Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus SIUE on December 21, 2025 at 11 a.m.
/
11 a.m.
Wrestling
vs SIUE
Duke Grapplers Fall To North Carolina, 28-10
2/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Feb. 1, 2005
DURHAM, N.C. - The Duke wrestling team made it closer with a pair of victories late, but in the end it was not enough as the Blue Devils fell to rival North Carolina by a 28-10 margin in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Between the two squads, Philip Wightman, Levi Craig and Frank Cornely all posted victories for Duke. With the loss, the Blue Devils fell to 5-3 (1-2 ACC) while Carolina improved to 4-5 (2-2 ACC).
In the first match of the evening, freshman Kellan McKeon faced off against Bobby Shaw. Shaw jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the third period before McKeon was able to notch a point with an escape. Still, Shaw's point for riding time allowed the Tar Heel to earn the major decision. At 133, Bryan Gibson scored an early takedown of Evan Sola, but Sola managed to pin the Duke sophomore in the second period to give the Tar Heels a 10-0 lead.
At 141, freshman Wes Kuser got the start and faced Isaiah Britton, to whom he fell, 13-3. At 149 pounds, sophomore Antwone Floyd took on Chris Ramos. Floyd got the first takedown of the match, but Ramos was able to take over from there, eventually posting a 10-2 victory that put the Heels on top, 18-0.
Duke gained a little momentum at 157, with Philip Wightman's win over Greg Carr. The sophomore took a 9-4 lead into the third period and used a nifty reverse and two-point takedown to stretch the margin and hang on for a 15-6 major decision. At 165, Steve Smith caught a stroke of bad luck when Garrett Atkinson managed a reverse on him an instant before time expired in the first period. The two points proved costly, as Atkinson went on to grab a 10-2 major decision.
Duke was poised to make a late charge, rolling out defending ACC champions in three of the final four matches. At 174, junior Levi Craig used two second-period takedowns to earn a 7-4 win over Alex Maciag. At 184 pounds, senior Frank Cornely kept the winning going. Cornely got an early takedown and then earned three back points in the first period. His opponent, Justin Dobies, was unable to rebound and Cornely got an 8-4 win bring the deficit down to 22-10.
The Blue Devils needed pins in the final two matches to have a chance, but at 197, Mark Thompson fell victim to a late takedown and dropped his match with David Dashiell, 6-5.
At heavyweight, with the match already decided, Duke started Venroy July, a law student at Duke who wrestled three years at North Carolina before deciding to complete his eligibility while in graduate school. July took on Spencer Nadolsky and had a slim 1-0 lead heading into the final period, but July's second false start cost him a point. After an escape by Nadolsky, the Tar Heel held on for the 2-1 win.
Duke is back in action next Tuesday when it hosts UNC-Greensboro. The match will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Players Mentioned
PLAYER
/ WrestlingPLAYER
/ WrestlingPLAYER
/ WrestlingPLAYER
/ WrestlingPLAYER
/ WrestlingPLAYER
/ WrestlingPLAYER
/ Wrestling
PLAYER
/ WrestlingPLAYER
/ WrestlingConnor Barket Post ACC Championship
Monday, March 10
Season Opener Video
Friday, November 01
Duke Athletics: A Tour of Campus
Saturday, October 19
Welcome to Duke
Saturday, October 19
