Army Tops No. 23 Wyoming, American at AU Duals

Friday, January 6

Washington, D.C.

3 PM

Army West Point

North Carolina

Army Tops No. 23 Wyoming, American at AU Duals

January 06, 2017 | Wrestling

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Army West Point wrestling team battled its way to a 2-1 record at the American Duals, defeating American, 18-15, and 23rd-ranked Wyoming, 18-12, on Saturday at Bender Arena.

The Tar Heels posted a perfect 3-0 record on the day to improve to 4-2 on the season, while the Black Knights jump to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) contests. American's 1-2 showing puts then at 3-3 as well and 0-2 in EIWA action. The Cowboys, who entered the event as the only team ranked by InterMat, dropped all three of its matches, falling to 1-4 on the year.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Army drops to 2-7-1 all-time against the Tar Heels.
The Black Knights improve to 5-1 versus American and 2-0 opposite Wyoming all-time.
This was the first Army win over a ranked team since the 2011-12 season when it defeated 25th-ranked Harvard, 24-17.
Seniors Russ Parsons and Samson Imonode went 3-0 on the day, improving to a team-best 5-1 in duals.
Parsons defeated UNC's Joey Moon for the second time this season, taking a 5-2 decision at the Southeast Open on Nov. 6.
Parsons improved to 2-0 on the day with his 70th-career win with a 7-2 decision over American's Cole Moseley, and closed out the event by upsetting Wyoming's 12th-ranked 157-pounder, Archie Colgan, 6-1.
Senior Samson Imonode topped Elijah Kerr-Brown for the second time this season after earning a 6-1 decision at the Southeast Open on Nov. 6. The win was his third in duals this season, setting a new single-season best.
Imonode later added the 60th victory of his career with a 4-2 decision over Jason Grimes of American.
Senior heavyweight Trevor Smith won two match-deciding bouts against American (8-4 over Brett Dempsey) and Wyoming (4-1 over Brandon Tribble).
Junior Jack Wedholm's win over Wyoming's Luke Paine marked wins at three different weight classes this season for the Blairstown, N.J., native: 174, 184 and 197 pounds.

KEY MOMENT
Junior 165-pounder Andrew Mendel's last-second takedown earned him a 5-3 decision over American's Michael Eckhart brought the meet to 12-9, sparking a comeback against the Eagles.

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. NORTH CAROLINA
125: James Szymanski dec. over Trey Chalifoux, 12-9 (UNC leads, 3-0)
133: Nicolas Lirette dec. over Austin Harry, 10-9 (UNC leads, 6-0)
141: #5 Joey Ward dec. over #15 Logan Everett, 5-2 (UNC leads, 9-0)
149: Troy Heilmann maj. dec. over Matt Kelly, 15-2 (UNC leads, 13-0)
157: #18 Russ Parsons dec. over Joey Moon, 6-2 (UNC leads, 13-3)
165: John Clark dec. over Andrew Mendel, 4-2 (UNC leads, 16-3)
174: #7 Ethan Ramos dec. over Ben Harvey, 5-3 (UNC leads, 19-3)
184: Samson Imonode dec. over Elijah Kerr-Brown, 4-1 (UNC leads, 19-6)
197: Daniel Chaid dec. over Rocco Caywood, 7-5 (UNC leads, 22-6)
285: Corey Daniel dec. over Trevor Smith, 5-3 (UNC leads, 25-6)
UNC Wins, 25-6

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. AMERICAN
125: #17 Josh Terao tech. fall over Sean Badua, 15-0 (American leads, 5-0)
133: Esteban Gomez-Rivera maj. dec. over Austin Harry, 11-2 (American leads, 9-0)
141: #15 Logan Everett dec. over Jack Mutchnik, 2-0 (American leads, 9-3)
149: Michael Sprague dec. over Lucas Weiland, 4-3 (American leads, 12-3)
157: #18 Russ Parsons dec. over Cole Moseley, 6-2 (American leads, 12-6)
165: Andrew Mendel dec. over Michael Eckhart, 5-3 (American leads, 12-9)
174: Ben Harvey dec. over Joe Salvi, 4-1 (Tied, 12-12)
184: Samson Imonode dec. over Jason Grimes, 4-2 (Army leads, 15-12)
197: Jeric Kasunic dec. over Rocco Caywood, 9-6 (Tied, 15-15)
285: Trevor Smith dec. over Brett Dempsey, 8-4 (Army leads, 18-15)
Army Wins, 18-15

HOW IT HAPPENED vs. #23 WYOMING
125: Drew Templeman dec. over Trey Chalifoux, 4-1 (Wyoming leads, 3-0)
133: Austin Harry dec. over Gunnar Woodburn, 6-2 (Tied, 3-3)
141: #8 Bryce Meredith dec. over #15 Logan Everett, 6-5 (Wyoming leads, 6-3)
149: #11 Cole Mendenhall dec. over Lucas Weiland, 8-1 (Wyoming leads, 9-3)
157: #18 Russ Parsons dec. over #12 Archie Colgan, 6-1 (Wyoming leads, 9-6)
165: #16 Branson Ashworth dec. over Andrew Mendel, 6-4 (Wyoming leads, 12-6)
174: Ben Harvey dec. over Kyle Pope, 7-4 (Wyoming leads, 12-9)
184: Samson Imonode dec. over Chaz Polson, 11-5 (Tied, 12-12)
197: Jack Wedholm dec. over Luke Paine, 4-0 (Army leads, 15-12)
285: Trevor Smith dec. over Brandon Tribble, 4-1 (Army leads, 18-12)
Army Wins, 18-12

COACHES CORNER

Head coach Kevin Ward – "I'm happy for our guys. They were able to stay tough in some tight dual meets and find a way to win from behind. It was anything but pretty, but we never gave up on ourselves, and that's why we were able to win against two quality teams."
"Trevor Smith really wrestled well today. I'm very happy for him and proud of him for being able to win two matches with dual meets on the line with some gutsy performances."

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