Results 
Bristol, TN – The No. 4 Patriots men's wrestling team competed in their second open tournament of the season at the King Open on Sunday. UC recorded one individual champion, two runner-up finishes, and both a third and fifth place finisher.

Austin Silva led the way for UC, earning a first-place finish in the 285-bout after posting a 5-0 record. He opened the day with a fall of 2:45 over Massimo Sullivan (UNC Pembroke). The sophomore collected a 5-1 decision in his second match over Dustin Uribes (Apprentice Scho), highlighted by a 3-point takedown and escape in the second period after a scoreless first. Silva secured another decision in his third match, defeating Mateo Armenariz (King) by a score of 8-5, marking two 3-point takedowns and two escapes in the contest. In the semifinals, Silva had an escape and three 3-point takedowns to win by major decision over Tyson Russell (DNA Level C). He then defeated Gregory Dennard (Bluefield State) by a major decision of 13-5 in the championship match. Silva put together an impressive second period, tallying an escape and two 3-point takedowns to take home the individual title.

Earning second place in the 141-weight class was Eli Peyton. Peyton began the day in dominating fashion, winning his first two matches by tech falls of 24-5 and 18-1 over David Makupson (Salem) and Matthew Velasco (Kentucky Wesleyan), respectively. The junior then won over Kaden Brown (Montevallo) in a 7-2 decision, marking two 3-point takedowns and an escape in the first two periods to take the match. Peyton advanced to the championship after a medical forfeit by Avery Buonocoer (UNC Pembroke). Peyton fell in the championship round to Josh Wilson (Spartan Elite) in a 9-2 decision.

Also finishing second was Derrick Bannister in the 157-weight class. He recorded a fall over Zane Perkins (Emory & Henry University) in the opening round at 5:41. The graduate student earned an 8-2 decision over Alex Ropski (Belmont Abbey) in the second round, scoring a 3-point takedown in the first and third periods. In his third match, Bannister had an escape in the first period and a 3-point takedown in the first overtime to secure a 4-1 sudden victory against Billy Tate (Cumberland University) to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinal match, Bannister won by a 19-3 tech fall over Riley Brewer (Andrew College), recording three 3-point takedowns and two 3-point nearfalls all in the first period. Bannister fell in the championship match by a narrow 4-2 decision to Dennis Virelli (Newberry) to place second.

165 wrestler, Weston Melvin, earned a strong third-place finish. His first match was a 18-0 tech fall over Gus Elliott (Raleigh Ar.), where he recorded a 3-point takedown, 3-point nearfall, 4-point nearfall, and an escape all in the second period. In the third period, Melvin took the match with another 3-point takedown and 4-point nearfall. The junior continued that momentum into his second match with another tech fall victory, defeating Sagbe Sieh by a score of 17-0. He took on #23 Eli Clemmons (Cumberland University) in the third round and battled to win a 2-1 tiebreaker. Melvin notched an escape in period two and another one in overtime to advance into the semifinal match. In that match, he was defeated by Trent Mahoney (King) by fall. Melvin finished the tournament by facing Ethan Gomez (Cumberland University) by a close 4-3 decision, marking a 3-point takedown and an escape to secure the third place finish.

In the 149-bout, Marc LeGaspe finished fifth in his weight class. LeGaspe began his tournament with a 10-1 decision, defeating Shawn Young (West Liberty) a 3-point takedown in each period and an escape in the third. He then went on to face Conner Wright (Brewton-Parker) in his second match, securing the win by a fall of 6:04. LeGaspe fell in his next match to Skyler Cuban (Unattached) by a 4-1 decision. He bounced back with a win by medical forfeit over teammate Corbin Melvin (Cumberlands) and a major decision victory of 8-0 over Colton Sullivan (Montevallo), notching two 3-point takedowns and two points on an escape and riding time. LeGaspe took the final match due to a no contest over Kyler Adams (Midway) to finish the day fifth.

UC will be back in action this weekend for the Life Open in Marietta, GA. The tournament is set to begin at 9 a.m. ET.

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