Williamsburg, KY – In a back-and-forth battle between conference rivals, the 9th-ranked University of the Cumberlands Men's Wrestling team edged #7 Campbellsville 19-18 in a thrilling Mid-South Conference dual Tuesday night inside the UC Volleyball Gym. With the win, the Patriots improve to 3-0 in conference duals and earn their second victory over the Tigers this season.

Campbellsville struck first at 125, where Aluma Enwa scored a 19-4 tech fall over Tristan Bryant to put the Tigers up 5-0. Cumberlands responded immediately at 133, as Colin Tucker delivered six key points with a fall at 2:36 over Troy Kennedy to give the Patriots a 6-5 lead.

At 141, #17 Eli Peyton extended the advantage with a dominant 10-1 major decision over Shane Watson, pushing the score to 10-5. Campbellsville cut into the lead with a narrow 4-2 decision at 149 by #8 Nicholas Yancey over #15 Ty Lehman.

#14 Brice Coleman added to UC's total at 157 with a 5-0 decision over #15 Antwuan Burns, followed by a clutch 5-4 win at 165 from #22 Rider Trumble over Luke Schlosser to give the Patriots a 16-8 lead.

The Tigers made their move over the next three bouts, starting with #7 Shadrick Slone's 8-1 decision over #9 Weston Melvin at 174. #6 Brice Parks followed with a 13-6 win at 184 over Lane Kiser, and #13 Ashton Boswell's 11-0 major decision at 197 over Caden Brewer gave Campbellsville an 18-16 edge going into the heavyweight finale.

That set the stage for #9 Austin Silva, who delivered when it mattered most. Facing Samuel Bertin in the 285 bout, Silva battled to a 7-7 tie through regulation, then secured a takedown in sudden victory to win 10-7 and clinch the 19-18 dual victory for the Patriots.

Cumberlands will return to action on Friday, January 23, when they travel to Marshall, MO for the MVC Invitational. First whistle is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.ET.

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