Jan. 24, 1998

Cavaliers Sweep Weekend Wrestling Matches

Defeat Virginia Tech 25-12 and The Citadel 29-18

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - In the day’s opening match against in-state rival Virginia Tech, Virginia took a 9-0 lead after Matt Roth (Wescosville, Pa./Parkland) pinned Jeremy Gaysek at the 4:04 mark of the 126-pound bout. The Cavaliers never looked back as they defeated the Hokies 25-12 today in Memorial Gymnasium.

Virginia got on the board first as Steve Garland (Middletown, N.Y./Middletown) defeated Mike Mercado 8-2 to put the Cavaliers up 3-0. Roth’s pin gave the Cavaliers the 9-0 lead before Sean Gray downed Jason Mutarelli (N. Catasauqua, Pa./Catasauqua) 4-2 to give the Hokies some points at 9-3. Jon Frent (Short Hills, N.J./Millburn) added to the Cavaliers’ lead as he nipped David Inkman 2-1 at 142 pounds. The Hokies battled back with a 5-2 win at 150 pounds as Chris Martin bested Jim Harshaw (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley). The Cavaliers won all four contested matches after that, with Tech’s six team points coming from a forfeit at 190.

In the nightcap against The Citadel, Virginia’s Shane Sigler (Iowa City, Iowa/West) pinned the Bulldog’s Tommy Bell at the 4:23 mark of the 150-pound bout to give the Cavaliers a 26-0 lead that they would not relinquish as Virginia won its second dual match of the day with a 29-18 victory. The Cavaliers’ Roth pinned Billy Ahrens at 4:31 for his second fall of the day in helping the Cavaliers to their second consecutive dual match win.

Garland started things off for the Cavaliers with a major decision at 118-pounds with a 16-3 defeat of Anthony Brooker. Roth scored his pin at the 126 bout, and P. J. Bory (Suffern, N.Y./Suffern) notched Virginia’s second consecutive pin with a 58-second fall over Matt Branscum at 134 pounds.

John Pozniak (State College, Pa./State College) defeated Tony Nguyen in a major decision 12-1 at 142 pounds, and Sigler’s pin at 150 gave Virginia the 26-0 lead. Greg Francesca (Union, N.J./Blair Academy) won at 158 with an 8-7 victory over Tim Ritchie to give the Cavaliers a 29-0 lead, the last team points Virginia would muster. From there, the Bulldogs won the last four bouts for the final score of 29-18.

Virginia finishes the weekend with a 3-6 record and will continue their dual match season with a trip to Duke next Friday, January 30 in Durham. 

Wt    Result
      (UVA-VPI)                                       (UVA-Citadel)
118   Garland (V) dec. Mercado 8-2               3-0   Garland (VA) maj. dec. Brooker 16-3      4-0
126   Roth (V) WBF Gaysek 4:04                   9-0   Roth (VA) WB Fall Ahrens 4:31           10-0
134   Gray (VPI) dec. Mutarelli 4-2              9-3   Bory (VA) WB Fall Branscum 0:58         16-0
142   Frent (V) dec. Inkman 2-1                 12-3   Pozniak (VA) maj dec. Nguyen 12-1       20-0
150   Martin (VPI) dec. Harshaw 5-2             12-6   Sigler (VA) WB Fall Bell 4:23           26-0   
158   Alex Leykikh (V) maj dec. Eric Hall 14-4  16-6   Francesca (VA) dec. Ritchie 8-7         29-0
167   John Qualter (V) dec.  Jarrod Martin 3-2  19-6   Rob Fries (C) dec. John McManus 3-0     29-3
177   Tom Shaw (V) dec. Christian Basnight 4-0  22-6   Pat Hallwood (C) WB Fall Shaw 4:21      29-9
190   Ward Hugh (VPI) WB Forfeit               22-12   Scott Goodwin (C) WB  Forfeit          29-15
HWT   Jason Majestic (V) dec.Brent Orwig 2-0   25-12   Craig Stephenson (C) dec. Majestic     29-18