Louisville, KY – Going up against the top two ranked teams in the NAIA, the fifth-ranked University of the Cumberlands men's wrestling team split their two matches to finish third at the NWCA National Duals Saturday afternoon.  The Patriots fell in semifinals 27-12 to the defending NAIA National Champions, before defeating second-ranked Indiana Tech 20-19, avenging their loss earlier this season.

Grand View jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the semifinal match winning the first three classes by decision.  At 149 lbs., Tres Leon notched a 10-7 decision over third-ranked Josh Wenger to cut the deficit to 9-3.  The Vikings won four of the next five matches with three major decisions and a pin to 27-9 lead.  The Patriots win came at 174 lbs. where 20^th-rnaked Jarod Swanked pinned third-ranked Lawton Benna at the 6:18 mark.  Ninth-ranked Quandre Chisolm knocked off fifth-ranked Cooper Thomas in a 6-2 decision for the 27-12 final.

The loss moved the Patriots to the third-place match where they faced Indiana Tech, who lost to Life in the semifinals.  Hayden Lee got UC off to a good start as he pinned Devon Johnsen at the 2:45 mark to give Cumberlands an early 6-0 lead.  The Warriors won the next two matches to even the score, however Tres Leon posted a 9-4 decision over tenth-ranked Robert Humphrey to put Cumberlands in front 9-6.  Indiana Tech won the next four matches to take a 20-9 lead with two matches remaining.  At 197 lbs., sixth-ranked Eric Deluse pinned 11^th-ranked Oscar Martinez in at the: 58 mark to cut the deficit to 20-15.  Chisolm followed with a 15-0 tech fall to even the score at 20-20, however Indiana Tech was docked a point for unsportsmanlike conduct giving Cumberlands the 20-19 win.

Leon and Chisolm lead the way for UC going 4-0 and 3-0, respectfully, at the National Duals.  

The Patriots will return to the mat Wednesday, January 9, when they travel to Lebanon, TN to face Cumberland in a conference match. The match is scheduled for 8 p.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.