Wisconsin beats Navy, Army, Fresno State as the Battle on the Midway and AFC Duals held in San Diego

Action image from the Battle on the Midway courtesy of @FresnoStateWRES Twitter

Four Div. I programs kicked off the new season with matches throughout the day in San Diego, Calif., starting with three matches at the America’s Finest City Duals (AFC Duals), then topped off with two more evening bouts on the aircraft carrier USS Midway in San Diego Harbor at the third annual Battle on the Midway.

Wisconsin went 3-0 on the day, with wins over Fresno State (31-8) and Army (16-15) during the AFC Duals, and finished off with a win over Navy (24-12) in the Battle on the Midway.

Army and Navy both went 1-1 for the day, beating Fresno State in their matchups. Army beat Fresno 29-9 in the Battle on the Midway, while Navy beat Fresno State 25-9 in the AFC Duals.

Fresno finished with an 0-3 record for the day.

BATTLE ON THE MIDWAY RESULTS

Wisconsin 24, Navy 12
125 – Logan Treaster (NAVY) dec. Michael Cullen (UW), 1-0
133 – Seth Gross (UW) maj. dec. Casey Cobb (NAVY), 11-2
141 – Tristan Moran (UW) dec. Cody Trybus (NAVY), 5-3
149 – Cole Martin (UW) maj. dec. Morgan Feunffinger (NAVY), 14-3
157 – Garret Model (UW) dec. Scott Skidgel (NAVY), 10-7
165 – Evan Wick (UW) maj. dec. Tanner Skidgel (NAVY), 10-2
174 – Spencer Carey (NAVY) dec. xxxxx Lantz (UW)
184 – Tyler Dow (UW) dec. Andrew Buckley (NAVY), 3-1 OT
197 –. Jacob Koser (NAVY) dec. Taylor Watkins (UW), 4-1
HWT – Trent Hillger (UW) dec. John Birchmeier (NAVY), 1-0

Army West Point 29, Fresno State 9
125: Trey Chalifoux (Army) won by fall over Jeremy Trinh (FS), 4:13
133: No. 15 Gary Joint (FS) maj. dec. Cole Wyman (Army), 10-2 |
141: No. 30 Corey Shie (Army) dec. DJ Lloren (FS), 7-1 | * Fresno State deducted a team point
149: Greg Gaxiola (FS) dec. P.J. Ogunsanya (Army), 1-0
157: Jacob Wright (FS) dec. No. 17 Lucas Weiland (Army), 7-2 |
165: No. 16 Cael McCormick (Army) dec. Adam Kemp), 3-1 SV |
174: No. 9 Ben Harvey (Army) dec. No. 27 Jackson Hemauer (FS), 3-1 |
184: Noah Stewart (Army) won by disqualification | *Six points awarded to Army for disqualification
197: No. 32 Alex Hopkins (Army) maj. dec. Ryan Reyes (FS), 8-0 |
285: Bobby Heald (Army) maj. dec. Randy Gonzalez (FS), 16-5 |

AFC DUALS RESULTS

Wisconsin 31, Fresno State 8
125 – Michael Cullen (UW) over Robert Garcia (FS) by maj. dec. 14-2
133 – Seth Gross (UW) over Gary Joint (FS) by fall 4:09
141 – Tristan Moran (UW) over Durbin Lloren (FS) by dec. 5-3
149 – Cole Martin (UW) over Greg Gaxiola (FS) by dec. 6-4
157 – Jacob Wright (FS) over Garrett Model (UW) by dec. 9-6
165 – Evan Wick (UW) over Adam Kemp by tech. fall 16-0
174 – Jackson Hemauer (FS) over Jared Krattiger (UW) by dec. 6-5
184 – Johnny Sebastian (UW) over Hunter Cruz (FS) by maj. dec. 13-5
197 – Ryan Reyes (FS) over Taylor Watkins (UW) by dec. 6-3
HWT – Trent Hillger (UW) over Randy Gonzalez by fall 4:44

Wisconsin 16, Army West Point 15
125 – Michael Cullen (UW) over Trey Chalifoux (ARMY) by dec. 3-1
133 – Seth Gross (UW) over Lane Peters (ARMY) by maj. dec. 12-0
141 – Tristan Moran (UW) over Corey Shie (ARMY) by dec. 7-1
149 – PJ Ogunsanya (ARMY) over Cole Martin (UW) by dec. 6-3
157 – Luke Weiland (ARMY) over Garrett Model (UW) by dec. 5-2
165 – Evan Wick (UW) over Cael McCormick (ARMY) by dec. 9-2
174 – Ben Harvey (ARMY) over Tyler Dow (UW) by dec. 4-2
184 – Noah Stewart (ARMY) over Johnny Sebastian (UW) by dec. 3-1
197 – J.T. Brown (ARMY) over Taylor Watkins (UW) by dec. 8-2
HWT – Trent Hillger (UW) over Ben Sullivan (ARMY) by dec. 7-0

Navy 25, Fresno State 9
125 - Logan Treaster (NAVY) over Jeremy Trinh (FSU),by maj. dec. 11-0
133 - Casey Cobb (NAVY) over Gary Joint (FSU), by dec. 10-4
141 - Cody Trybus (NAVY) over Lawrence Saenz (FSU), by dec. 7-2
149 - Greg Gaziola (FS) dec. Morgan Feunffinger (NAVY), by dec. 9-2
157 - Jacob Wright (FS) dec. Scott Skidgel (NAVY), by dec. 15-8
165 - Tanner Skidgel (NAVY) over Adam Kemp, by dec. 3-1
174 - Jackson Hemauer (FS) over Spencer Carey (NAVY), by dec.3-1
184 - Andrew Buckley (NAVY) over Hunter Cruz (FS), 3-2
197 - Jake Koser (NAVY) pin Ryan Reyes (FS), 1:55
HWT - John Birchmeier (NAVY) dec. Randy Gonzalez (FS), 9-2

WISCONSIN BATTLE ON THE MIDWAY RELEASE
courtesy of UWBadgers.com

SAN DIEGO – The fifth-ranked Badger wrestling team improves to a perfect 3-0 after a dual against Navy on Friday night. Wisconsin took the 24-12 victory to earn the Dual for Valor trophy on the deck of the USS Midway.

Tyler Dow came up huge for Wisconsin. The typical 174-pounder moved up a weight class to 184 for Wisconsin. Dow was tough against his bigger opponent and didn't shy away from the challenge. He snagged a 3-1 decision over Navy's Andrew Buckley.

At 165 pounds, No. 3 Evan Wick took down No. 15 Tanner Skidgel with a major decision, 10-2. Suffering a quick takedown, Wick came back with 10 unanswered points to win. Wick, in his homecoming meet, remains undefeated boasting a perfect 3-0 record, including a technical fall.

In the 133-pound match, No. 1 Seth Gross faced off against No. 22 Casey Cobb. Gross continued his dominant day for Wisconsin and claimed a major decision of 11-2. This was Gross's first victory of a ranked opponent and he remains 3-0 on the season.

At 157, Garrett Model got his first win of the season in an exciting fashion. Model topped Scout Skidgel, 10-7, recording a tight decision. Model, a Stoughton native, sprung back in a victorious fashion.

In the heavyweight bout, Trent Hillger hung on to remain undefeated on the season. He took the match from John Birchmeier with a 1-0 decision.

From the Mat
"I'm proud of our guys. It was a big time atmosphere tonight and I told them big time wrestlers show up in big time matches. It was our best match of the day. I am excited to see how much we can improve as the year goes on. Hats off to our fans who traveled to San Diego, they really made a difference."
- Head Coach, Chris Bono

"Let's do this! Anytime I get a chance to put the 'W' on my chest and wrestle, I'm going to do it, it doesn't matter what weight it is. I knew the kid was going to be bigger and stronger than me because I moved up a weight class. Just knowing that, I had to be clean on all of my techniques and wrestle through each position. I'm just thankful to be a part of this team."
- Redshirt freshman, Tyler Dow

"It was awesome! I wanted to come out here and have a good performance, I'm from California and had a lot of people coming out here so I really wanted to put on a show. I had a couple of great matches and I absolutely enjoyed wrestling on the Midway. Being down by two, you really have to put that adversity behind you and focus on scoring the next point. It's very difficult when you are worried about what's already happened. You have to keep your mind focused on the next points and make sure you break that guy."
- Redshirt junior, Evan Wick

WISCONSIN AFC DUALS RELEASE
Courtesy of UWBadgers.com

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The No. 5 Wisconsin wrestling team began its 2019-20 campaign at America's Favorite City Dual, taking on Fresno State and Army Friday afternoon. Winning both duals, Wisconsin now boasts a perfect 2-0 record heading into the Battle on the Midway.

Wisconsin defeated Fresno State with ease 31-8 to start the season. Army proved to be a tougher battle for the Badgers as UW edged the Black Knights in the final bout of the dual, 16-15.

Seth Gross began his Wisconsin career in a way that only he could. The 2018 NCAA champion at 133 pounds pinned Gary Joint of Fresno State in 4 minutes, 9 seconds, claiming his first victory in a Wisconsin singlet. In his next bout, Gross took a major decision from Army's Lane Peters.

Heavyweight Trent Hillger was explosive in his redshirt sophomore season debut, earning a pin and the team victory as the Army dual came down to his match. Hillger recorded his first pin of the season against Fresno State's Randy Gonzalez, ending the rmatch in 4:44.

Hillger was also the deciding factor in Wisconsin's team victory over Army. Down by two going into the heavyweight match, Hillger took charge immediately and recorded a takedown over Army's Ben Sullivan. Hillger continued playing hero and scored seven points in his victory.

Evan Wick started his junior season off undefeated. Wick scored a technical fall against Fresno State's Adam Kemp at 165 pounts, tallying 16 points. Wick also recorded a defeat against Army's Cael McCormick with a 9-2 victory. Wick fell behind early after a quick takedown but went on to score nine unanswered points.

Redshirt senior Cole Martin started his day by winning a thriller against Fresno State. Martin fell behind early after two takedowns by Greg Gaxiola. As regulation expired, Martin recorded a takedown to tie it up. The match continued scoreless until triple overtime, when Martin got the bout winning takedown, claiming the match 6-4.

At 141 pounds, Tristan Moran's senior campaign started out with two victories. He claimed a close 5-3 win over Fresno State's Durben Lloren before shining in his second match of the day with a 7-1 victory against Cole Shie of Army. Redshirt senior Michael Cullen also won both of his matches on the day, defeating Robert Garcia of Fresno State by major decision, 14-2, at 125 pounds and Army's Trey Chalifoux, 3-1.

From the mat
"I'm very happy with our effort in both duals. We don't look our best, but it is very early. We need a better performance tonight to finish this thing up the right way!"
- Head Coach Chris Bono

"It felt great. There are always things to get better and improve on. I'm excited to wrestle three matches in one day. Just looking forward to the next one. "(A pin is) always my mindset, I want to find a way to put a guy on their back and finish it. Just going out there and letting it fly. It's bound to happen if I keep going out there and letting it fly and get to my stuff."
- Redshirt senior Seth Gross

"I just treated it like every other match. I've wrestled that kid before and had a really close match with him. Team score really doesn't bother me because I'm always the last weight class and the score is always going to be close in college. I always treat it like I'm the first match and it is a 0-0 team score. I just go out there and wrestle my best and hope I end up on top.
- Redshirt sophomore Trent Hillger

ARMY WEST POINT PRESS RELEASE
Courtesy of GoArmyWestPoint.com

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Army West Point wrestling team set some lofty goals for the 2019-20 season. Friday's results in the Battle on the Midway showed that their expectations can continue to soar.

The Black Knights earned a decisive 29-9 win over Fresno State aboard the USS Midway, and narrowly came close to upsetting No. 6 Wisconsin, falling 16-15 in a thriller.

"I was glad to face two really tough teams, and face some adversity right off the bat," said head coach Kevin Ward. "I thought we competed well and this is certainly something we can build on."

Army opened the day against one of the Big 10 Conference powers in Wisconsin. The Black Knights found themselves down 10-0 in the team score after the first three matches, before P.J. Ogunsanya sparked the cadets with a 6-3 win over Cole Martin (No. 11 FloWrestling) at 149 pounds.

Captain Lucas Weiland followed that up with a 5-2 decision at 165. Army would win three of the next four matches as well to take a 15-13 lead heading into the heavyweight bout.

Ben Sullivan fought hard, but couldn't get past No. 6 Trent Hillger, giving the Badgers the dual win.

In the nightcap, Army bounced back in style. After several tight matches early left the score knotted at nine apiece, the Black Knights reeled off five straight wins to put a stamp on a stellar night.

"Fresno is a tough team, but we fought like crazy," added Ward. "It was tight, but we always feel good going into those last few weight classes with a lot of veteran guys."

Ben Harvey and Noah Stewart both went 2-0 on the day to lead Army.

FRESNO STATE WRAPUP RELEASE
Courtesy of GoBulldogs,com

SAN DIEGO - The Fresno State Wrestling team opened up the 2019-20 season on Friday at the AFC Duals and the Battle on the Midway falling in three duals.

Fresno State got the morning started earning individual three wins in a 31-8 defeat to No. 4 Wisconsin, picked up three more wins in a 25-9 loss to Navy and closed out the evening on the USS Midway dropping a 29-9 decision to Army.

Redshirt sophomore 157-pounder Jacob Wright went a perfect 3-0 on the day with three decisions while redshirt sophomore 174-pounder Jackson Hemauer and redshirt junior 149-pounder Greg Gaxiola earned two wins apiece.

How It Happened vs. Wisconsin
The morning got started with the America's Finest City Duals held in the Port Pavilion on the Broadway Pier. The 'Dogs got started against fourth-ranked Wisconsin with redshirt sophomore Robert Garcia IV falling 14-2 at 125 pounds to Mike Cullen. Returning NCAA Tournament qualifier Gary Joint followed Garcia up at 133 pounds facing two-time All-American and 2018 NCAA champion Seth Gross getting pinned in 4:09. Next up was 141-pound redshirt junior DJ Lloren, making his Bulldog debut after transferring from Utah Valley, who fell to 10th-ranked Tristan Moran, 5-3.

With the Badgers leading the dual 13-0, Gaxiola battled 14th-ranked Cole Martin tough at 149 pounds taking a 4-0 lead after the first period. Gaxiola was unable to extend his lead as Martin was able to rally back in the third period with an escape, takedown and a point for riding time to tie the match at 4-4 and force overtime. Neither wrestler was able to do much in the early part of the overtimes before Martin completed a reversal in tiebreaker three for a narrow 6-4 win.

The 'Dogs broke through for their first win of the dual in the next match with Wright defeating Garrett Model, 9-6. Wright battled back from a 5-3 deficit to get an escape to end the second period. A takedown to start the third period by Wright put the Bulldog ahead 6-5 and an escape by Model tied the match at 6-6. With under a minute left in regulation, Wright was able to convert a go-ahead takedown and he added a point for riding time to complete the three-point win.

Two more 'Dogs picked up wins in the back half of the dual as redshirt sophomore and former Badger Jackson Hemauer defeated Jared Krattinger, 6-5. A late second-period takedown by Hemauer cut Krattinger's lead to 4-3 and after he was able to get an escape, Hemauer took him down again and added a point for riding time for a hard-fought win.

The Bulldogs final win of the dual came at 197 pounds with true freshman Ryan Reyes able to defeat Wisconsin's Taylor Watkins, 6-3 in his Bulldog debut. Reyes was able to break out of a 2-2 tie with a third-period escape followed by a takedown and a point for riding time to secure the win.

The other three matches in the second half of the dual saw three new Bulldogs all make their debuts as redshirt freshmen Adam Kemp and Hunter Cruz saw action at 165 and 184 pounds, respectively and sophomore Randy Gonzalez competed at heavyweight.

How It Happened vs. Navy
The 'Dogs quickly turned around and competed against Navy out of the EIWA picking up three wins in the dual. With the 'Dogs quickly facing a 10-0 deficit after the first three weights each suffered losses, Gaxiola got the 'Dogs back on the winning side with a 9-2 decision over Morgan Fuenffinger. After a scoreless first period, the Clovis native kicked it in gear and tallied a takedown and a two-point near fall for a 4-1 lead heading to the third period and eased to a seven-point victory.

Wright followed Gaxiola with a convincing 15-8 decision over Scout Skidgel to bring the team score within four at 10-6. The Dinuba native overcame a slight 3-2 deficit to reel off four second-period takedowns to take a 12-6 lead to the third period. Looking to add bonus points, another takedown put Wright up six at 14-8, but he was unable to get secure the extra point as he had to settle for a seven-point victory.

Finally, Hemauer won his second match of the day knocking off No. 18 ranked Spencer Carey with three third-period points recording an escape and takedown for a narrow 3-1 win to bring the 'Dogs within four, 13-9.

It was all Midshipmen from there as Navy won the final three matches to go on for the 25-9 victory.

How It Happened vs. Army
The final dual of the evening took the 'Dogs aboard the USS Midway where they battled No. 23 Army. The Bulldogs collected three wins in the dual with Joint earning a 10-2 major decision over Cole Wyman at 133 pounds while Gaxiola escaped with a 1-0 victory over P.J. Ogunsanya and Wright finished his perfect day with a 7-2 win over No. 17 Lucas Weiland.

With the dual tied at 9-9 after Wright's victory, the Black Knights won the final five matches of the dual winning by two points apiece at 165 and 174 pounds as Kemp and Hemauer each battled ranked opponents tough, but were unable to secure wins. A disqualification by Cruz was followed by Reyes and Gonzalez each suffering major decisions to fall 29-9 in the dual.

Notes
* Six Bulldogs made their official debuts as Lloren, Lawrence Saenz, Kemp, Cruz, Reyes and Gonzalez all saw action.
* Despite going 0-3, Kemp battled three ranked opponents, including two-time All-American Evan Wick from Wisconsin and a pair of 2019 NCAA Championship qualifiers in Tanner Skidgel of Navy and Cael McCormick of Army.

Up next
The Bulldogs return home to host Rutgers out of the Big Ten for their home opener on Nov. 15 at the Save Mart Center. Purchase your tickets at GoBulldogs.com or by calling 559-278-DOGS.

Other information to be posted in the morning