Arizona State, Chattanooga shake up college brackets at 36th annual Virginia Duals
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by Jason Bryant, Special to TheMat.com
Hampton, Va. – Arizona State head coach Zeke Jones is waiting until next year to unleash his stellar recruiting class. That doesn’t mean Jones is going to mortgage this season for the next.
Arizona State moved into the semifinals of the National College Division at the 36th annual Virginia Duals at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va., with a pair of wins on Friday. The Sun Devils opened up with a 30-9 win over Campbell and then a 25-11 win over third-seeded Old Dominion.
After dropping the first three bouts of the dual with Old Dominion, Arizona State swept the final seven bouts, kickstarted by Matt Kraus’ 3-2 win over All-American Alexander Richardson at 149 pounds.
“It’s the first time we’ve wrestled tough all year,” said Jones. “What I mean by tough is gritty, determined, battle-ready. When something got tough, we got tough with it. Getting tough is fun. They enjoyed that part.”
Kraus scored a second-period reversal to build a 3-2 lead heading into the third period and was able to spurn any of Richardson’s late takedown attempts.
“He just out-toughed the kid when he needed to,” said Jones of Kraus. “Those seniors are stepping up because they know this is it for them.”
“There’s no doubt the kids are wrestling with a lot of heart and a lot of passion,” said Jones. “There are quite a few seniors in the lineup, and what they care about is today, their NCAA tournament. They feel confident about the future, but to them, what matters is this year, not next year.”
The tide fully turned the Sun Devils way at 165 pounds, where Jacen Peterson topped Sheldon Wright 9-2, avenging an earlier loss at the Midlands. A highly-anticipated bout between All-Americans Jack Dechow of ODU and Blake Stauffer of Arizona State didn’t materialize as Dechow did not compete due to injury.
The Sun Devils will take on top-seeded Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon’s semifinals after the Hokies won their pool with victories over The Citadel and Bucknell.
Chattanooga also shook things up, upending fourth-seeded Rider 24-13. The Mocs also beat Grand Canyon 21-9. Coach Heath Eslinger’s squad will face Iowa State in the other semifinal. Iowa State is making its first appearance at the Virginia Duals since 1990.
The Mocs came out strong, winning four of the first five weights to build a 18-4 lead, highlighted by Mike Pongracz’s come-from-behind fall over Paul Kirchner at 141 pounds and transfer Chase Zemenak’s technical fall at 149. Rider would close the gap, winning three straight bouts from 165-184, but Scottie Boykin and Jared Johnson closed things out for the Mocs in the last two weights.
Iowa State won its pool by defeating Kent State and George Mason.
In the American College Division, a pair of Division II teams powered into the semifinals as Kutztown and Minnesota State Moorhead were impressive. Kutztown, the top seed in the eight-team bracket, topped Central Florida’s club team 31-9, while Minnesota State Moorhead blasted host Apprentice 48-0.
Kutztown will face Liberty University’s club team, which defeated Camden County College, a second-year junior college in New Jersey, 30-18, while Kris Nelson’s Moorhead squad will face Division III Ferrum College, which topped Division II Anderson 38-12.
In the National High School Division, top seeded Nazareth (Pa.) moved into the semifinals with an 80-0 win over Tallwood (Va.) and a 38-27 win over McDonogh School (Md.). The Blue Eagles, which won titles in 1996, 1997 and 2007 in the National High School Division, will face No. 4 seed St. Augustine Prep of New Jersey. The Hermits defeated Washington D.C.-based St. John’s 54-15 in the opening round and then advanced to the semifinals with a 36-24 win over Independence (W.Va.).
In the bottom bracket of the National High School Division, defending champions Colonial Forge (Va.) got past a scrappy South Plainfield (N.J.) squad 31-21.
The Eagles will face Northern Lebanon (Pa.) in the semifinals. In their first trip to the Virginia Duals, the Vikings knocked off No. 3 seeded Battlefield (Va.) 39-27.
The American and Black & Blue High School Divisions start Friday evening.
VIRGINIA DUALS
At Hampton, Va., January 8
NATIONAL COLLEGE DIVISION
Hampton River Pool
Bucknell 32, The Citadel 9
Virginia Tech 34, The Citadel 9
Virginia Tech 24, Bucknell 6
Pool Standings – 1. Virginia Tech; 2. Bucknell; 3. The Citadel
James River Pool
Kent State 32, George Mason 6
Iowa State 39, George Mason 2
Iowa State 25, Kent State 9
Pool Standings – 1. Iowa State; 2. Kent State; 3. George Mason
Poquoson River Pool
Arizona State 30, Campbell 9
Old Dominion 28, Campbell 16
Arizona State 25, Old Dominion 11
Pool Standings – 1. Arizona State; 2. Old Dominion; 3. Campbell
York River Pool
Chattanooga 21, Grand Canyon 9
Rider 16, Grand Canyon 16 (criteria)
Chattanooga 24, Rider 13
Pool Standings – 1. Chattanooga; 2. Rider; 3. Grand Canyon
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET PAIRINGS (Places 1-4)
Semifinals – Virginia Tech vs. Arizona State
Semifinals – Chattanooga vs. Iowa State
SILVER MEDAL BRACKET PAIRINGS (Places 5-8)
Semifinals – Bucknell vs. Kent State
Semifinals – Rider vs. Old Dominion
BRONZE MEDAL BRACKET PAIRINGS
Semifinals – The Citadel vs. Grand Canyon
Semifinals – George Mason vs. Campbell
AMERICAN COLLEGE DIVISION
Quarterfinals
Kutztown 31, Central Florida 9
Liberty 30, Camden County CC 18
Minnesota State – Moorhead 48, The Apprentice School
Ferrum 38, Anderson 12
Semifinal Pairings
Kutztown vs. Liberty
Minnesota State – Moorhead vs. Ferrum
Consolations
Central Florida 32, Camden County CC 16
The Apprentice School 32, Anderson 19
CLICK HERE FOR NATIONAL COLLEGE DIVISION BRACKETS
CLICK HERE FOR AMERICAN COLLEGE DIVISION BRACKETS
CLICK HERE FOR NATIONAL H.S. DIVISION BRACKETS
CLICK HERE FOR AMERICAN H.S. DIVISION BRACKETS
CLICK HERE FOR BLACK AND BLUE H.S. DIVISION BRACKETS
Arizona State moved into the semifinals of the National College Division at the 36th annual Virginia Duals at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va., with a pair of wins on Friday. The Sun Devils opened up with a 30-9 win over Campbell and then a 25-11 win over third-seeded Old Dominion.
After dropping the first three bouts of the dual with Old Dominion, Arizona State swept the final seven bouts, kickstarted by Matt Kraus’ 3-2 win over All-American Alexander Richardson at 149 pounds.
“It’s the first time we’ve wrestled tough all year,” said Jones. “What I mean by tough is gritty, determined, battle-ready. When something got tough, we got tough with it. Getting tough is fun. They enjoyed that part.”
Kraus scored a second-period reversal to build a 3-2 lead heading into the third period and was able to spurn any of Richardson’s late takedown attempts.
“He just out-toughed the kid when he needed to,” said Jones of Kraus. “Those seniors are stepping up because they know this is it for them.”
“There’s no doubt the kids are wrestling with a lot of heart and a lot of passion,” said Jones. “There are quite a few seniors in the lineup, and what they care about is today, their NCAA tournament. They feel confident about the future, but to them, what matters is this year, not next year.”
The tide fully turned the Sun Devils way at 165 pounds, where Jacen Peterson topped Sheldon Wright 9-2, avenging an earlier loss at the Midlands. A highly-anticipated bout between All-Americans Jack Dechow of ODU and Blake Stauffer of Arizona State didn’t materialize as Dechow did not compete due to injury.
The Sun Devils will take on top-seeded Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon’s semifinals after the Hokies won their pool with victories over The Citadel and Bucknell.
Chattanooga also shook things up, upending fourth-seeded Rider 24-13. The Mocs also beat Grand Canyon 21-9. Coach Heath Eslinger’s squad will face Iowa State in the other semifinal. Iowa State is making its first appearance at the Virginia Duals since 1990.
The Mocs came out strong, winning four of the first five weights to build a 18-4 lead, highlighted by Mike Pongracz’s come-from-behind fall over Paul Kirchner at 141 pounds and transfer Chase Zemenak’s technical fall at 149. Rider would close the gap, winning three straight bouts from 165-184, but Scottie Boykin and Jared Johnson closed things out for the Mocs in the last two weights.
Iowa State won its pool by defeating Kent State and George Mason.
In the American College Division, a pair of Division II teams powered into the semifinals as Kutztown and Minnesota State Moorhead were impressive. Kutztown, the top seed in the eight-team bracket, topped Central Florida’s club team 31-9, while Minnesota State Moorhead blasted host Apprentice 48-0.
Kutztown will face Liberty University’s club team, which defeated Camden County College, a second-year junior college in New Jersey, 30-18, while Kris Nelson’s Moorhead squad will face Division III Ferrum College, which topped Division II Anderson 38-12.
In the National High School Division, top seeded Nazareth (Pa.) moved into the semifinals with an 80-0 win over Tallwood (Va.) and a 38-27 win over McDonogh School (Md.). The Blue Eagles, which won titles in 1996, 1997 and 2007 in the National High School Division, will face No. 4 seed St. Augustine Prep of New Jersey. The Hermits defeated Washington D.C.-based St. John’s 54-15 in the opening round and then advanced to the semifinals with a 36-24 win over Independence (W.Va.).
In the bottom bracket of the National High School Division, defending champions Colonial Forge (Va.) got past a scrappy South Plainfield (N.J.) squad 31-21.
The Eagles will face Northern Lebanon (Pa.) in the semifinals. In their first trip to the Virginia Duals, the Vikings knocked off No. 3 seeded Battlefield (Va.) 39-27.
The American and Black & Blue High School Divisions start Friday evening.
VIRGINIA DUALS
At Hampton, Va., January 8
NATIONAL COLLEGE DIVISION
Hampton River Pool
Bucknell 32, The Citadel 9
Virginia Tech 34, The Citadel 9
Virginia Tech 24, Bucknell 6
Pool Standings – 1. Virginia Tech; 2. Bucknell; 3. The Citadel
James River Pool
Kent State 32, George Mason 6
Iowa State 39, George Mason 2
Iowa State 25, Kent State 9
Pool Standings – 1. Iowa State; 2. Kent State; 3. George Mason
Poquoson River Pool
Arizona State 30, Campbell 9
Old Dominion 28, Campbell 16
Arizona State 25, Old Dominion 11
Pool Standings – 1. Arizona State; 2. Old Dominion; 3. Campbell
York River Pool
Chattanooga 21, Grand Canyon 9
Rider 16, Grand Canyon 16 (criteria)
Chattanooga 24, Rider 13
Pool Standings – 1. Chattanooga; 2. Rider; 3. Grand Canyon
CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET PAIRINGS (Places 1-4)
Semifinals – Virginia Tech vs. Arizona State
Semifinals – Chattanooga vs. Iowa State
SILVER MEDAL BRACKET PAIRINGS (Places 5-8)
Semifinals – Bucknell vs. Kent State
Semifinals – Rider vs. Old Dominion
BRONZE MEDAL BRACKET PAIRINGS
Semifinals – The Citadel vs. Grand Canyon
Semifinals – George Mason vs. Campbell
AMERICAN COLLEGE DIVISION
Quarterfinals
Kutztown 31, Central Florida 9
Liberty 30, Camden County CC 18
Minnesota State – Moorhead 48, The Apprentice School
Ferrum 38, Anderson 12
Semifinal Pairings
Kutztown vs. Liberty
Minnesota State – Moorhead vs. Ferrum
Consolations
Central Florida 32, Camden County CC 16
The Apprentice School 32, Anderson 19
CLICK HERE FOR NATIONAL COLLEGE DIVISION BRACKETS
CLICK HERE FOR AMERICAN COLLEGE DIVISION BRACKETS
CLICK HERE FOR NATIONAL H.S. DIVISION BRACKETS
CLICK HERE FOR AMERICAN H.S. DIVISION BRACKETS
CLICK HERE FOR BLACK AND BLUE H.S. DIVISION BRACKETS
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