The 12th-ranked Chippewas emerged as the lone unbeaten team from a bracket that included seven teams ranked in the top 25 nationally. CMU also defeated No. 23 Old Dominion and No. 13 Oklahoma State in the tournament before knocking off previously unbeaten Lehigh, which entered the championship match 15-0.
CMU (9-1 overall) extended its dual winning streak to eight with the win in the tournament final. The Chippewas have won 17 of their last 18 duals dating back to last season.
CMU also improved to 4-1 against ranked opponents this season. The Chippewas are 10-3 against ranked foes since the start of last season.
The Chippewas were making just their second appearance all-time at the Virginia Duals. CMU finished runner-up at the event during the 2000-01 season.
Scotti Sentes, who was 4-0 at the tournament, staked the Chippewas to an early 6-0 lead against Lehigh with a first-period pin of Mitch Berger at 125 pounds. He would be the only individual to score bonus points in the championship match.
CMU swept the three bouts between ranked competitors against the Mountain Hawks. Eighth-ranked Steve Brown earned a 5-3 decision over No. 14 Trevor Chinn at 149 pounds, No. 10 Trevor Stewart was a 9-2 winner over No. 16 Mike Galante at 165 and No. 7 Mike Miller posted a 2-0 decision over No. 15 Alex Caruso at 174.
CMU also added decisions by Tony D'Alie at 141 and Eric Simaz at 197.
The Chippewas advanced to the finals via a tightly contested 17-14 win over No. 13 Oklahoma State in Saturday afternoon's semifinals.
CMU won six of the first eight individual bouts against the Cowboys, including consecutive victories at 165, 174 and 184 pounds that stretched a 9-6 lead to 18-6. Seven of those first eight bouts were decided by two points or less, including overtime matches at 125 and 133 pounds.
Sentes opened the dual with a 3-1 tiebreaker victory over No. 15 Obenson Blanc. Chris Notte tied the score for Oklahoma State with a 5-3 sudden-victory decision over 13th-ranked Conor Beebe at 133.
Back-to-back decisions by D'Alie and Brown at 141 and 149 pounds extended CMU's lead to 9-3, but it was consecutive wins by Stewart (165), Miller (174) and Vince DiDona (184) that put the match out of reach. Stewart's 5-3 decision over 12th-ranked Brandon Mason at 165 gave the Chippewas wins in both of the bouts featuring a pair of ranked individuals.
The win was CMU's first against Oklahoma State and evened the all-time series at 1-1.
The Chippewas are back on the road next weekend, visiting Bloomsburg and Pittsburgh on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
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