Mount Vernon, GA – The fifth-ranked UC men's wrestling team opened Mid-South Conference play with a 33-14 win over Brewton-Parker Thursday night.  With the win, the Patriots improve to 1-0 on the season and 1-0 against the MSC.

The Patriots jumped out to an early lead as Hayden Lee, the top NAIA wrestler in the 125 lbs. class, defeated Ryan Rubenacker by a tech fall 16-0.  It was Lee's first match of the season and gave the Patriots a 5-0 lead.  The Barons took the 133 match to take a 6-5 edge, however the Barons lost a point during that match which tied the score 5-5.  UC answered at 141 lbs. as Chase Brown recorded an 8-0 major decision over James Stoudenmire to put Cumberlands back in front 9-6.

Cumberlands added back-to-back decisions by Cody Hutson (6-1) and 14^th-ranked Bobby Ehman (9-6) at 141 lbs. and 149 lbs., respectfully, to extend the Patriots lead to 15-6.  Tristian Macri continued his strong start of the season as he earned a pin over Michael Long at the 165 lbs. class to give UC a 21-6 edge.

Brewton-Parker cut into the lead with wins at 174 lbs. and 184 lbs. but Eric Deluse, ranked fourth in the NAIA, clinched the match for Cumberlands with a forfeit win at 197 lbs.  In the final match of the night, 285 lbs. weight class, Aaron Johnson improved to 9-1 on the season with a pin over Chandler Butler for the 33-15 final.

The Patriots will return to the mat Saturday, December 8, as they travel to Fort Wayne, IN to face second-ranked Indiana Tech. The match is scheduled to start at 9 a.m.

For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter - @UC_Patriots, Instagram - @UCPatriots, SnapChat - @UC_Patriots, YouTube – Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.