Feb 1, 2009

Bonus points key as Tech downs Tar Heels, 19-15
Jarrod Garnett and Anthony Trongone picked up big bonus points as the Virginia Tech wrestling team capped off a successful weekend with a 19-15 win over the University of North Carolina Sunday at Fetzer Gymnasium. The two teams split 10 matches, but the bonus points picked up proved to be the difference. With the win, the 13th-ranked Hokies improve to 17-1 overall, 2-0 ACC.

Garnett got the Hokies off to a fast start with a pin at 125 pounds. The freshman picked up four takedowns and then finally picked up the fall with 16 seconds left in the match to give Tech an early 6-0 lead. Brock LiVorio got the call at 133 pounds for the Hokies but couldn’t overcome a 4-1 first-period deficit and lost 8-5 to Mike Rappo.

The featured matches came next as first No. 20 Chris Diaz of Tech took on No. 18 Vincent Ramirez of UNC. Neither man showed much offense in the first two periods as Diaz held a 1-0 advantage heading into the third period thanks to an escape in the second. Ramirez tried a roll reverse but Diaz hopped around him and caught him on his back for two near fall points. He picked up three more near fall points later and got a point for riding Ramirez the whole third period en route to a dominating 7-0 win.

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Garnett's pin lifts No. 13 Tech to big win over Cavaliers
A pin by Jarrodd Garnett midway through the team match proved to be huge as the 13th-ranked Virginia Tech wrestling team pulled away late Saturday afternoon, beating in-state rival Virginia 21-12 in front of a near-capacity crowd at Deep Run High School as part of the Rumble on the River.

The match opened up at 165 pounds where Virginia's Matt Sewell picked up a 7-2 win over Matt Epperly. The two were scoreless heading into the third period, but Sewell got a pair of takedowns and three near fall points late in the match to pick up the win. At 174 pounds, ninth-ranked Chris Henrich of Virginia moved to 31-1 on the year with a 6-1 decision over Anthony Trongone.

At 184 pounds, Tommy Spellman nearly picked up a big pin to tie things up, but settled for a dominating 8-1 decision over No. 16 Rocco Caponi. Spellman put Caponi on his back midway through the second period, but Caponi held it off. Spellman rode Caponi the entire second period and then took him down in the third period and rode him out for 4:21 over riding time and the win.

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Jan. 30, 2009

Terps Top Navy for Second Straight Season
Sophomore Patrick Gilmore earned a tiebreak victory in the final match of the night to seal a 20-14 victory against Navy Friday at Comcast Pavilion, giving the University of Maryland wrestling team its second consecutive victory against the Midshipmen.

With the Terrapins holding a 17-14 lead heading into the heavyweight bout, Gilmore needed to defeat Tyler Moyer to clinch a Terps victory.

Both wrestlers played it cautiously most of the match. After a scoreless first period, Gilmore struck first with an early escape in the second. Gilmore still led 1-0 late in the third and final period and had built his riding-time advantage to 56 seconds. However, Moyer earned an escape with 30 seconds left to knot the score at 1-1. Gilmore came up four seconds shy of picking up the crucial riding-time point and the match went to overtime.

Neither Gilmore nor Moyer could score in the sudden-victory period. Gilmore broke through in the first of two 30-second tiebreakers, however, taking a 2-1 lead. Gilmore held his lead in the second tiebreak, despite a furious attempt by Moyer as everyone in attendance rose to their feet in anticipation.

Virginia Grinds Out 28-6 Win Over George Mason
The Virginia wrestling team captured eight of 10 weight classes Friday night in a 28-6 victory over George Mason at Hopewell High School in Hopewell, Va. The Cavaliers won their first four bouts, highlighted by a Brent Jones (Jr., Burke, Va.) win over No. 8 Cayle Byers at 197 pounds. Jones is ranked No. 20 nationally by InterMat.

UVa (9-8) sprung to a quick 13-0 advantage after four matches. The dual opened at 174 pounds, where No. 9 Chris Henrich (So., Lansdale, Pa.) won a 4-3 decision over Bagna Tovuuja, the reigning CAA Rookie of the Week. No. 16 Rocco Caponi (Sr., Uniontown, Ohio) followed with a 10-1 major decision over Zach Ulm at 184.

Jones pushed the lead to 10-0 with a 3-1 decision over Byers, scoring the match's lone takedown in the second period. Calvin Cardillo (Jr., Alexandria, Va.) then dominated Mike Peterson 11-4 at heavyweight to give UVa a 13-0 lead.

No. 12 Oklahoma Wallops NC State, 38-6
Oklahoma won eight of 10 matches, including a medical default by NC State's previously unbeaten Darrion Caldwell, and rolled to a 38-6 victory in a college wrestling dual match.

Oklahoma, ranked No. 12 in the latest NWCA national poll, improved to 15-1 with the win, while NC State fell to 4-9-1. The big news for NC State, however, was the loss by Caldwell, who was trailing OU's Kyle Terry 5-0 in the second period when Caldwell suffered what appeared to be a back spasm. He was unable to continue and had to be carried from the mat.

Joey Fio got the Sooners off to a fast start by pinning NC State's Grayson Mills at 2:39 in the 125-pound bout. Fio, ranked ninth in the latest NWCA poll, improved to 15-3 overall. The Wolfpack cut the lead in half at 6-3 thanks to a late comeback by Darrius Little at 133 pounds. Trailing Brian Little 3-1 early in the third period, Little scored an escape to cut the lead to 3-2, then won the bout with a late takedown, improving to 12-12 with the 4-3 decision.