Monarchs Place Fifth After Finishing 2-2 at Virginia Duals

HAMPTON, Va. – The Old Dominion wrestling team (3-7, 1-1 MAC) settled for fifth place at the 40th Annual Virginia Duals after a 2-2 showing at Hampton Coliseum in the two-day event. 
 
After starting day two 0-2, the Monarchs came from behind in their final bout of the event against Maryland to earn the fifth-place finish. 
 
"We had opportunities to win the UVA match, we definitely had an opportunity to win the Fresno State match and we came behind in the last match," head coach Steve Martin said after ODU's three consecutive matches on Saturday. "At the end of the day, we're looking for guys to be able to perform at their top level, and we still haven't had all 10 guys perform at that level in one match. It's kind of hard to get all 10 guys in wrestling to get rolling at the same time, but that's what our goal is and that's what we're going to continue to stress."
 
Against Maryland
Old Dominion was down 16-9 with three bouts left against Maryland in the battle for fifth place, but the Monarchs were able to win out to overcome the seven-point deficit and earn a fifth-place finish after an 18-16 victory. 
 
The comeback started with Antonio Agee's performance in the 184-pound bout against Kyle Jansenski. Agee's first three bouts in the Virginia Duals went into overtime, but the senior from Hayfield, Virginia wouldn't let that happen in his last match. Agee jumped out to an early 4-1 lead after the first period, which propelled the senior to cruise to a 9-2 win by decision.
 
At 197 pounds, senior Timothy Young faced No. 25 Jalen Smith to keep the Monarchs' chances alive. Young rose to the occasion early, earning two points on a takedown in the first period. After Smith tied the score at two apiece entering the final frame, Young managed to earn a riding time point, giving him a 3-2 win by decision over the ranked Terp and cutting the Monarch deficit to just one point. Young went 2-0 in situations where if he lost his bout, the match would have been clinched for the opposing team, as he won his bout in a tightly contested match against Fresno State under the same circumstances. 
 
In the winner-take-all heavyweight bout between ODU and Maryland, the Monarchs turned to junior Will Hilliard, as he faced Parker Robinson. Hilliard scored an early takedown and accumulated two minutes and 30 seconds in the first period to kick off the bout. Hilliard would add five more points to his scoresheet, including one from riding time to earn a 7-0 win by decision, clinching the 18-16 victory for the Monarchs. 
 
No. 15 Killian Cardinale got the match started with a decisive 8-2 win by decision over Brandon Cray in the 125-pound bout, to give ODU the early lead. Maryland would leapfrog the Monarchs on the scoreboard in the next bout however, as King Sandoval pinned Monarch freshman Shannon Hanna II after three minutes and 33 seconds of action, giving the Terps a 6-3 lead. 
 
Maryland would extend its lead in the 141-pound bout, as Hunter Baxter earned a 6-4 win by decision over Yarhoski Aldiva, who was seeing his first action of the Virginia Duals in ODU's final match. The back-and-forth affair saw Baxter leading after the first period and Aldiva leading, 4-3 after the second frame. Baxter ended up holding Aldiva scoreless in the third period and scored three points to seal the victory.
 
At 149 pounds, senior Kenan Carter shut out his opponent Michael Doetsch in a 5-0 win by decision. Carter ended the duals with a 3-1 record in his bouts.
 
No. 13 Larry Early took on Lucas Cardio in the following match at 157 pounds. The ranked Monarch collected three takedowns on his way to an 8-3 win by decision over Cardio, a result that gave him a pristine 4-0 record at this year's Virginia Duals and one that tied the match at 9-9. 
 
Maryland retook the lead in the next two bouts, as Kyle Cochran earned an 8-0 major decision victory over Shane Jones at 165 pounds, and No. 20 Philip Spadafora earned a 6-2 win by decision over freshman Alex Cramer in the 174-pound bout. This gave the Terps their 16-9 lead before the Monarchs came back to win the final three bouts.  
 
Against Virginia
Day two of the Virginia Duals' National College Division started with a clash between two Virginia teams, as ODU faced off against No. 22 Virginia. The Monarchs managed to win just three bouts in the match, as they fell to the ranked in-state rival, 23-9. 
 
Early earned his second ranked victory of the duals, as he defeated No. 24 Justin McCoy in a 7-3 win by decision in the 157-pound bout. The All-American earned three takedowns, two in the final frame to earn the victory that put ODU on the board. 
 
Jones kept the ODU momentum going in the next bout at 165 pounds, as he earned a 2-1 win by decision over Sam Martino. The two combatants were tied at one apiece after the three periods, but Jones held the riding time advantage to edge his opponent and give the Monarchs another three points. 
 
After No. 18 Victor Marcelli earned a 9-6 win by decision over Cramer at 174 pounds, Agee won an exciting bout at 184 pounds. For the second match in a row, he and his opponent were tied, 1-1 after three frames. In the first sudden victory period, Agee managed to take down Michael Battista to come out victorious, 3-1. 
 
The Monarchs would lose the next two bouts against ranked opponents, as Young couldn't get the best of No. 7 Jay Aiello at 197 pounds, losing a 6-1 decision. Freshman Jacob Bullock then lost in a 15-1 major decision in favor of No. 24 Quinn Miller, as the Cavaliers cruised to a 23-9 victory. 
 
Earlier in the match, Virginia earned victories in the first four bouts of the contest to jump out to a 13-0 lead. Cardinale was defeated by Patrick McCormick in a 7-4 decision to start the match, which was then followed by No. 18 Louie Hayes taking down Hanna, 8-1 at 133 pounds. 
 
At 141 pounds, No. 11 Sa'Derian Perry held a 2-1 advantage over UVA's Brian Courtney after the first period, but the Cavalier shifted the momentum with a takedown and a four-point nearfall in the second frame. Courtney carried that momentum to a 12-4 MD victory over the ranked Monarch. In the following bout, Michael Murphy got the better Carter at 149 in a 3-2 decision in Carter's only loss of the event.
 
Against Fresno State
After their loss to No. 22 Virginia, the Monarchs then competed against Fresno State, who was tabbed as the third seed entering the tournament. In yesterday's action, the Bulldogs were defeated by Maryland in a tight 22-18 contest, but then rolled over Duke in their second match, 50-0. 
 
With the Bulldogs up by five points, 17-12 entering the 197-pound bout, Young needed a victory to keep the Monarchs alive, and the senior delivered. In the battle, Young earned two reversals to propel him to a 7-4 win by decision, forcing a winner-take-all battle between the heavyweights, with the score sitting at 17-15 in favor of Fresno State.
 
The Monarchs turned to Will Hilliard for the first time in the Virginia Duals, as he had the tall task of taking on No. 11 Josh Hokit at 285 pounds. Hilliard drew first, earning an early takedown, but Hokit managed to get loose and the two combatants went into the second period tied at three apiece. The score remained tied at three going into the final frame, but Hokit prevailed, earning the 7-4 win by decision over the Monarch junior and clinching the match for the Bulldogs, 20-15. 
 
Cardinale got ODU off on the right foot in the match, as the ranked Monarch earned an 8-2 win by decision over Destin Summers to give his team the early lead. The lead evaporated quickly, as Hanna lost in a 16-0 technical fall against Gary Joint at 133 pounds after one period to give the Bulldogs a 5-3 advantage after two bouts.
 
In the 141-pound bout, Perry found himself facing off against No. 20 DJ Lloren. The two ranked combatants went into the final frame deadlocked at zeroes, but Lloren got the better of Perry, scoring three points in the third period and added another with riding time to take the bout in a 4-0 win by decision. 
 
Carter earned a tight 3-2 win by decision over No. 32 Greg Gaxiola with a late takedown over the ranked Bulldog at 149 pounds, cutting the Monarch deficit to just two points. 
 
At 157 pounds, Early gave ODU the lead with his first pin of the season, coming after two minutes and 22 seconds of action. Early's pin over Beau Colombini gave the Monarchs a 12-8 advantage over Fresno State.
 
The momentum would shift to the Bulldogs' side, however, as Fresno State took the next three bouts to regain the lead, 17-12. Jones lost in a close 3-2 decision against Adam Kemp at 165 pounds, followed by Cramer losing a 5-0 decision against Ricky Padilla in the 174-pound battle. At 184 pounds, the bout needed more than three periods again to determine a winner, but this time Agee couldn't pull it out, losing, 2-1 in TB-1 against the Bulldogs' Hunter Cruz.
 
Up Next
ODU will be home for the first time this season next week, when the Monarchs take on Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Divisional foes Lock Haven and Rider next weekend on January 17 and 19, respectively at Chartway Arena. In the latest MAC rankings, Lock Haven was tied with ODU as the third-ranked team, while Rider placed second in the rankings. 
 
"We've got Lock Haven and Friday night and Rider on Sunday, and that could be for the MAC East title," Martin said, looking ahead to next week's matches. "We're hoping to have the fans come out for that, because we get into the real part of our conference schedule now."

You can get your tickets to the two MAC matchups and every other home dual this season by visiting ynottix.com.
 
Box Scores
 
ODU 18 – Maryland 16 – Fifth Place Match
125 - #15 Kilian Cardinale (ODU) dec. over Brandon Cray (Maryland) 8-2
133 - King Sandoval (Maryland) fall over Shannon Hanna (ODU) 3:18
141 - Hunter Baxter (Maryland) dec. over Yarhoski Aldiva (ODU) 6-4
149 - Kenan Carter (ODU) dec. over Michael Doetsch (Maryland) 5-0
157 - #13 Larry Early (ODU) dec. over Lucas Cardio (Maryland) 8-3
165 - Kyle Cochran (Maryland) MD over Shane Jones (ODU) 8-0
174 - #20 Philip Spadafora (Maryland) dec. over Alex Cramer (ODU) 6-2
184 - Antonio Agee (ODU) dec. over Kyle Jasenski (Maryland) 9-2
197 - Timothy Young (ODU) dec. over #25 Jaron Smith (Maryland) 3-2
285 - William Hilliard (ODU) dec. over Parker Robinson (Maryland) 7-0
 
 
UVA 23 – ODU 9
125 - Patrick McCormick (UVA) dec. over #15 Kilian Cardinale (ODU) 7-4
133 - #18 Louie Hayes (UVA) dec. over Shannon Hanna (Old Dominion) 8-1
141 - Brian Courtney (UVA) MD over #11 Sa'Derian Perry (Old Dominion) 12-4
149 - Michael Murphy (UVA) dec. over Kenan Carter (Old Dominion) 3-2
157 - #13 Larry Early (ODU) dec. over #24 Justin McCoy (UVA) 7-3
165 - Shane Jones (ODU) dec. over Sam Martino (UVA) 2-1
174 - #18 Victor Marcelli (UVA) dec. over Alex Cramer (ODU) 9-6
184 - Antonio Agee (ODU) dec. over Michael Battista (UVA) 3-1 (SV-1)
197 – #7 Jay Aiello (UVA) dec. over Timothy Young (ODU) 6-1
285 - #24 Quinn Miller (UVA) MD over Jacob Bullock (ODU) 15-1
 
 
Fresno State 20 – ODU 15 
125 - Kilian Cardinale (ODU) dec. over Destin Summers (Fresno St.) 8-2
133 - Gary Joint (Fresno St.) TF over Shannon Hanna (ODU) 16-0
141 - #20 DJ Lloren (Fresno St.) dec. over #11 Sa`Derian Perry (ODU) 4-0
149 - Kenan Carter (ODU) dec. over #32 Greg Gaxiola (Fresno St.) 3-2
157 - #13 Larry Early (ODU) fall over Beau Colombini (Fresno St.) 2:22
165 - Adam Kemp (Fresno St.) dec. over Shane Jones (ODU) 3-2
174 - Ricky Padilla (Fresno St.) dec. over Alex Cramer (ODU) 5-0
184 - Hunter Cruz (Fresno St.) dec. over Antonio Agee (ODU) 2-1 (TB-1)
197 - Timothy Young (ODU) dec. over Isaiah Perez (Fresno St.) 7-4
285 - #11 Josh Hokit (Fresno St.) dec. over William Hilliard (ODU) 7-4