Mendoza looked as if he was going to struggle against Harry Zander, the ranked Patriot, as he went down 0-2 early. However, those two would be the only points he'd relinquish to Zander as he battled to what would have been a major decision had he not succeeded in pinning the 197 pounder.
"Zander was the 15th ranked kid in the country coming off a 4th place finish at the Vegas tournament. Vegas is a super tough tournament," said assistant coach Lee Pritts. "But [Mendoza] didn't just beat him. He had what, a 10-2, maybe even a 12-2 point lead at one point; he dominated him."
Mendoza's fleet footed skills against one of the Patriot's top wrestlers included a significant lead in riding time. With the bout in hand, Mendoza did not expect to get a chance at the pin when Zander gave him his opportunity. The referee pounded the mat at the 4:59 mark.
"As soon as I saw that opportunity, I knew I had him. I didn't even know how much time I had left, but I knew I had him," said Mendoza. "Ranks are just numbers. You still have to go out and get it done. It doesn't matter who's across the mat."
In the 165-pound class Nick Pullano also pulled another upset for the Monarchs. Winning 7-3 over the 17th ranked wrestler Tyler Tisdell, Pullano's decision sealed the team victory for the Monarchs.
The Monarchs tallied four pins: Adam Koballa over Will Powars (133) in 1:10, Ryan Williams over David Emison (141) in 1:56, Kaylen Baxter over Chris Cartella (149) in 1:59, and Mendoza's last second victory.
The Monarchs nationally ranked grapplers continued to dominate this season as Chris Brown grabbed a technical fall, 18-2, in 5:30 over Dan Cook. Brown is ranked 17th by Amateur Wrestling News and was named the CAA's Co-Rookie of the Week for performance up to December 4th. Williams is ranked 24th by wrestlingreport.com and added another pin to his season total now at three. Mendoza earned his first national ranking of the year on Tuesday when wrestlingreport.com listed him as the 27th best 197 pounder.
"It's a stepping stone. We're not where we want to be yet, but it's a stepping stone," said Pritts. The Monarchs came into the dual with a pre-season CAA ranking of 5th with Mason slotted at 4th. Pritts decided that was motivation enough for his guys:
"I told the team before the match, 'look, we took second in the conference last year and we get no respect.' We wanted to make a statement," said Pritts. "I told the guys, 'let's go make a statement.'
The lopsided victory brings ODU's season record to 1-1 with a 1-0 record in the conference and Mason falls to 2-2 with an 0-1 record in conference. The Monarchs head back on the road and return to action next Saturday, December 16th, as they face off against The Citadel and N.C. State. ODU returns home January 6th as they host the Virginia States at Granby High School.
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