from going undefeated in conference matches. Appalachian will take on Davidson Feb. 19 for its final conference competition of the season.
This weekend’s competition started at 165 pounds, and No. 15 Kyle Blevins came through with a crushing 15-2 major decision to put the Mountaineers up, 4-0.
VMI’s Matthew Brock answered with a 6-0 decision at 174 pounds, closing ASU’s advantage to 4-3.
No. 12 Austin Trotman, at 184 pounds, won his 119th career victory by forfeit.
Freshman Paul Weiss earned a 10-1 victory at 197 pounds, widening ASU’s lead to 14-3.
Appalachian went on to win five of its final six matches, including a pin from Junior Brett Boston.
After Friday’s title-clinching match, ASU lost to No. 20 Virginia 29-12 on Saturday. It was the Mountaineers’ third loss to a ranked opponent.
ASU’s Mike Kessler brawled with No. 7 Nick Nelson at 141 pounds for three solid periods, but Nelson’s reversal in the second round helped him survive with a 3-0 decision.
Virginia won the next two matches, and extended its lead to 12-0.
Kyle Blevins battled a closely contested match against No. 16 Nick Sulzer and managed to pull out a 4-0 victory with two back points in the third.
“Going into the third period, I knew that no matter how many times he got to his feet I needed to return him to the mat and ride him tough,” Blevins said. “Once he started rolling around was when I knew it was my opportunity to catch him and get a couple of back points.”
Senior Austin Trotman and junior Tony Gravely were the only other Mountaineers to win dual matches.
Trotman defeated Virginia’s Nick Kidd 8-3.
“I honestly try to wrestle every match the same,” Trotman said. “If I have the mentality that my opponent is nameless and faceless, I will go out there and do my job like I did today.”
Gravely won his match by forfeit.
When the final buzzer sounded, Virginia handed Appalachian its fourth loss of the season.
With their 11-4 record, the Mountaineers have earned double-digit dual wins for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
ASU’s regular season ends next weekend. They host Duke Saturday at 6 p.m. and Davidson Sunday at 2 p.m.
Story: CHASE ERICKSON, Intern Sports Reporter |
