Sophomore Russ Benner kicked off Appalachian's efforts at 149 pounds. In his first dual of the season, the Mountaineer carried a 3-1 lead into the third period before expanding it to an 11-2 major decision.
Senior Chip Powell followed at 157 pounds, building an 8-0 lead after two periods before falling just one point short of major decision in his 12-5 victory.
No. 15 Kyle Blevins failed to break open any big leads at 165 pounds but did lead by as many as six points as he captured an 8-2 win.
Carter Downs returned to the Appalachian lineup at 174 pounds. The senior capitalized on a 4-0 first-period lead and was able to expand the advantage but once again the Mountaineers fell short of bonus points in Downs' 12-5 win.
Senior Austin Trotman, ranked No. 11 in the nation entering the weekend, earned his first takedown around the two minute mark of the first period. Leading 5-1 entering the final stanza, Trotman rattled off three more escapes en route to a 12-4 major decision.
Freshman Paul Weiss kept the Black and Gold winning streak alive, scoring a second period takedown and bringing his Blue Devil opponent to the mat with 10 seconds remaining in the match to triumph, 5-2. Having won the first six bouts of the match, Appalachian saw itself in possession of a 20-0 lead to begin the evening.
Duke staved off the shutout at 285 pounds, as Robert Mello squeaked out a 3-2 decision to put the Blue Devils on the scoreboard, trailing 20-3.
Junior Tony Gravely's chaotic 125-pound match saw the Mountaineer leading 6-4 with 30 seconds to go. His Blue Devil opponent took an 8-6 lead with 10 seconds left before Gravely answered to tie the match with a reversal. As the final ticks elapsed, Gravely notched the decisive pin with less than 5 seconds to go and sealed the ASU victory with the Apps in front 26-3.
Duke picked up its final win at 133 pounds, when Brandon Gambucci pulled out an 8-6 decision.
To cap off the night, senior Mike Kessler came to matt to face Duke's Tanner Hough. After a scoreless first period, Kessler rode the duration of the second, picking up two near-fall points in the process. It took the Mountaineer nearly a minute to escape in the third period, but his efforts would put the final point on the board, as Kessler came out in front, 3-0.
Appalachian State concludes its regular season on Sunday as the 2012 Southern Conference champions look to clinch the outright title with a win against Davidson. Action begins at 2 p.m. in Varsity Gymnasium.
Results:
149: Russ Benner (ASU) maj. dec. Chris Mullen (Duke), 14-3.
157: Chip Powell (ASU) dec. Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke), 12-5.
165: No. 15 Kyle Blevins (ASU) dec. Ryan Harding (Duke), 8-2.
174: Carter Downs (ASU) dec. Randy Roden (Duke), 12-5.
184: No. 11 Austin Trotman (ASU) maj. dec. Diego Bencomo (Duke), 12-4.
197: Paul Weiss (ASU) dec. Brian Self (Duke), 5-2.
285: Robert Mello (Duke) dec. Joe Cummings (ASU), 3-2.
125: Tony Gravely (ASU) pinned Peter Terrezza (Duke), 6:55.
133: Brandon Gambucci (Duke) dec. Brett Boston (ASU), 8-6.
141: Mike Kessler (ASU) dec. Tanner Hough (Duke), 3-0.
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