Duke Gets Through Grueling Weekend With Three Wins

Saturday, February 9

Buies Creek, N.C.

11:00 a.m.

Duke University

Belmont Abbey

Duke Gets Through Grueling Weekend With Three Wins

2/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling

By: Duke Sports Information

BUIES CREEK, N.C., and DURHAM, N.C. ? The Duke Blue Devils got through one of their toughest weekends of the season and came away with three wins in four meets. Duke downed Belmont Abbey (37-4), UNC Pembroke (32-11) and Campbell (35-3) on Saturday in Carter Gym at the Campbell Duals in Buies Creek, N.C. The Devils then fought hard against ACC rival Virginia, going into the final match tied, but fell 19-15 on Sunday night at home in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“Virginia's a tough team and I felt we held our own against them,” said head coach Clar Anderson. “I hope our guys take this match and build on it. Hopefully it will create some momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.”

The three Saturday contests marked the fifth, sixth and seventh of seven consecutive duals on the road for Duke. The Blue Devils finished 5-2 on the road swing and after Sunday's loss are now 9-8 overall this season and 0-4 in the ACC.

At 141 pounds for the first time this year was redshirt senior captain Bryan Gibson. He went 2-1 with one major decision, losing only a close match against Virginia late in the third period, 8-2. Gibson is now tied for 16th for career wins at Duke with 73. This year, he is 10-5 and 6-3 in duals.

Redshirt sophomore Michael Degli Obizzi was another top performer over the long weekend, going an undefeated 3-0 at 149 pounds. He had one pin at Campbell and a 13-10 decision over Virginia's Shawn Harris, which knotted that meet at 3-3 after two matches. Degli Obizzi is 18-7 this year and 40-29 in his career at Duke.

Another perfect weekend belonged to sophomore Voris Tejada, who earned four victories and one major decision at 157 pounds. His 3-2 decision over the Cavaliers' Drew DiPasquale gave the Blue Devil a 6-3 lead in their meet with Virginia at that point. Tejada is 29-11 in 2007-08 with a 10-2 dual mark and a 48-19 career showing. He ranks 16th on Duke's career winning percentage list with a .716 mark.

“Voris has been a very consistent performer for us,” said Anderson. “This weekend was business as usual for him. He won't wow you with his flash but he continues to consistently put points on the board for the team.”

A crucial decision on Sunday night against Virginia went to junior captain Addison Nuding at 165 pounds. Nuding won 6-3 over Michael Chaires, giving Duke a 9-3 advantage after four matches. He also picked up a major decision on Saturday to put his season record at 24-8 and 11-4 in dual meets. Nuding is 46-35 all-time at Duke.

At 174 pounds, redshirt sophomore Ben Wales was 3-1 in two days with one technical fall and one major decision. His only defeat came in a tight battle with No. 19 nationally-ranked Chris Henrich of UVA, which was only lost 7-5 late in the match. Wales is now 17-13 this year with a 7-5 slate in duals and a 26-24 career record as a Blue Devil.

Redshirt sophomore captain John Barone continued his domination in what is turning out to be one of the most impressive seasons ever for a Duke grappler, going 3-1 with two pins this weekend. Barone is now 31-5 with 13 falls and a 15-2 ledger in duals. His 66-21 overall mark as a Blue Devil is good for ninth place on Duke's all-time winning percentage list with a .758 clip. Barone is tied for fifth on Duke's single season wins list and is already tied for 19th on the career wins list. He needs four more victories to eclipse the single season wins record, and there are four more regular season dual meets and the ACC Tournament to go. Literally every Duke record is under assault this year by the native of Shirley, N.Y.

Getting his first two wins of the year was redshirt junior captain Dan Tulley at 197 pounds. Tulley went 2-1 over the weekend with a major decision, and only lost 5-2 in the closing seconds of his match with the Cavaliers' No. 20 nationally-ranked Brent Jones. He is now 2-3 this season after coming back from injury that plagued him early in the year.

Redshirt sophomore Mike Tunick was solid at the heavyweight class, going undefeated with four victories and two pins. His 6-5 come-from-behind win over Virginia's Jack Danilkowicz brought Duke to within 15-12 with two matches to go. Tunick now holds a 9-7 record this season and a 6-3 mark in duals. He is second on the team with five falls.

“Mike Tunick really came through for us tonight,” said Anderson. “He's been working really hard in the wrestling room with Mike Irving and Corey Bell and it's nice to see it pays dividends in competition.”

Senior captain Kellan McKeon had a strong showing in four matches this weekend. The native of Chapel Hill, N.C., went 3-1, improving his overall record to 23-13 and 10-6 in duals at 125 pounds. His biggest win came on Sunday night when he won a sudden victory takedown in overtime over UVA's Ross Gitomer, 3-1.

All picking up one victory on Saturday in Buies Creek were sophomore Chris Thumen at 133 pounds and a trio of freshmen: A.J. Guardado at 141 pounds, Mike Bell at 149 pounds and Willy Mello at 165 pounds. It was Thumen's first collegiate victory and Mello's first dual win.

The next competition for Duke will be a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 16. The Blue Devils will take on ACC rival Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. and VMI at 4 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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