"We won some close bouts, but we lost some too, but overall I was really proud of the effort our team put forth today," said Navy head coach Bruce Burnett, who has led the Mids to the Navy Classic title in five of the last six years. "I want our wrestlers to be tough out on the mat and today I really felt as though we had some tough performances. It was a very competitive tournament and I'm happy with the outcome."
In fact, Navy's win is impressive given the fact that it was without the services of its starting 133 and 174-pound starters Pat McCaffrey and Luke Rebertus, respectively. Additionally, Virginia Tech stands No. 23 in this week's Intermat rankings, while Bucknell is receiving votes. Navy took the crown with 137 points, followed by Virginia Tech with 126.5 points, Bucknell with 120 points, Bloomsburg with 107 points and Franklin & Marshall edge out George Mason by a half a point (33-32.5) to take fifth.
Seven Navy wrestlers appeared in the championship bout of their respective weight classes, including three freshmen. Third-seeded Allan Stein (Portland, Maine) upset second-seeded Jason Guffey from Bloomsburg in the semifinals by a 7-5 count to meet Kalil in the championship bout. Kalil, seeded No. 1, took control of the match early, putting Stein on his back and nearly pinning him to take a 5-0 lead after one. The second period featured back-to-back takedowns by Kalil, who built up a load of riding time and eventually took the match win 11-2. It was Kalil's first collegiate individual tournament crown.
Navy junior Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.) sailed through the preliminary rounds, leaving nothing behind as he captured a tech fall in his opener and back-to-back major decisions en route to earning a spot in the 157-pound finals. Ranked 11th, Saddoris had no answer for 19th-ranked Jess Dong of Virginia Tech, however, as Dong was awarded a pair of back points in the second period and rode out Saddoris for the remainder of the period. Dong went on to defeat Saddoris, 4-0, in what was just the second loss by Saddoris this season and the second consecutive tournament he has finished as runner-up.
"Bryce certainly had the opportunity to win the two matches that he's lost this year," said Burnett, who sees Saddoris bump in weight a challenge, but one that is certainly within reach. "It's certainly an adjustment for Bryce in the weight change. In the past he was able to utilize his strength, but he has to be technically better to achieve what his goals are this season. It will be a process, but Bryce has the drive to meet the challenge."
The 165-pound finals put two Navy wrestlers out on the mat. Huntley, who won earned his first individual title as a collegian, upset second-seeded and 20th-ranked Rick Schmelyun of Bloomsburg to punch his ticket into the finals. His foe, however, was a wrestler he knew all too well, Navy junior Robby Neill (Brick, N.J.). Neill scored three wins to earn a spot in the finals, including upsetting top-seeded Matt Epperly of Virginia Tech by a 7-4 decision.
"It's difficult to wrestle against someone you face every single day in your own room," said Huntley, who made mention that he was happy to see his hard work pay off. "We are both similar wrestlers in our style and when the match went into overtime, I was really working hard on my defense."
After a 1-1 tie after regulation, the two entered into sudden victory. Neither wrestler scored and in the two tie-breaker sessions, each was able to break free for the one-point escape. It was in the second sudden victory session that Neill's mistake cost him the championship, as Huntley was able to take Neill to the mat for the 4-2 sv2 win. It's the second straight year that a Navy rookie has won a Navy Classic title, after not having a frosh win a weight class since 1998. Last year, Luke Rebertus (Elkton, Md.) was crowned the 174-pound champion.
After pinning Campbell's Derek Tomasone in under one minute, Navy freshman Andrew Buck (Carson, Wash.) would face a much more threatening foe in his quarterfinals match. In fact, David Thompson not only came in as the runner-up in last year's Navy Classic, he was ranked 19th by Amateur Wrestling News at 184 pounds. The two traded points until the match was eventually sent into overtime. Buck came out the victor by taking down Thompson in sudden victory.
Buck went on to face teammate Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.), Navy's starter at 165 pounds a year ago, and dealt him a loss for a second straight tournament as Buck advanced to the finals. That jubilation, however, was short lived as 18th-ranked Thomas Spellman of Virginia Tech carded the 10-0 win to claim the title.
It went down to the wire in the finals bout of the heavyweight division between Navy rookie Dan Miller (Berlin, Md.) and Virginia Tech junior D.J. Bruce. After finishing as last year's runner-up at 197 pounds, Bruce held off Miller, 5-3, to win the title.
The Mids had multiple several other strong efforts throughout the day. Annapolis product Austin Clouse scored a pair of takedowns and was awarded three back points en route to a 9-4 victory over Bucknell's Derrik Russell to take fifth at 125 pounds. Meanwhile, Jared Anongos (Richmond, Va.) put together a solid effort in placing fifth at 133 pounds.
Senior 141-pounder Matt Pagan (Carteret, N.J.) was awarded third place after his opponent, Virginia Tech sophomore Nick Murray, was disqualified. Just over three minutes into the match, Murray chomped down on Pagan's hand and was eliminated from the tournament for flagrant misconduct, a move that cost the Hokies a team point at the end of the match. Also placing in the weight class was freshman Eric Filipowicz (Elkridge, Md.) who was narrowly defeated in the fifth-place match by Bucknell's Adam Healey.
Team captain Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.) picked up fourth at 149 pounds, while second-year standout John Majka (Chicago, Ill.) placed sixth. Shober scrambled in the latter part of the match, but Josh Roosa of Bloomsburg held on for a 3-2 win despite being hit for stalling in the final period.
Sophomore Cory Vernon (Great Meadows, N.J.) jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first and never looked back, as he claimed fifth place at 157 pounds over teammate Zach Basich (Wheeling, W.Va.).
With nearly three minutes of riding time, freshman Mason Bailey (Fairmont, W.Va.) used a series of takedowns and a reversal to score a 10-6 victory over Bucknell's Nick Czapla to finish fifth at 165 pounds, while senior Mike Billings (Waterford, Mich.) finished fourth at 174 pounds in what was his final Navy Classic.
DiMichiel gave up an escape in the final period to give way to Bloomsburg's Derek Coffey in the third-place match of the 184-pounders, while senior Charles Carafano (Germantown, Md.) blanked Bloomsburg's Jacob Daishinsky, 3-0, to take third at 197 pounds. Newcomer Chance Rauscher (Glasgow, Mont.) took a 4-0 advantage in the opening period against Franklin & Marshall's Colin Ely and never surrendered the lead as he placed fifth at 197 pounds behind an 8-4 win.
The Mids ended up taking second, third and fourth at heavyweight, as junior Mike Landis (Hershey, Pa.) scored a reversal in the second and a takedown in the third to just edge out teammate Joe Breaux (Bossier City, La.).
Navy will be back in action the weekend of Dec. 4-6 when a split squad will head to the Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 4-5) and the Nittany Lion Open (Dec. 6).
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