Feb. 10, 2008

Virginia Wrestling Scores Sunday Road Wins Over NC State, Duke

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia wrestling team picked up two conference victories Sunday in Durham, N.C. The Cavaliers opened the day with a 30-12 win over North Carolina State at Durham's Riverside High School, then capped the day with a 19-15 triumph over Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Virginia (18-4, 3-1 ACC) received a monster performance out of 184-pounder Rocco Caponi (Jr., Uniontown, Ohio). Ranked 12th nationally, Caponi recorded two falls, needing just one minute, 48 seconds total to do so. Caponi improved to 34-2 this season and set the single-season wins record for a UVa junior, topping the previous mark of 32, set by Mike Krafchick in 1994.

Against NC State, the Cavaliers fell behind 9-0 to start, but rebounded to win seven of the final eight bouts. Trailing 9-0, UVa got consecutive decisions from Drew DiPasquale (Jr, Bloomsburg, Pa.) and freshmen Michael Chaires (Scotia, N.Y.) and No. 19 Chris Henrich (Lansdale, Pa.) at 157, 165 and 174 pounds, respectively, then received quick pins in succession from Caponi in one minute and 20th-ranked Brent Jones (Burke, Va.) in just 54 seconds to turn the match around as UVa took a 21-9 lead.

After NC State (8-9-1, 1-3) earned a decision from Bobby Isola at heavyweight, UVa's Ross Gitomer (So., Flemington, N.J.) earned a 4-1 decision over Taylor Cummings at 125. Eric Albright (Jr., York, Pa.) put a cap on the match with a pin of Darius Little in 2:59 at 133.

The match against Duke (9-8, 0-4) was considerably tighter, with the final outcome hinging on the last bout between Albright and Chris Thumen at 133. Once again, Albright dominated in a 13-1 major decision to propel UVa to a 19-15 team win.

UVa had to come from behind against the Blue Devils as well after falling into a 9-3 hole through four bouts. Again, the upperweights came up big. Henrich started things with a 7-5 decision over Ben Wales at 174, as he ran his winning streak to 14-consecutive matches. Caponi followed with a fall in 48 seconds over John Barone, and Jones added a 5-2 decision over Dan Tulley to give UVa a 15-9 lead. The win pushed Jones' record to 30-9 this year.

Duke knotted the match at 15, as Mike Tunick earned a 6-5 decision over Jack Danilkowicz (So., Green Oaks, Ill.) in the heavyweight class and Kellon McKeon nabbed a 3-1 sudden victory over Gitomer at 125, setting up Albright's clinching win.

Chaires, with his win in the NC State bout, notched his 29th victory of the season, tying the freshman record previously set by Jody Jackson (1989) and Albright (2006).

Duke Gets Through Grueling Weekend With Three Wins & Hangs Tough With Virginia 

BUIES CREEK, N.C., and DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke Blue Devils got through one of their toughest weekends of the season and came away with three wins in four meets. Duke downed Belmont Abbey (37-4), UNC Pembroke (32-11) and Campbell (35-3) on Saturday in Carter Gym at the Campbell Duals in Buies Creek, N.C. The Devils then fought hard against ACC rival Virginia, going into the final match tied, but fell 19-15 on Sunday night at home in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The three Saturday contests marked the fifth, sixth and seventh of seven consecutive duals on the road for Duke. The Blue Devils finished 5-2 on the road swing and after Sunday's loss are now 9-8 overall this season and 0-4 in the ACC.

At 141 pounds for the first time this year was redshirt senior captain Bryan Gibson. He went 2-1 with one major decision, losing only a close match against Virginia late in the third period, 8-2. Gibson is now tied for 16th for career wins at Duke with 73. This year, he is 10-5 and 6-3 in duals.

Redshirt sophomore Michael Degli Obizzi was another top performer over the long weekend, going an undefeated 3-0 at 149 pounds. He had one pin at Campbell and a 13-10 decision over Virginia's Shawn Harris, which knotted that meet at 3-3 after two matches. Degli Obizzi is 18-7 this year and 40-29 in his career at Duke.

Another perfect weekend belonged to sophomore Voris Tejada, who earned four victories and one major decision at 157 pounds. His 3-2 decision over the Cavaliers' Drew DiPasquale gave the Blue Devil a 6-3 lead in their meet with Virginia at that point. Tejada is 29-11 in 2007-08 with a 10-2 dual mark and a 48-19 career showing. He ranks 16th on Duke's career winning percentage list with a .716 mark.

A crucial decision on Sunday night against Virginia went to junior captain Addison Nuding at 165 pounds. Nuding won 6-3 over Michael Chaires, giving Duke a 9-3 advantage after four matches. He also picked up a major decision on Saturday to put his season record at 24-8 and 11-4 in dual meets. Nuding is 46-35 all-time at Duke.

At 174 pounds, redshirt sophomore Ben Wales was 3-1 in two days with one technical fall and one major decision. His only defeat came in a tight battle with No. 19 nationally-ranked Chris Henrich of UVA, which was only lost 7-5 late in the match. Wales is now 17-13 this year with a 7-5 slate in duals and a 26-24 career record as a Blue Devil.

Redshirt sophomore captain John Barone continued his domination in what is turning out to be one of the most impressive seasons ever for a Duke grappler, going 3-1 with two pins this weekend. Barone is now 31-5 with 13 falls and a 15-2 ledger in duals. His 66-21 overall mark as a Blue Devil is good for ninth place on Duke's all-time winning percentage list with a .758 clip. Barone is tied for fifth on Duke's single season wins list and is already tied for 19th on the career wins list. He needs four more victories to eclipse the single season wins record, and there are four more regular season dual meets and the ACC Tournament to go. Literally every Duke record is under assault this year by the native of Shirley, N.Y.

Tar Heels Top Wolfpack, 24-18 (from TarHeelBlue.com)

• Replay on ACC Select

RALEIGH, N.C. - Behind a pin from Keegan Mueller at 165 pounds and three straight major decisions, North Carolina dominated the first six individual bouts en route to a 24-18 victory over NC State Friday at Reynolds Coliseum. Over their six-match win streak to open the match, the Tar Heels (8-5, 3-2 ACC) posted a 22-1 advantage in takedowns over the Wolfpack (8-8-1, 1-2 ACC).

Carolina has now won two of its last three in Raleigh and has dropped just one of its last six meetings with NC State. The Tar Heels are 4-1-1 against the rival Wolfpack over this stretch.

The match started at 157 pounds, and redshirt freshman Thomas Scotton got the Tar Heels off to a quick start with an 8-2 decision against Colton Palmer. The Willingboro, N.J., native broke open a tight match with a pair of third-period takedowns and added a point for riding time. Scotton moves to 15-6 and 8-2 in duals.

Mueller, the reigning ACC Wrestler of the Week, followed with his second pin of the season and his 17th consecutive victory to push the UNC lead to 9-0. The 165-pounder pinned State's Jalil Dozier in 4:13 to run his record to 23-3 and a perfect 13-0 in dual action. Mueller also finishes his ACC regular season with a 5-0 record.

The Pack picked up its first victory on the mat at 133 when Darius Little used a takedown and a three-point near fall in the final seconds of the third period to grab a victory from UNC's Danny Lopes. State followed with its pair of top-10 wrestlers posting a decision at 141 by No. 6 Joe Caramanica and a pin from No. 9 Darrion Caldwell at 149 to close the match and cut the final score to 24-18.

North Carolina Pins Wrestling, 24-18 (from GoPack.com)

• Replay on ACC Select

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina won the first six bouts, including a pin and three major decisions, and coasted from there to a 24-18 victory over NC State in an Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling match at Reynolds Coliseum.

The Tar Heels thoroughly dominated through the first six bouts, leading 24-0 and recording 22 takedowns to NC State's one. The Wolfpack won the last four bouts, but the UNC lead was much too big to overcome.

Thomas Scotton, North Carolina's 157-pounder, controlled the opening match from the outset, defeating Colton Palmer 8-2 with a third-period flurry that included two takedowns and a point for riding time. Thirteenth-ranked Keegan Mueller gave the Tar Heels a 9-0 lead when he pinned Jalil Dozier at 165 pounds. With both wrestlers on the mat with neither in control, Mueller caught Dozier leaning towards his back, took him by the shoulder to get on top and pinned him.

At 174, North Carolina's Kyle Kiss took Ray Ward down in the opening seconds, then got a pair of three-point near falls before the end of the first period. Kiss rode that early 8-0 lead to an easy 16-3 major decision. The 184-pound bout was no better for the home team. Nick Tenpenney got eight takedowns against Dane Coffee, who was wrestling for the injured Ryan Goodman. Tenpenney rolled to a 19-5 major decision to up the team lead to 17-0 for UNC.

The Tar Heels continued to plow through the Wolfpack on through the heavyweight bout. Dennis Drury handed Mark Jahad an 8-0 major decision at 197 pounds, and 19th-ranked heavyweight Justin Dobies defeated Bobby Isola 9-4. That gave North Carolina a 24-0 lead with four bouts remaining, meaning the Wolfpack needed pins or forfeits in each of the final three bouts to tie the match.

Virginia Defeats NC State Wrestling 30-12

DURHAM, N.C. - Virginia fell behind 9-0 to start the match, but won five matches in a row, including a pair of first-minute pins, and went on to record a 30-12 victory over NC State in Atlantic Coast Conference wrestling action. The bout was held at Durham's Riverside High School.

Sixth-ranked 141-pounder Joe Caramanica got the match off to a good start for the Wolfpack, winning a 7-0 decision over Virginia freshman Nick Nelson. Caramanica improved to 27-4 on the season and improved to 70-23 for his career. Caramanica became the 21st wrestler in school history to win 70 or more matches. Caramanica has allowed just two points total in his last five matches.

Darrion Caldwell upped NC State's lead to 9-0 when he pinned Shawn Harris at 1:33. Caldwell, ranked No. 9 nationally, improved to 27-3 for the season. The pin was the 17th of the season for Caldwell, third most in a single season ever by a Wolfpack wrestler. Caldwell now has 27 pins for his career, which ranks fifth in school history, one behind Lynn Morris (28 pins from 1975-78) and two behind Dan Madson (29 pins from 1992-96).

The Cavaliers cut three more points off the Wolfpack lead with Michael Chaires's 10-5 decision over Jalil Dozier, and No. 19 Chris Henrich tied the score at 9-9 for Virginia with an 11-5 decision over Ray Ward, filling in for injured Randy Goodman at 174.

Henrich was the first of three ranked wrestlers in a row for the Cavaliers, the second being Rocco Caponi, ranked No. 13 at 184. This would have been a headline bout between Caponi and 19th-ranked Ryan Goodman of the Wolfpack, but Goodman is out with a knee injury. With Goodman out, Caponi pinned Dane Coffee at 1:00, and 20th-ranked 197-pounder Brent Jones followed that with a 56-second pin of the Wolfpack's Mark Jahad. The sudden back-to-back falls gave Virginia a 21-9 lead in the team scoring with three matches remaining.

Hokies fall to #19 UTC, 26-10

• Replay on ACC Select

BLACKSBURG - The Virginia Tech wrestling team dropped a 26-10 decision to 19th-ranked Tennessee Chattanooga Saturday night at Cassell Coliseum. Three Hokies picked up wins, but it wasn't enough as the Mocs improved to 9-5 on the year while Tech dropped to 6-7.

The match got started at 125 pounds, where UTC's Javier Maldonado, ranked 15th in the country, picked up a fall over Justin Staylor at the 3:42 mark. Leading 7-0 in the second period, Maldonado caught Staylor in a cradle and picked up the fall 42 seconds into the period.

At 133 pounds, Jared Jones got a takedown in the second period and picked up back points later on in the period en route to an 8-4 decision over Steve Hromada.