COMPLETE RESULTS
Williamsburg, KY –
Jacob Seto,
Tres Leon and
Eric Deluse pinned their opponents to secure the Senior Night victory on their home mats over fourth-ranked Lindsey Wilson.
Head Coach
Jordan Countryman continued his undefeated streak against conference opponents, leading the Patriots to a 24-15 victory over the Blue Raiders. Cumberlands secured a Mid-South North Division title with the win ahead of the conference tournament in two weeks.
Seto noted the first fall of the night over LWC's Sam Bacon, extending the team score to 9-0. Before the second period pin, the 133-pounder had the 4-2 advantage. Working from a bottom position, a quick reversal 40 seconds into the period gave him the advantage before collecting the fall at 3:43.
Notching his 12th pin of the season, Leon controlled LWC's Zane Brown with ease out of the gates in the 149 bout, swiftly moving him around the mat. The number-one man in the nation had the 6-0 edge after the takedown and nearfall, working Brown onto his back again for the quick-count pin at 1:10.
With the team score tied at 15-all, the fourth man at 197 pounds worked toward at least a major decision to help the Patriots onto a victory. The senior controlled #20 Avery Buckman 14-5 well into the third period, exposing him with 29 seconds remaining to note his second ranked pin of the week, giving the Patriots a six-point advantage.
Austin Franco led the night off with a meaningful 6-5 verdict to give Patriots pace into the rest of the night. The unranked first-year relinquished the first takedown to #5 Cagen Wallace, but entered the second period at an even-3. Working from the bottom, Franco got an escape before riling up the stands with his second takedown of the 125 match, and avoided being taken down himself as he rode out the third neutral.
Tying a bow on the win,
Aaron Johnson calmly commanded the heavyweight bout en route to a 5-1 decision to round out the night. With the 2-0 advantage in the third, the 14th-ranked sophomore noted the first and only takedown to keep his tempo above LWC's Raynel Brown.
The pins helped the Patriot open their lead in the match, but it was Deluse's fall that shut down a four-match Blue Raider scoring run. Lindsey Wilson claimed a win at 141 in a close 3-2 decision between #11
Bryce Nickel and #12 Trent Johnson, as well as a 5-4 verdict at 157 between
Chasen Brown and #2 Latrell Davis. From there, the Blue Raiders took 165, 174, and 184.
The Patriots have not lost a regular-season dual to a conference opponent since January 16, 2017, when the Blue Raiders defeated Cumberlands, 20-18. Since then, the Patriots have secured 18 straight MSC victories.
The Patriots seven seniors were honored as well prior to the dual, including Leon,
Ramsey Bloy, Deluse,
Micah Linton,
Dan Novack and
Austin Slates.
The men's wrestling team rests easy after the win, having two weeks of recovery and training before the looming MSC Tournament in two weeks. A total of 12 wrestlers will make their way to Bowling Green, KY for this year's championship on February 21 and 22, each seeking NAIA qualification.
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 and @UCPatsGameDay, Instagram - @UCPatriots, YouTube – Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.