Wyoming goes 4-0 in UNC Duals including 21-17 win over host North Carolina; American also beats UNC in dual

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., (Jan. 5, 2018) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team recorded wins over North Carolina, Duke, Army West Point and American on Friday to finish the UNC Duals with a perfect 4-0 record. UW (5-2, 1-1 Big 12), who as a team is currently No. 13 by Flowrestling and No. 15 by Trackwrestling, held true to their national rankings with a 21-17 win over No. 19 Tar Heels and then followed with a 34-7 drubbing of Duke on Friday morning. They added two more victories in the afternoon session with a 38-3 defeat of Army, before closing out the duals with a 28-10 win against American.

“It was a great day today going 4-0 and upsetting a top-20 team,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “We came out in the first match and set the tone and then we got better as the day went on. We were looking for bonus-points throughout the day, and we were able to get a lot of them. All in all, I’m very pleased with the effort.”

Senior Bryce Meredith, as well as junior Branson Ashworth and redshirt freshman Montorie Bridges each went 4-0 on Friday. Senior Archie Colgan wrestled in the first three duals, going 3-0 and earning his 100th career victory. Sophomore Dewey Krueger went 2-0 winning by forfeit against Duke and adding a decision in the final dual. Ashworth and Meredith each recorded four bonus-point victories for the Brown and Gold. Ashworth tallied three tech. falls and a major, while Meredith posted three pins and a tech. fall. Bridges added two majors for the Pokes. Of Wyoming’s 29 wins on Friday, 17 of them came via bonus-points.

“I’m proud of Archie (Colgan) getting his 100th career win,” Branch added. “That’s a great accomplishment. Bryce (Meredith) was dominant as always, and then we also had a few guys step up and get a couple come from behind victories.”

Starting at 149 pounds against the host Tar Heels, redshirt freshman Sam Turner, who debuted at No. 20 in the Flowrestling individuals rankings this week, fell to No. 4 Troy Heilmann. Shortly after No. 16 Colgan (157 pounds), No. 14 Ashworth (165 pounds) and Pope (174 pounds) put together three-straight victories to give UW a 12-3 lead after four bouts. Colgan scored an escape and takedown in the second period against No. 19 Kennedy Monday to bolster his win. Ashworth used a 15-0 tech over Clay Lautt as an early highlight for Wyoming. It was his 12th bonus-point victory of the season. Pope pulled through with his fifth major decision of the year with a 14-6 mark over Adis Radoncic.

It wasn’t until No. 12 Bridges at 133 pounds that UW picked up another victory. Bridges earned a 5-1 decision over Zach Sherman, who is ranked No. 19 by InterMat. It was his second win against a ranked opponent this season. The dual came down to the final bout at 141 pounds. No. 1 Meredith took care of business with a first-period pin of Dalton Macri to seal the comeback victory for the Pokes. The fall was Meredith’s sixth of his senior season.

Turner came away with a victory in his second match of the day against Duke’s Brandon Leynaud. A takedown in the opening period was all he needed, but Turner added an escape and another takedown in the third for the 5-0 win. Colgan followed with the biggest win of his season as he upset No. 10 Mitch Finesilver. Colgan came away with a 3-2 tiebreaker decision to give the Pokes to a 6-0 lead. It was also his first win against a ranked opponent this season and also the 99th of his career.

Ashworth continued his winning ways by adding another solid victory over Zach Finesilver of Duke. His 13th bonus-point win came via three takedowns during the bout. After Duke forfeited at 174 pounds to give Krueger the win, Pope followed with a dominating 18-2 tech. fall of Kaden Russell at 184 pounds. He used three separate takedowns and four-point nearfalls for the win.

Sophomore Drake Foster was down in the third period but managed a late takedown and four-point nearfall for his 8-3 decision over Thayer Atkins. His first dual win of his sophomore season moved UW’s lead up to 24-7. Bridges had no issue with Josh Finesilver at 133 pounds. He picked up a 19-9 major before Meredith once again proved why he holds the top spot at 141 pounds. He earned his second pin of the day over Jeremiah Reitz to close out the dual.

Turner got the ball rolling in UW’s third dual of the day. He pinned Taylor Brown in the first period to give Wyoming a 6-0 lead. Colgan used a lit third period, which included three takedowns to run away with a 9-7 decision over Luke Weiland. It was his 100th win at Wyoming, which moved him into a tie for 18th all-time. Ashworth had no problem with Beau Guffey at 165 pounds. The junior picked up his third bonus-point win of the day with a 17-2 tech. fall.

Senior Chaz Polson earned his first victory of the day against Noah Stewart. Tied at one, Polson used a nifty takedown and four-point nearfall to secure the win. Sophomore Cody Vigoren was able to get back to his winning ways with a 12-1 major over Alex Hopkins on Friday afternoon. Vigoren scored in the second period and followed with a takedown and four-point nearfall in the third for the win.

Junior Sam Eagan excelled in his match against Robert Heald at heavyweight. Eagan scored late in the first period with a takedown and four-point nearfall, which set the tone. He added to his lead with two takedowns and four-point nearfall in the second for his 17-2 tech. fall.

After a takedown in the first period against Trey Chalifoux, Foster held on for a 3-2 decision. Four takedown for Bridges against Lane Peters proved to be the clear difference at 133 pounds. Bridges picked up a 10-4 decision to give UW an astounding 33-3 lead. Meredith once again held his own at 141 pounds. He pinned Austin Harry for what was his third of the day and eighth of the season. With the pin, Wyoming claimed the dual, 38-3.

Krueger was the first to earn a win against American in the fourth and final dual of the day. Krueger won a 9-2 decision at 157 pounds, as Ashworth followed in style. Ashworth earned his fourth bonus-point win with an 18-3 tech. fall over Anthony Kowasch at 165 pounds.

Pope then went on the attack in the second period of his bout against Mike Eckhart and ultimately closed out with a 12-8 decision. Polson finished his day with his second victory. He earned a 16-0 tech. fall over Connor Allshouse.

Foster picked up what was his third win of the day. He earned a 7-4 decision over Gage Curry just before Bridges picked up his fourth win over NCAA qualifier and No. 4 Josh Terao. Bridges’ fourth win, and second major decision in Chapel Hill came via 10-2 major of Terao. It was also his second upset over a top-five opponent this season.

Like the first three matches, Meredith closed out a victory once more on Friday evening. The senior earned a 19-3 tech. fall over Jack Mutchnik to seal the 28-10 win for the Pokes. After his 4-0 day, Meredith now has ten bonus-point victories this year.

Wyoming will be back home in the UniWyo Sports Complex next Friday. The Pokes will welcome CSU Bakersfield for a 7 p.m. MT dual.

No. 19 UNC vs. No. 13 Wyoming
149: No. 4 Troy Heilmann dec. No. 20 Sam Turner, 5-2 | UNC 3, UW 0
157: No. 16 Archie Colgan dec. No. 19 Kennedy Monday, 4-1 | UW 3, UNC 3
165: No. 14 Branson Ashworth tech. fall Clay Lautt, 15-0 | UW 8, UNC 3
174: Kyle Pope major Adis Radoncic, 14-6 | UW 12, UNC 3
184: No. 16 Chip Ness major. Chaz Polson, 11-3 | UW 12, UNC 7
197: No. 19 Danny Chaid major Cody Vigoren, 8-0 | UW 12, UNC 11
285: Cory Daniel dec. Sam Eagan, 3-1 | UNC 14, UW 12
125: James Szymanski dec. Drake Foster, 11-4 | UNC 17, UW 12
133: No. 12 Montorie Bridges dec. Zach Sherman, 5-1 | UNC 17, UW 15
141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith fall Dalton Macri (1:54) | UW 21, UNC 17

No. 13 Wyoming 34, Duke 7
149: No. 20 Sam Turner dec. Brandon Leynaud, 6-0 | UW 3, DUKE 0
157: No. 16 Archie Colgan dec. No. 10 Mitch Finesilver, TB-1 3-2 | UW 6, Duke 0
165: No. 14 Branson Ashworth major Zach Finesilver, 12-1 | UW 10, Duke 0
174: Dewey Krueger forfeit Duke | UW 16, DUKE 0
184: Kyle Pope tech. fall Kaden Russell, 18-2 | UW 21, DUKE 0
197: Alex Schenk dec. Cody Vigoren, 9-5 | UW 21, Duke 3
285: No. 5 Jacob Kasper major Hunter Mullins, 12-3 | UW 21, Duke 7
125: Drake Foster dec. Thayer Atkins, 8-3 | UW 24, Duke 7
133: No. 12 Montorie Bridges major Josh Finesilver, 19-9 | UW 28, Duke 7
141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith fall Jeremiah Reitz (1:47)| UW 34, Duke 7

No. 13 Wyoming 38, Army West Point 3
149: No. 20 Sam Turner fall Taylor Brown (2:25) | UW 6, Army 0
157: No. 16 Archie Colgan dec. Luke Weiland, 9-7 | UW 9, Army 0
165: No. 14 Branson Ashworth tech. fall Beau Guffey, 17-2 | UW 14, Army 0
174: Ben Harvey dec. Kyle Pope, 9-6 | UW 14, Army 3
184: Chaz Polson dec. Noah Stewart, 7-1 | UW 17, Army 3
197: Cody Vigoren major Alex Hopkins, 12-1 | UW 21, Army 3
285: Sam Eagan tech. Robert Heald, 17-2 | UW 26, Army 3
125: Drake Foster dec. Trey Chalifoux, 3-2 | UW 29, Army 3
133: No. 12 Montorie Bridges dec. Lane Peters, 10-4 | UW 33, Army 3
141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith fall Austin Harry (1:07) | UW 38, Army 3

No. 13 Wyoming 28, American 10
149: No. 19 Michael Sprague dec. No. 20 Sam Turner, 5-2 | AU 3, UW 0
157: Dewey Krueger dec. Eric Hong, 9-2 | UW 3, AU 3
165: No. 14 Branson Ashworth tech. fall Anthony Kowasch, 18-3 | UW 8, AU 3
174: Kyle Pope dec. Mike Eckhart, 12-8 UW 11, AU 3
184: Chaz Polson tech. fall Connor Allhouse, 16-0 | UW 16, AU 3
197: No. 10 Jeric Kasunic dec. Cody Vigoren, 6-0 | UW 16, AU 6
285: No. 23 Brett Dempsey major Sam Eagan, 10-2 | UW 16, AU 10
125: Drake Foster dec. Gage Curry, 7-4 | UW 19, AU 10
133: No. 12 Montorie Bridges major No. 4 Josh Terao, 10-2 | UW 23, AU 10
141: No. 1 Bryce Meredith tech. fall Jack Mutchnik, 19-3 | UW 28, AU 10
*Flowrestling rankings

AMERICAN 18, NORTH CAROLINA 13
149 - #18 Michael Sprague (AU) dec. #4 Troy Heilmann, 6-4 (SV-1)
157 - Eric Hong (AU) dec. Kennedy Monday, 8-6 (SV-1)
165 - Anthony Wokasch (AU) dec. Anderson Pope, 4-2
174 - Adis Radoncic (UNC) dec. Conner Allshouse, 8-6 (SV-1)
184 - #20 Chip Ness (UNC) tech. fall Prince Hyeamang, 16-0 (4:17)
197 - #12 Jeric Kasunic (AU) dec. Daniel Chaid, 2-1
285 - Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Brett Dempsey, 3-2
125 - James Szymanski (UNC) dec. Gage Curry, 6-5
133 - #10 Josh Terao (AU) dec. #19 Zach Sherman, 5-2
141 - Jack Mutchnik (AU) dec. Dalton Macri, 6-1
*UNC deducted one team point for mat control

AMERICAN 26, DUKE 14
149 - #18 Michael Sprague (AU) major dec. Brandon Leynaud, 8-0
157 – #10 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) dec. Eric Hong, 10-3
165 – Zach Finesilver (Duke) major dec. Bryce Dempsey, 10-2
174 – Conner Allshouse (AU) won by forfeit
184 – Kaden Russell (Duke) major dec. Michael Eckhart, 13-4
197 – #12 Jeric Kasunic (AU) major dec. Alec Schenk, 8-0
285 – #5 Jacob Kasper (Duke) dec. Brett Dempsey, 2-0
125 – Gage Curry (AU) dec. Thayer Atkins, 8-2
133 – #10 Josh Terao major dec. Josh Finesilver, 11-3
141 – Kizhan Clarke (AU) tech. fall Jeremiah Reitz, 21-3 (6:43)

Army West Point 23, Duke 20
149 – Brandon Leynaud (Duke) fall Knox Fuller (Army), 2:54
157 – No. 10 Mitch Finesilver (Duke) decision Lucas Weiland (Army), 6-0
165 – Zach Finesilver (Duke) decision Cael McCormick (Army), 5-4
174 – Ben Harvey wins by forfeit
184 – Noah Stewart (Army) tech fall Kaden Russell (Duke), 18-0, 2:42
197 – Alec Schenk (Duke) decision Alex Hopkins (Army), 1-0
285 – No. 5 Jacob Kasper (Duke) tech fall Robert Heald (Army), 15-0, 7:00
125 – Trey Chalifoux (Army) decision Thayer Atkins (Duke), 9-6
133 – Lane Peters (Army) tech fall Josh Finesilver (Army), 15-0, 7:00
141 – Austin Harry (Army) major decision Jeremiah Reitz (Duke), 10-2

North Carolina 28, Army West Point 12
149: #4 Troy Heilmann (UNC) pinned Taylor Brown (Army), 4:31 - UNC leads 6-0
157: Kennedy Monday (UNC) inj. def. Luke Weiland (Army), 4:27 - UNC leads 12-0
165: Josh McClure (UNC) dec. Cael McCormick (Army), 6-1 - UNC leads 15-0
174: Ben Harvey (Army) dec. Adis Radoncic (UNC), 4-1 - UNC leads 15-3
184: #20 Chip Ness (UNC) dec. Noah Stewart (Army), 9-4 - UNC leads 18-3
197: Danny Chaid (UNC) maj. dec. Alex Hopkins (Army), 21-8 - UNC leads 22-3
285: Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Bobby Heald (Army), 9-4 - UNC leads 25-3
125: Trey Chalifoux (Army) dec. James Szymanski (UNC), 5-2 - UNC leads 25-6
133: #19 Zach Sherman (UNC) dec. Lane Peters (Army), 2-1 - UNC leads 28-6
141: Austin Harry (Army) inj. def. Dalton Macri (UNC), 0:38 - UNC wins 28-12

American Goes 2-1 at UNC Duals
by AU Sports Information

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Michael Sprague started a productive day with an overtime upset and joined Jeric Kasunic with three victories Friday as American University went 2-1 at the UNC Duals at historic Carmichael Auditorium.

The Eagles, now 3-2 in duals and ranked 24th in the nation by TrackWrestling.com, beat the No. 21 and host Tar Heels 18-13, bested No. 23 Duke 26-14 but lost the late match to 15th-ranked Wyoming 28-10.

"So today was a day with mixed emotions," said AU head coach Teague Moore. "I'm very happy and proud of Michael's performance today. Knocking off a No. 4 and going 3-0 was what he has earned through his effort day-to-day. This is just touching his potential, and I believe he can prove it on the NCAA stage.

"Jeric also had a great day of wrestling. He overcame a tough UNC competitor who beat him for a national freestyle title last summer and it took a deep effort to make that happen. Again he proved that he can be a national champion when he wrestles to his best.

"The two dual wins were hard fought and they took a 10-man effort. We learned more about our wrestlers and attitude that it takes to win.

"Our loss today was humbling," said Moore. "We got out-wrestled in some of our best positions, and that brought us back to reality. We need to feel good about our wins but be willing to work on our weaknesses if we want to succeed.

"UNC was a great host for a great event, and we appreciate what they did to make a great event happen."

Sprague, ranked 18th by IntermatWrestle.com at 149 pounds, opened the day with an upset win over 4th-ranked Troy Heilmann of North Carolina and AU went on to beat the host in a dual that featured seven bouts that were decided by two points or less, including three that went to overtime.

Sprague led Heilmann, 4-3, after two periods. Heilmann got an escape early in the third to tie the match. Sprague won the bout with a takedown in the opening minute of overtime to give the Eagles the win.

Eric Hong followed with his own sudden-victory win at 157, scoring four points in the third period to send the bout to overtime. Anthony Wokasch, got a third-period takedown at 165 to give the Eagles another victory, besting Anderson Pope, 4-2.

Hong and Wokasch each earned their first collegiate dual-match wins in those bouts.

UNC pulled within 9-7 in the team score with wins at 174 – Adis Radoncic got an overtime win over Conner Allshouse, and at 184, when 20th-ranked Chip Ness won by technical fall.

Kasunic, ranked 12th by Intermat, got a third-period takedown to get a 2-1 win at 197, before Brett Dempsey fell, 3-2, in the heavyweight bout. The Tar Heels pulled ahead 13-12 in the team score when James Szymanski used a four-point final period to edge Gage Curry, 6-5.

But 10th-ranked Josh Terao rallied from a first-period deficit to beat No. 19 Zach Sherman, 5-2, at 133, and Jack Mutchnik extended a 4-1 lead after two periods to earn a 6-1 victory over Dalton Macri to finish off the Eagle victory.

Against Duke, the match was tied 14-14, but Curry, Terao and Kizhan Clarke swept the final three bouts to lift American to the victory.

Curry had two takedowns in the first period to take a 4-2 lead at 125 and went on to earn an 8-2 win over Thayer Atkins.

Terao had four takedowns in the first two periods against Josh Finesilver on his way to an 11-3 major decision, and Clarke earned his first collegiate dual-match win with a dominating 21-3 technical fall over Jeremiah Reitz. Clarke led 9-2 after two periods and closed out the match with a pair of four-point near falls in the third period.

Sprague opened the dual with the Blue Devils with a major decision at 149. Duke pulled ahead with two victories but suffered a forfeit to Allshouse at 174. AU lost at 184 before Kasunic got an 8-0 major decision over Alec Schenk at 197.

No. 6 Jacob Kasper of Duke edged Dempsey in the heavyweight bout, 2-0, scoring only on an escape point and riding time in the third period, pulling the Blue Devils even in the team score.

Sprague opened the final dual with a 5-2 win over Wyoming's Sam Turner, but the Cowboys won the next four bouts. Two of the Cowboys' wins came with wrestlers who were nationally ranked (No. 16 Archie Colgan at 157, No. 12 Branson Ashworth at 165) and Wyoming took a 16-3 lead after two wins by technical fall.

Kasunic blanked Cody Vigoren, 6-0 and Dempsey scored a 10-2 major decision at heavyweight to bring AU within 16-10. But Wyoming won the final three bouts, including a tech fall at 141 by No. 2 Bryce Meredith to cap the win.

American travels next weekend to 8th-ranked Lehigh on Friday at 7 p.m. and Brown on Sunday at noon. The Eagles have their first home event of the season on Friday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. when they host Navy.