Jan. 8, 2010

(HAMPTON, VA.): Clarion University's Greg Lewis posted a pin at 141-pounds, James Fleming notched a technical fall at 149, and heavyweight Quintas McCorkle capped the match with a decision to pull the unranked Golden Eagles past #25 rated Old Dominion 20-18 in NCAA Division I wrestling at the Virginia Duals Championships on Friday.

Held at the Hampton Coliseum at 9am, Clarion opened with four wins in the first five matches to take a 17-3 lead over the Monarchs.

ODU's #7 rated James Nicholson majored Joe Waltko 16-2 at 125-pounds to give ODU a 4-0 lead, but Clarion bounced back with Jay Ivanco getting a 5-2 win over Justin Lavelle at 133, and Greg Lewis, in his first match of the year at 141, pinned Brennan Brumley at 1:10. Fleming followed with a 17-2 technical fall over John Nicholson at 149, and ODU was penalized a team point following that bout for unsportsmanlike conduct. Hadley Harrison capped the Eagles run with a 4-3 win over Joey Sheridan at 157 and Clarion led 17-3.

ODU's #15 Chris Brown majored Nick Milano 19-7 at 165, Eric Decker won 3-0 over Steven Cressley at 174, Joe Budi defeated Justin McCrillis by tech fall 16-0 at 184 and #15 Jesse Strawn decisioned Alex Thomas 4-1 at 197 to give ODU an 18-17 lead. Clarion's McCorkle stepped up and posted 4 takedowns and an escape at heavyweight to defeat Gant Chapman 9-3 and give the Eagles a big win.

"This is a big win for us and the program overall," said fourth year head coach Teague Moore. "We really wrestled hard and fought for every point. I'm really proud of this team."

The win was Clarion's first win over a Top 25 ranked team in the Teague Moore era, and probably the first since 1998.

CLARION NOTES: The win advances Clarion in the winners bracket against the #1 seed Oklahoma State - who defeated Liberty 33-6 in their opening match... Oklahoma State has 9 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 ... 184-pounder Clint Podish will miss the Virginia Duals with an injury ... He is expected back for Eastern Michigan.

Championship - Clarion Match #1 Champ. Round 1: Clarion defeated Old Dominion 20-18

125 - James Nicholson (Old Dominion) over Joe Waltko (Clarion) Maj 16-2

133 - Jay Ivanco (Clarion) over Justin LaValle (Old Dominion) Dec 5-2

141 - Greg Lewis (Clarion) over Brennan Brumley (Old Dominion) Pin 1:10

149 - James Fleming (Clarion) over John Nicholson (Old Dominion) TF 17-2

157 - Hadley Harrison (Clarion) over Joey Sheridan (Old Dominion) Dec 4-3

165 - Chris Brown (Old Dominion) over Nick Milano (Clarion) Maj 19-7

174 - Eric Decker (Old Dominion) over Steven Cressley (Clarion) Dec 3-0

184 - Joe Budi (Old Dominion) over Justin McCrillis (Clarion) TF 16-0

197 - Jesse Strawn (Old Dominion) over Alex Thomas (Clarion) Dec 4-1

HWT - Quintas McCorkle (Clarion) over Grant Chapman (Old Dominion) Dec 9-3

Old Dominion's team score was adjusted by -1.000 for unsportsmanlike conduct following 149-pounds.

Championship - Oklahoma State Match #1 Champ. Round 1: Oklahoma State defeated Liberty 33-6

125 - Chris Notte (Oklahoma State) over Juistin Branham (Liberty ) Maj 11-3

133 - Joe Pantaleo (Liberty ) over Tyler Shinn (Oklahoma State) Dec 6-5

141 - Jamal Parks (Oklahoma State) over Collin Lewis (Liberty ) Maj 11-3

149 - Frankie Gayeski (Liberty ) over Jake Peck (Oklahoma State) Dec 5-4

157 - Neil Erisman (Oklahoma State) over Shaun Smith (Liberty ) Maj 11-2

165 - Alex Meade (Oklahoma State) over Chad Porter (Liberty ) Dec 4-1

174 - Mike Benefiel (Oklahoma State) over Brad Clark (Liberty ) Maj 16-2

184 - Chris McNeil (Oklahoma State) over Nick Knowles (Liberty ) Dec 3-0

197 - Alan Gelogaev (Oklahoma State) over Jacobi Johnson (Liberty ) TF 19-3

HWT - Jared Rosholt (Oklahoma State) over Josh Pelletier (Liberty ) Pin 1:56