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Duke Grapplers Invade The Old Dominion State For A Pair Of ACC Meets
2/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
DURHAM, N.C. ? Duke (7-6, 0-3 ACC) takes their final regular reason road trip of the season on Saturday, as they head to the commonwealth of Virginia for meets against Virginia (6-7, 1-1 ACC) and Virginia Tech (5-10, 0-3 ACC). The dual with the Cavaliers will take place in Charlottesville, Va., in Virginia's Memorial Gym at 1 p.m. The Blue Devils will then head to Christiansburg, Va., to take on the Hokies at 8 p.m. that evening before returning to Durham.
The Blue Devils: Duke is 7-6 on the season and still looking to pick up their first win in the ACC, as they have gone 0-3 in conference. Three starting wrestlers have stood out this season for Duke. Redshirt freshman John Barone has a 19-9 record at 174 and 184 pounds, with five pins. Barone is also 9-4 in dual meets and 2-1 in the ACC. At 165 pounds, redshirt sophomore Aaron Glover boasts a 16-11 overall mark, a 9-3 showing in dual matches, and three pins. Senior captain Daniel Shvartsman has won six matches in a row at 149 pounds, and is 10-6 this season. Shvartsman is 7-2 in dual meets, including a 2-1 mark in the ACC.
The Opponents: Virginia is 6-7 overall and 1-1 in ACC competition. The Cavaliers will face N.C. State on Friday at 7 p.m. before Duke comes to town on Saturday. Virginia's three top wrestlers are sophomore Eric Albright at 133 pounds, junior Rocco Caponi at 184 pounds, and junior Mike Grogan at 174 pounds. Albright is 25-8 this year and 9-4 in duals, and boasts two pins, two technical falls, and five major decisions. Caponi holds a 28-7 mark with a 10-2 record in dual matches. He has four pins, two technical falls, and six major decisions. Grogan has accumulated a 17-5 record and a 6-2 showing in duals, with three falls this season.
Virginia Tech is 5-10 on the season with a 0-3 mark in ACC contests. Their short list of strongest wrestlers begins with redshirt freshman Joe Bonilla-Bowman at 149 pounds. Bonilla-Bowman is 16-9 this season and 8-6 in dual meets. He also has three falls and is 2-1 in the ACC. Redshirt senior Steve Borja is 22-6 overall and 13-2 in dual meets. He boasts a 3-0 record in the ACC at 184 pounds and has four pins this season. At 174 pounds, junior Steve Ratley holds a 23-12 record and an 8-6 dual match mark. He boasts an astounding 18 pins this year, including one in a mere 38 seconds.
Most Recent Meeting: Duke lost to both Virginia and Virginia Tech last season. The Cavaliers defeated the Blue Devils in Durham on Feb. 11, 2006, by a score of 25-13. The Hokies edged Duke 21-18 on Feb. 9, 2006, in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Last Time Out: Duke's last meet was versus North Carolina on Jan. 31. The Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 30-12 at Chapel Hill High School, which was a home meet for Duke.
Virginia last hit the mats on Feb. 3 in Athens, Ohio against Ashland and Ohio. The ?Hoos crushed Ashland, 38-3, before falling to Ohio, 18- 12. Virginia will face N.C. State on Friday before hosting Duke on Saturday.
The last contest for Virginia Tech was on Thurs., Feb. 8 against Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. The Hokies were beaten by the Monarchs, 31-10.
Common Opponents: Duke and Virginia have both faced North Carolina this season. The Blue Devils dropped a home meet, 30-12, to the Tar Heels on Jan. 31. The Cavaliers were downed at UNC on Jan. 26 by a score of 21-1. The two teams also competed in the Penn State Open on Dec. 3 and the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C. on Dec. 29-30. At the Southern Scuffle, Duke finished 26th with 15.5 points, while Virginia took 17th place with 49 points.
Duke and Virginia Tech have faced three of the same teams this season and competed in three tournaments together. The Blue Devils and Hokies both defeated Gardner-Webb in November, and both lost handily to Maryland and North Carolina in January. The Southern Scuffle was the only tournament of the three that Duke and Virginia Tech competed in that kept score. The Hokies placed 19th with 44 points at that meet.
Shvartsman Shimmying Up The Wins List: Shvartsman continues to move up on the Blue Devils' career wins list. He currently ranks 10th with 82 career victories. Shvartsman is three wins behind Jake Cecere in ninth place, and 23 wins behind all-time leader Bradd Weber.
A Look Ahead: The Blue Devils will finish up the 2006-07 regular season on Sat., Feb. 17 at home against UNC-Greensboro. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will feature three seniors in their final home meet as Blue Devils.
Probable Starters:
Duke
125: Kellan McKeon
133: Spencer Jasper
141: Philip Wightman or Wes Kuser
149: Daniel Shvartsman
157: Addison Nuding or Jared Sernoffsky
165: Aaron Glover
174: John Barone or Matthew Koelling
184: Dan Tulley or Dan Fox
197: Patrick Keenum
HWT: Mike Tunick
Virginia
125: Ross Gitomer
133: Eric Albright
141: Kellon Balum
149: Drew DiPasquale or Pat Riley
157: Mike Sewell
165: Damian Johnson
174: Mike Grogan
184: Rocco Caponi
197: Kyle Narkiewicz
HWT: Scott Smith
Virginia Tech
125: Open
133: Sheridan Moran
141: Matt Rosen
149: Jon Bonilla-Bowman or Andrew Johnson
157: Derek Gallagher
165: Eric Decker
174: Steve Ratley
184: Steve Borja
197: Kevin O'Connor
HWT: Jim Powers
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