Danville, VA – The Southern Virginia men's wrestling team participated in the Cougar Duals, engaging in five matchups and concluding the day with a 2-3 record, securing victories against Bluefield State (WV) and Emory & Henry.
The day commenced with a battle against Apprentice School where Tyson Hoopes set the tone for the Knights with a second-round pin in the 174-pound weight class.
Loyal Holm followed with a victorious performance in the 197-pound weight class, securing a win by fall early in the third round.
Despite a strong start, Southern Virginia faced challenges, with Elijah Blackwell's impressive tech-fall win by a score of 18-2 in the third round at the 149-pound weight class being the last score for the Knights. The final score tallied 17-36 in favor of the Builders.
In the subsequent matchup against conference rival Averett University, William Haight swiftly secured a win in the 157-pound division with a late fall in the first round. However, the team struggled, losing the next eight bouts. Elijah Blackwell displayed resilience, claiming a hard-fought 8-3 decision win. The match concluded with a final score of 9-39 favoring the Cougars.
In the third contest of the day against Bluefield State, WV, the Knights displayed dominance across weight classes. William Haight continued his winning streak, securing a tech-fall victory of 17-1 in the second round.
At 165 pounds, Carson Call claimed victory via forfeit, while Tyson Hoopes notched his second win of the day with a pin in the first round. Loyal Holm secured a majority decision victory of 12-0 at 197 pounds. Porter Trapp and Porter Kinne both earned victories via forfeit, culminating in a 33-23 win.
In the fourth matchup against Emory & Henry, after initially trailing 0-8, Tyson Hoopes displayed resilience, securing a tough 9-3 decision win at 174 pounds. Hank Svedin followed suit with a first-round pin at 184 pounds, shifting the momentum to lead 9-8.
Subsequently, Loyal Holm secured a win via forfeit, while Porter Trapp battled for a 5-2 decision victory at 285 pounds. The Knights finished strongly with tech-fall victories by Porter Kinne (19-3) and Elijah Blackwell (17-1), ending the duel 28-19.
In the final meet against St. Andrews University, the Knights experienced a narrow defeat of 24-22 despite winning five consecutive matches. Joseph Comaduron secured a win via forfeit in the 133-pound category, followed by Porter Kinne's tech-fall victory in the 141-pound division.
Elijah Blackwell secured another victory at 149 pounds in sudden victory, while William Haight clinched a 14-1 majority decision. Noah James concluded the Knights' scoring with a 13-5 majority decision victory in the 165-pound division.
The Knights will regroup and resume action in the new year, returning on Saturday, January 6th, at 9:00 am for the Jim Crytzer Invitational hosted at Washington and Lee University.
