Wrestling team finishes with 3-1 record at Washington & Lee Duals

LEXINGTON, Va. – The Olivet College wrestling team finished with a 3-1 record at the 2017 Washington & Lee Duals held inside the Warner Center in Lexington, Virginia. The Comets defeated Greensboro (N.C.) College, 32-13; and lost to Coast Guard Academy (Conn.), 17-15, before bouncing back to beat King's (Pa.) College, 41-6, and Averett (Va.) University, 44-3.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. GREENSBORO

• The Comets won 7-of-10 bouts to coast to the 32-13 win.
• After losing the first match by a 5-3 score, freshman Spencer Fox posted a 14-6 major decision at 133 pounds.
• After the Pride won the 141-pound bout by fall, sophomore Cole Hersch responded with his own pin in 1:14 at 149 pounds to put Olivet ahead 10-9.
• The Comets the won four straight bouts to go up 26-9. The wins were a 15-5 major decision by senior John Leark at 157 pounds, forfeit win by junior Tyler Grimsley at 165 pounds, 5-1 decision by sophomore Haydn Kinjorski at 174 pounds and 7-6 decision by senior Ryan Clark at 184 pounds.
• Greensboro claimed a major decision at 197 pounds for its final points of the match.
• Sophomore Jalen McFerrin-Pace capped Olivet's win with a pin at the 2:22 mark of the first period.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. COAST GUARD

• Both teams won five bouts, with the outcome not decided until the conclusion of the final bout. A technical fall in the 141-pound bout was the difference in the match, as all of the other nine bouts were minor decisions.
• Senior Jared Brickley started the match with a 7-2 win at 125 pounds.
• Coast Guard won the next two bouts to go up 8-3.
• The Comets answered with three straight decision victories – 7-3 by Hersch, 4-2 by Leark and 9-4 by Grimsley – to take a 12-8 lead.
• After a close 2-1 loss at 174 pounds, Clark got those three team points back with a 7-5 decision to make the score 15-11 entering the last two bouts.
• The Bears earned 6-3 decision to cut their deficit to one point, 15-14, before winning a 2-1 decision at 285 pounds to claim the team victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. KING'S

• Olivet rolled to the 41-6 victory over King's. The Comets scored bonus victories in six of their eight wins.
• Brickley opened the match with a 9-3 decision, followed by freshman Kaleb Marion picking-up a forfeit win.
• Over the next five weight classes, Olivet stretched its lead to 38-3 with four pins and one technical fall.
• Sophomore Drew Mandell quickly put six team points on the scoreboard with a pin 39 seconds into the 149-pound bout.
• Leark recorded an 18-3 technical fall.
• Grimsley pinned his opponent 41 seconds into the second period.
• Sophomore Kamyab Kamali had the fastest pin of the match at only 24 seconds into the 174-pound bout.
• At 184 pounds, freshman Keagan Silverthorn also had a first-period pin at 2:03.
• The Lions won a 12-7 decision at 197 pounds.
• McFerrin-Pace capped Olivet's win by scoring a takedown in overtime to win 3-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED VS. AVERETT

• Olivet lost only one bout to secure the victory, with seven bonus-point wins.
• Brickley shutout his opponent, 8-0.
• The Cougars only win was at 9-7 decision at 133 pounds.
• Sophomore Andrew Castaneda slipped past his foe, 9-8.
• Mandell had another pin, this one was seven seconds faster at 32 seconds.
• Sophomore Kyle Roberts registered a pin in 4:33 at 157 pounds.
• Grimsley picked-up a forfeit victory.
• Kamali notched another first-period pin at 49 seconds.
• Clark defeated his opponent, 9-4.
• Silverthorn bumped up to 197 pounds and had another first-period fall at 41 seconds.
• McFerrin-Pace posted a 13-3 major decision.

BEYOND THE MATCH SCORES

• Today was the first time in school history the Comets have wrestled each of these opponents.
• It is also believed to be the first time Olivet has traveled to the state of Virginia for a competition.

UP NEXT

• The Comets are off until January 4-5, 2018, when they participate in the NWCA Multi-Divisional National Duals at the War Allen Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.