"On behalf of the Navy wrestling program, I want to thank Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk, Superintendent Admiral Carter and the Senior Leadership Team for their unwavering support of athletics and allowing us to wrestle against one of our program's long-time opponents today in the University of Maryland," said Navy head wrestling coach Joel Sharratt. "The behind-the-scenes effort by my staff and our incredible midshipmen resulted in a great team victory for the Academy and our wrestling program.
Sophomore Brant Leadbeter (Owings, Md.) gave Navy an early 3-0 advantage by way of a 10-6 victory over Michael Beck at 125 pounds. Leadbeter held the lead for the better part of the match, but a four-point near fall to open the third period helped seal the win in what was his third dual victory of the season.
"It was great to get out of the gate with a completive win at 125," said Sharratt. "Brant has been working so hard and it was good to see him break through with today's win."
Navy, though, would fall behind in the match, 6-3, after two hard-fought matches at 133 and 141 pounds. After falling behind 5-2 to the nation's 16th-ranked 133-pounder Geoffrey Alexander, Navy sophomore Zack Davis (Granger, Ind.) scrambled in the closing 20 seconds to get within a point thanks to a takedown. Davis, however, would be unable to get Alexander on his back and more than four minutes of riding time by the Terp gave Alexander the two-point victory (6-4).
Meanwhile, rookie 141-pound Nicholas Gil (Crystal Lake, Ill.) dropped a 3-2 decision in the first tie breaker. Gil looked as though he would be able to ride out Maryland redshirt junior Billy Rappo, but Rappo was able to take advantage of a Gil mistake and get the reversal with eight seconds remaining in the match to post the 3-2 decision.
The Mids rallied with back-to-back wins by sophomores Corey Wilding (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Drew Daniels (Overland Park, Kan.) at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively. Wilding trailed Wade Hodges in his match with under 1:30 left in the match, but was able to throw his Terrapin foe to the mat for the go-ahead takedown before pinning Hodges with 58 seconds left in the match. It was Wilding's third win this season by fall and the first time Hodges has been pinned this year.
"Corey is consistent competitor and his battle today embodied line to line, whistle to whistle and an expect to win attitude in competition."
Daniels gave Navy a 12-6 advantage in what was one of his best performances of his young career. The second-year starter scored the first points of the match and never looked back as he put together four takedowns en route to a 10-4 victory over Maryland redshirt senior Lou Mascola at 157 pounds.
"Drew came out strong against a top-20 competitor and showed everyone in attendance what he is capable of."
The Terps came storming back as freshman Brendan Burnham pinned Navy team captain John Keck (Wading River, N.Y.) at the 5:41 mark. Though an active match, both wrestlers struggled to reap the rewards of any shots as the match remained scoreless going into the third period. Keck surrendered the optional escape to Burnham to start the final stanza, but Burnham eventually was able to get Keck on the ground for the win and pulled the Terps even with the Mids at 12-all.
Navy's 1-2-3 punch once again was responsible for the knockout as Jadaen Bernstein (Glen Gardner, N.J.), Mathew Miller (Edgewood, Md.) and Michael Woulfe (Oak Park, Ill.) prevailed in their matches to sew up the victory for the Mids. Bernstein, ranked 18th at 174 pounds, recorded five takedowns, two reversals and a two-point near fall to post a 22-8 major decision over Maryland redshirt senior Josh Snook. It was Bernstein's 25th win of the season and 49th of his career.
Miller, ranked 15th at 184 pounds, stepped up and was just as aggressive as his teammate, totaling five takedowns, two four-point near falls and a reversal en route to a 22-4 tech fall with 39 seconds left in his bout against freshman Jaron Smith. As the nation's No. 2-ranked wrestler in wins by fall, there was no doubt the two-time NCAA qualifier was looking for his 12th pin of the season.
After falling behind 3-2 in his match against redshirt freshman Garrett Wesneski, Woulfe regrouped and held a 5-3 decision at the end of the first and rode out his Maryland foe the entire second period. He continued to dominate Wesneski in the final period and went on to build nearly three minutes of riding time en route to posting a 9-4 victory. It marked the third straight match in which Woulfe has secured the match victory and the fourth time this season.
"The `Iron Curtain' validated itself yet again and we see teams trying to overcome the points these three athletes are putting on the board now. It's exciting to watch Bernstein grinding his opponents down, Miller constantly working for a pin and Woulfe attacking from all angles and positions."
Maryland trimmed the final deficit to six after redshirt sophomore Dawson Peck picked up the win in just over a minute against Navy sophomore heavyweight Nick Mabry (New Braunfels, Texas).
Navy was scheduled to travel to North Carolina on Sunday to face the 14th-ranked Tar Heels, but that match has been postponed due to the weather. Instead, Navy will return to the match next Saturday when it travels to Lexington, Va. to take part in the annual All-Academy Championship hosted by VMI.
Results:
125 - Brant Leadbeter (N) dec Michael Beck (M) 10-6
133 - #16 Geoffrey Alexander (M) dec Zack Davis (N) 6-4
141 - Billy Rappo (M) dec Nicholas Gil (N) 3-2 TB1
149 - Corey Wilding (N) fall Wade Hodges (M) 6:02
157 - Drew Daniels (N) dec Lou Mascola (M) 10-4
165 - Brendan Burnham (M) fall John Keck (N) 5:41
174 - #18 Jadaen Bernstein (N) major Josh Snook (M) 22-8
184 - #15 Mathew Miller (N) tech fall Jaron Smith (M) 22-4
197 - Michael Woulfe (N) dec Garrett Wesneski (M) 9-4
285 - Dawson Peck (M) fall Nick Mabry (N) 1:15
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