The Blue Devils: Duke is 6-7 this season in duals and 0-3 in ACC action. In their only team-scored tournament of the year, the Blue Devils took 21st place out of 29 teams at the prestigious Southern Scuffle on Dec. 29 and 30 in Greensboro, N.C.
Duke's most dominating wrestler at any weight this year has been 184-pound redshirt sophomore captain John Barone, who was named the ACC's wrestler of the week on Nov. 27. Barone's 11-second pin of Mike Walsh of Limestone College on Dec. 1 was the fastest fall in Duke history, breaking an 18-year-old school record. He is 28-4 with 11 falls and a 12-1 mark in duals in 2007-08. Barone is 63-20 overall as a Blue Devil, which is good for ninth place on Duke's all-time winning percentage list with a .759 clip. He is tied for 10th on Duke's single season wins list and is already tied for 20th on the career wins list. He needs seven more victories to eclipse the single season wins record, and there are eight more regular season dual meets and the ACC Tournament to go. Literally every Duke record is under assault this year by the native of Shirley, N.Y.
Kellan McKeon will represent Duke at 125 pounds this weekend. The senior captain is 20-12 this season with three falls and two top-four tournament finishes. He is 7-5 in dual meets.
Redshirt sophomore Michael Degli Obizzi may see some action at 149 pounds. Degli Obizzi is 15-7 this season with two pins and has a 37-29 career record as a Blue Devil.
At 157 pounds, sophomore Voris Tejada will get the nod. Tejada boasts a 25-11 mark this year and is 6-2 in dual meets. He is 44-19 all-time at Duke.
Junior captain Addison Nuding should get the call at 165 pounds in at least a couple of Duke's matches this weekend. Nuding is 22-7 on the year with two pins and a 9-3 dual record. He is 12-3 in his last 15 matches and has won six of his last seven. Nuding holds a 44-34 all-time record at Duke.
The Opponents: Belmont Abbey is 9-7-1 this season with wins over UNC Pembroke and Kutztown highlighting its slate.
UNC Pembroke holds a 5-10 mark this season. The Braves have three strong wrestlers in Joe Mavins (125/133 pounds), Mike Nash (133 pounds) and J.J. Davis (165 pounds). Mavins is 37-4 overall with three pins and a perfect 14-0 record in duals. Nash boasts a 29-6 record, three falls and holds an 11-3 dual meet mark. Davis may be the best of them all, with a 28-5 showing this year, including three pins and a 13-1 record in duals.
Campbell is 2-15-1 and 1-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Camels strongest wrestler is sophomore Kelin Bidelspach, who is 19-5 overall with five pins and a 13-4 record in duals at 141 pounds.
Virginia is 16-4 in 2007-08 and 1-1 in the ACC. Two of their four losses have come to teams ranked in the top 20--- Michigan and Old Dominion. The Cavaliers took sixth place with 91.5 points in the Southern Scuffle, which is the only tournament it has shared with Duke.
Virginia placed fourth at the ACC Tournament in 2007 and returns its individual champion (Rocco Caponi) and both of its second-place finishers (Eric Albright and Kellan Balum). This year, Virginia has three upperweight wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in their weight class. Caponi is currently No. 13 nationally at 184 pounds, and has a 32-2 record with nine pins and a 17-1 mark in dual meets. No. 19 Chris Henrich at 174 pounds is 20-6 and 11-2 in duals on the season. 197-pound Brent Jones holds the No. 20 spot nationally and is 28-9 with 11 falls and a 15-5 showing in dual meets. Sophomore Ross Gitomer at 125 pounds ranks in the top five in the nation with 32 wins and is 15-3 in duals.
Most Recent Meetings: Duke and Campbell faced off on Jan. 5 of this year, with the Blue Devils coming away with a 30-12 victory at the N.C. State Duals. Barone, Nuding and redshirt sophomore Ben Wales at 174 pounds all won their matches by fall.
The last time Duke and Virginia met was on Feb. 10, 2007. The Cavaliers defeated the Blue Devils in Charlottesville, Va., 26-12. Barone won his match by pin at 174 pounds and current redshirt junior Aaron Glover earned a decision at 165 pounds.
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