RALEIGH, N.C. – Three Monarch wrestlers placed on Sunday afternoon, as the Old Dominion wrestling team wrapped up its weekend in Raleigh by competing in the Wolfpack Open.
Senior Antonio Agee at 184 pounds and Sophomore Kellen Ekern at 165 pounds each secured top-five spots, placing fourth and fifth, respectively. Freshman Jacob Bullock settled into sixth place at 285 pounds while wrestling unattached.
"This was a very good caliber open tournament," associate head coach Daryl Thomas said after the matches were finished. "We had a couple of good performances from Antonio Agee going 3-0, Kellen Ekern going 5-1 to take fifth place, and Jacob Bullock going 4-2 to take sixth place against some really stiff competition. Cole Smith also had a couple of nice wins as well to go 4-2 on the day."
Agee was cruising through his 184-pound bracket, as he won his first three bouts by a combined 26-3 margin, including winning by technical fall over Truett-McConall's Dalton Hardeman, 16-0 in 3:10.
Unfortunately, Agee's afternoon ended early, as he was forced to medically forfeit his semifinals match, putting him in fourth place in his weight class.
Ekern went 4-1, including three-straight pins to finish his day in fifth place. All three of the pins came in the first round of his bouts, and his fastest came at 1:05 in his match against Jonathan Spadafora, who was wrestling unattached from Maryland.
Bullock pinned his first opponent of the day in 2:34 before losing his quarterfinals match against No. 17 Cary Miller of Appalachian State. Miller won by decision, 4-1 over the freshman.
Bullock would win his next two bouts to earn a spot in the heavyweight fifth-place bout, where Deonte Wilson of N.C. State downed him in a 4-1 decision.
Although he didn't place, Smith also had a positive showing, as he went 4-2 on the day and reached the consolation round of four at 157 pounds. It was there where he got pinned late, preventing him from a chance in the fifth-place bout.
"These four guys stood out today," Thomas said about his wrestlers. "We look forward to getting ready for the Navy Classic next week to end a very busy November."
Up Next
ODU will head to Annapolis, Maryland to compete in the Navy Classic on Saturday, November 23. Last season, the Monarchs came away with a fourth-place finish out of 16 teams.
ODU Placed Results
165 Kellen Ekern – Fifth Place
Round of 32 - BYE
Round of 16 - Kellen Ekern (ODU) MD over Chris Fasano (Citadel) 15-4
Quarterfinals – Sawyer Davidson (UNC Unattached) dec. over Kellen Ekern (ODU) 4-2
Consolation of 8 #2 – Kellen Ekern (ODU) Fall over Brett Mordecai (App. State Unattached) (1:17)
Consolation of 4 – Kellen Ekern (ODU) Fall over Jonathan Spadafora (Maryland Unattached) (1:05)
5thPlace Round – Kellen Ekern (ODU) Fall over William Formato (App. State) (2:44)
184 Antonio Agee – Fourth Place
Round of 32 – Antonio Agee (ODU) dec. over Christopher Garrison (NCSU Unattached) 2-0
Round of 16 - Antonio Agee (ODU) TF over Dalton Hardeman (Truett-McConell) 16-0 (3:10)
Quarterfinals – Antonio Agee (ODU) dec. over Julian Gorring (App. State) 8-3
Semifinals – Michael Battista (Virginia) win by M For over Antonio Agee (ODU)
285 Jacob Bullock* – Sixth Place
Round of 32 – BYE
Round of 16 – Jacob Bullock (ODU Unattached) Fall over Jacob Stanbro (Newberry) (2:34)
Quarterfinals – #17 Cary Miller (App. State) dec. over Jacob Bullock (ODU Unattached) 4-1
Consolation of 8 #2 –Jacob Bullock (ODU Unattached) dec. over Colin Lawler (NC State) 3-2
Consolation of 4 – Jacob Bullock (ODU Unattached) dec. over Imani Heslop (Presbyterian) 6-0
5thPlace Round – Deonte Wilson (NC State) dec. over Jacob Bullock (ODU Unattached) 4-1
* - Indicates Unattached
Three Monarchs Place as Wrestling Competes in Wolfpack Open
