Neff's Fall Lifts Duke to 19-18 Victory over Shorter

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Saturday, December 6

Rome, Ga.

7:30 PM

Duke University

Shorter

Neff's Fall Lifts Duke to 19-18 Victory over Shorter

12/6/2014 9:28:00 PM | Wrestling

By: Duke Sports Information

ROME, Ga. – Duke redshirt freshman Spencer Neff recorded his first career pin in his first career dual match to lift the Blue Devils wrestling squad to 19-18 comeback victory over Shorter University this evening at the Winthrop-King Centre. The match was a homecoming for redshirt senior Immanuel Kerr-Brown.

Trailing 15-13 with two matches remaining, Neff came up with a monster six points, pinning Kimani Nasrullah in the first period. In his first career dual match, the 197-pounder scored his second win of the season and put the Blue Devils in front for good after a back-and-forth dual.

Kerr-Brown also recorded crucial bonus points for the Blue Devils with a 14-1 major decision over Kannon Madden at 157 pounds. The victory, Kerr-Brown's eighth of the year, pushed Duke in front 10-6 after five midway through the dual.

Shorter got off to a quick start with a 14-7 decision at 125 pounds before Duke rebounded with consecutive decisions from true freshman Bailey Jack and redshirt junior Evan Botwin at 133 and 141, respectively. The dual was Jack's first in a Duke singlet, while Botwin grabbed his first dual victory of the young 2014-15 campaign.

The Hawks evened the score with a victory at 149, but back-to-back wins from Kerr-Brown and Jake Faust at 157 and 165 sent Duke in front 13-6 with four bouts left. Faust edged Wally Figaro 2-0 in hard-fought match at 165, pushing the redshirt sophomore to 6-4 on the year.

Seemingly in control of the match, Shorter refused to give up and captured wins at 174 and 184, including a fall at 184, to go in front 15-13 and set up the thrilling finish for the Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils will break for final exams before returning to action Dec. 21 at the Grapple at the Garden. Duke will face Northern Iowa, George Mason and Maryland at Madison Square Garden.

#GoDuke