CLARION, Pa. – The Old Dominion wrestling team (6-8, 4-2 MAC) wrapped up its weekend trip to Pennsylvania with a 25-9 win over Clarion (8-5, 5-3 MAC) on Sunday afternoon.
Junior 285-pounder Will Hilliard capped off the Monarch victory with a ranked win, taking down No. 27 Ty Bagoly in a 9-3 win by decision in the final bout of the dual. Hilliard jumped ahead of the ranked Golden Eagle early with a takedown and a four-point near-fall less than 30 seconds into the match, giving him a 6-0 advantage. The heavyweight Monarch registered another takedown in the period to hold an 8-1 lead after one frame. Hilliard managed to hang on to his lead, allowing just two more points to Bagoly, to give him his first ranked victory of the season.
"We wrestled well today against a tough Clarion team," head coach Steve Martin said after the Monarch win. "The highlight of the day was Hilliard's victory over a nationally-ranked opponent."
To start the dual, the Monarchs jumped out to an early 10-0 lead after three bouts, as No. 18 Killian Cardinale, Shannon Hanna II and No. 18 Sa'Derian Perry each earned victories at 125 pounds, 133 pounds and 141 pounds, respectively. Cardinale earned bonus points in his win over Cam Butler, taking a 14-5 win by major decision in the first match of the day.
Hanna managed to earn a 5-1 win by decision, earning all five of his points in the third period against Clarion's Jake Gromacki. Perry defeated Brayden Palmer in a 7-1 decision, only allowing an escape point in the third frame of the bout and tallying two minutes and 45 seconds worth of riding time.
At 149 pounds, No. 10 Brock Zacherl got Clarion on the board with a 5-2 win by decision over Kenan Carter, but in the very next bout, No. 14 Larry Early pinned Avery Shay after four minutes and 46 second of action in the 157-pound battle. The pin, Early's second of the season, gave the Monarchs a 13-point lead over the Golden Eagles.
After intermission, Shane Jones took a 3-2 lead with a takedown of Mike Bartolo with four seconds remaining in the first period, and never looked back. The senior 165-pounder earned three more points to earn a 6-3 win by decision. At 174 pounds, Max Wohlabaugh managed to get the better of freshman Alex Cramer, 12-6, bringing the overall score to 19-6.
In the 184-pound bout, Antonio Agee earned two takedowns, a reversal and a riding time point to earn an 8-5 win by decision over Christian Sequete, clinching the conference-dual victory for the Monarchs.
At 197 pounds, Timothy Young was tasked with facing No. 15 Greg Bulsak. The top-15 wrestler earned a 15-2 major decision victory over the Monarch senior for Clarion's only bonus points of the match.
After the Hilliard victory at 285 pounds, the Golden Eagles were docked a point due to an unsportsmanlike penalty, bringing the final score to 25-9.
In total, the Monarchs held a 16-12 takedown advantage and earned 14 escape points in the dual.
"Cardinale, Hanna, Perry, Early, Jones and Agee all went 2-0 in our two matches this weekend and had consistent performances," Martin said of his wrestlers after an impressive weekend.
Up Next
After winning their two Mid-American Conference (MAC) matches in Pennsylvania against Edinboro and Clarion this weekend, the Monarchs return home next week to take on Virginia Tech on Sunday, February 2 at 1 p.m. The Hokies are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, according to the National Wrestling Coaching Association (NWCA).
"We look forward to next Sunday when Virginia Tech visits Chartway Arena," Martin said looking ahead. "As always, the Big Blue Room will be open an hour before the match and is open to all fans, alumni and Jamie Kelly supporters. We will honor Jamie Kelly and his family before the match and at halftime we will honor our alumni.
"For all of the alumni interested in coming out, we will have information on how to register for halftime recognition on social media this week. We are looking forward to another opportunity to face another top-25 team."
To purchase tickets to next Sunday's match against Virginia Tech, and every other Monarch home match at Chartway Arena, visit ynottix.com.
Box Score
Old Dominion 25 - Clarion 9
125: #18 Killian Cardinale (ODU) MD over Cam Butler (Clarion) 14-5
133: Shannon Hanna II (ODU) dec. over Jake Gromacki (Clarion) 5-1
141: #18 Sa'Derian Perry (ODU) dec. over Brayden Palmer (Clarion) 7-1
149: #10 Brock Zacherl (Clarion) dec. over Kenan Carter (ODU) 5-2
157: #14 Larry Early (ODU) fall over Avery Shay (Clarion) 4:46
165: Shane Jones (ODU) dec. over Mike Bartolo (Clarion) 6-3
174: Max Wohlabaugh (Clarion) dec. over Alex Cramer (ODU) 12-6
184: Antonio Agee (ODU) dec. over Christian Sequete (Clarion) 8-5
197: #15 Greg Bulsak (Clarion) MD over Timothy Young (ODU) 15-2
285: Will Hilliard (ODU) dec. over #27 Ty Bagoly (Clarion) 9-3
Wrestling Monarchs Down Clarion, 25-9 in Conference Dual
Will Hilliard defeated No. 27 Ty Bagoly to cap off a 25-9 ODU victory on Sunday afternoon