NORFOLK, Va. – The 17th-ranked Old Dominion Monarchs fell tonight at the Ted Constant Center to ACC rival, No. 18 NC State, by a 21-15 margin on senior day in front of 1,053 fans. The Monarchs are now 10-4 on the season, while the Wolfpack advances to 14-4.
No. 32 TC Warner (157) started the match on a good note, taking down Chad Pyke by an 8-5 decision. He took an early 2-0 lead, recording the first takedown of the match. Pyke countered with an escape and a takedown of his own to hold a 3-1 lead going into the second period. Warner chose bottom to start the second and notched an escape and a takedown to claim the 5-4 lead at the end of the second. Pyke recorded an escape early in the final period after he chose the bottom position, but Warner finished strong with a takedown and riding out Pyke in the final minute to claim the 8-5 decision.
Redshirt senior, No. 12 Tristan Warner, followed his bother with a narrow 2-0 decision over No. 17 Max Rohskopf at 165 pounds, earning three more points for ODU (6-0). Period one was scoreless, but Warner registered a reversal in the second period, which proved to be the match-winner. The two-time NCAA qualifier is now a perfect 13-0 in dual action this season with just four matches left in the season.
The Wolfpack picked up their first win of the match at 174 pounds, as Pete Renda notched 1:15 of riding time to defeat Austin Coburn by a close 2-1 decision. Old Dominion led NC State 6-3 going into the 184-pound bout.
No. 2 Jack Dechow continued his dominance, taking down Michael Macchaivello by a 10-3 decision for his 18th-straight win at 184 pounds. The All-American took the early lead with two takedowns in the first period to hold a 4-1 advantage going into the second. Dechow racked up more points in the second period, taking down Macchaivello two more times to claim the 8-3 at the end of the period. Dechow chose down to start the third and recorded an early escape to take the 9-3 edge with 1:30 left in the final period. Dechow notched 1:50 of riding time to garner that extra point at the conclusion of the match. With the Dechow victory, ODU led NC State 9-3 after four bouts.
No. 21 Kevin Beazley took on Michael Boykin in the 197 pound bout, but fell by a 4-2 decision in overtime. Neither wrestler registered a point in the first period, but Beazley struck first with an escape early in the second after choosing bottom to start. Boykin took down to start the third period and tied the score at 1-1 when he escaped Beazley’s clutch with 1:05 left on the clock. Neither grappler was able to win the match, which sent it into overtime. Boykin claimed the win after he bested Beazley’s escape with an escape and a takedown in tiebreaker one. The Monarchs held a 9-6 advantage at the intermission.
Following intermission, No. 31 Jake Henderson took on two-time All-American, No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski, at heavyweight. Henderson wrestled hard against the returning national champion, but he fell by a fall in 4:21. With the Wolfpack win, they took a 12-9 lead with four matches left to go.
18th-ranked NC State increased its lead, as No. 28 Joe DeAngelo defeated No. 17 Brandon Jeske by a 4-0 decision at 125 pounds. Neither wrestler recorded a point in the first two periods, but DeAngelo notched two minutes of riding time in the second period. DeAngelo chose down to start the third period and registered an early escape to take a 1-0 lead. DeAngelo followed with a takedown with 1:03 on the clock.
The Wolfpack added six more points to the board (21-9) when Bryce Meredith pinned Michael Hayes in just 1:06 at 133 pounds.
No. 9 Chris Mecate earned three points for ODU, taking down No. 18 Sam Speno by a 4-3 decision. After a scoreless first period, Mecate claimed an escape at the beginning of the second period and took down Speno to hold a 3-0 lead. A locked hands penalty was called on Mecate and Speno notched an escape, as Mecate held the 3-2 edge going into the final period. Speno chose down in the final period and claimed another escape to tie the score, but Mecate had 1:38 of riding time, which earned him the win.
Ninth-ranked Lenny Richardson closed out the night with a 2-0 decision over Beau Donahue, earning three team points for the Monarchs. Richardson recorded an escape in the second period to hold a 1-0 lead. Donahue chose down to start the third period, but Richardson never let him up as he claimed 1:29 of riding time. Donahue had an escape in the third period, but it was not enough as Richardson claimed the win.
Old Dominion will be back in action on Friday, February 13, when it travels to Eastern Michigan for a 7:00 pm match. This will start a four-match road stand for the Monarchs before they head to the MAC Tournament, on March 7-8.
For an in depth look to everything Monarchs Wrestling, make sure to follow the team on Facebook, Twitter (@ODUWrestling) and YouTube and on ODUsports.com. Fans can join in on the conversation by using the hashtag #ODUWREST.
Results: NC State 21 Old Dominion 15
157 TC Warner (Old Dominion) over Chad Pyke (NC State)(Dec. 8-5)
165 Tristan Warner (Old Dominion) over Max Rohskopf (NC State)(Dec. 2-0)
174 Pete Renda (NC State) over Austin Coburn (Old Dominion)(Dec. 2-1)
184 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion) over Michael Macchaivello (NC State)(Dec. 10-3)
197 Michael Boykin (NC State) over Kevin Beazley (Old Dominion) (TB1 – 4-2)
HWT Nick Gwiazdowski (NC State) over Jake Henderson (Old Dominion)(Fall 4:21)
125 Joe DeAngelo (NC State) over Brandon Jeske (Old Dominion)(Dec. 4-0)
133 Bryce Meredith (NC State) over Michael Hayes (Old Dominion)( Fall 1:06)
141 Chris Mecate (Old Dominion) over Sam Speno (NC State)(Dec. 4-3)
149 Lenny Richardson (Old Dominion) over Beau Donahue (NC State)(Dec. 2-0)