Collegiate Wrestling

For Immediate Release

Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014

Wrestling Contact:  Stacie Michaud (410) 293-8773

For more information on Navy Athletics, log on to www.NavySports.com

Navy Scores 26-12 Mat Victory Over Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  The Navy wrestling team (2-0) won seven of the 10 bouts, including each of the last six, to earn a 26-12 victory over Maryland  (4-6) Saturday evening at Alumni Hall.  It was the Mids’ largest margin of victory in a series they lead 51-11-3, since dealing the Terps a 33-9 loss in Annapolis on Jan. 11, 2006.

“I’m really proud of the way we wrestled tonight,” said Navy interim head coach Brian Antonelli.  “We came back from the holiday break and didn’t have our finest performance collectively at the Southern Scuffle.  The guys came back and worked hard in preparing for this match and I think it showed.  Even in the matches we did not win, I thought we fought and scrapped and put ourselves in a position to win the match.”

Navy looked to take control of the match early with 12th-ranked Mathew Miller (Edgewood, Md.) pinning Maryland senior Tony Gardner at the 4:21 mark.  Miller, who has been sidelined with an injury since early December, nearly pinned Gardner early in the second period, but instead was awarded a three-point nearfall and had built a 6-2 lead and nearly four minutes of riding time when Gardner’s shoulders made contact with the mat.

In a blink of an eye, the match was deadlocked a 6-6 as the nationÂ’s No. 1-ranked wrestler, Maryland senior Jimmy Sheptock, pinned Navy team captain James Mannier (Troy, Ohio) at 3:47.

Maryland pushed its lead to 12-6 with wins by nationally-ranked wrestlers at 197 and 285 pounds.  Ninth-ranked 197-pound Christian Boley used a strong third period to overcome a 5-1 deficit and take an 11-7 win over Navy junior Paul Rands (Cary, Ill.), while fourth-ranked Spencer Myers squeaked out a 2-0 win over Navy junior Colynn Cook (Murrysville, Pa.) at heavyweight.

“It was good to see Colynn wrestling with the right instincts,” said Antonelli.  “He was trailing 1-0 going into the final period and he chose the down position because he wanted to win.  He never looked over to me for advice, he knew what he had to do to get a win and I was proud of how he stepped up.

“Paul put himself in a position to win his match, but I think he got a little tired,” added Antonelli.  “He had a chance in his match against Maryland a couple of years ago and he continues to close the gap, we’ve just got to get him over that hump.”

The momentum changer came at 125 pounds where Navy freshman Brenden Campbell (New Castle, Ind.) scored an 11-6 win over Maryland sophomore Paul O’Neill.  Campbell, who scored the first points of the match, never trailed and went on to post four takedowns as he improved to 2-0 in dual action this season.

“Really impressed with the fight Brenden came in with tonight,” Antonelli said.  “He was sick all week and just got on the match on Thursday.  I could tell by the third period that he was tired, but he dug deep and got it done.  I’m really proud of him.”

Junior 133-pound Colton Rasche (Plano, Ill.) evened the match at 12-12 with a 6-3 win over Maryland sophomore Tony Farace.  Rasche built a 3-1 advantage through two periods and Farace was able to narrow the lead to one early in the third, but Rasche scored the final takedown with just over a minute to go and tacked on nearly two minutes for riding time.  Rasche stands 17-7 on the year, including 2-0 in dual action.

Earning the go-ahead victory at 141 pounds was senior Joe Locksmith (Kissimmee, Fla.), who a year ago pinned Frank Goodwin in the final match of the night to lead Navy to a 22-18 victory over the Terps.  He again scored what would be the biggest win of the night, upsetting 15th-ranked Shyheim Brown.

Brown led 2-1 early in the match, however, Locksmith used an escape at the start of the second to knot the match and a takedown with 29 seconds remaining in the period gave him a 4-2 lead.  Brown selected the down position in the third period and Locksmith was able to ride him out and turn his riding time deficit into a point for himself, as he picked up the 5-2 win.

“I am really happy for Joe,” said Antonelli.  “He really work hard this week and had Brown in his cross hairs.  He studied film on him and outworked him in tonight’s match.  He lost to him in the championship at the Roadrunner Open, so I know he wanted to avenge that loss.  It’s a great way for Joe to start the second half of the season.”

With just a three-point lead with three matches to go, Navy tacked on a back-to-back extra-point wins with seniors Raymond Borja (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Zach Johnson (Memphis, Tenn.) earning major decisions at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively.  Borja jumped out to a 5-1 lead and better than two minutes of riding time in the opening period en route to an 11-3 victory over Maryland’s Derrick Evanovich, while Johnson scored a takedown with 24 seconds left and earned a riding time point with 2:40 in mat time to secure a 14-5 win over Terrapin senior Danny Orem.  Johnson’s win sealed the team victory for the Mids.

Junior 165-pound Peyton Walsh (Glen Allen, Va.) picked up the night’s final win with an 8-3 victory over Maryland’s Tyler Manion.  Walsh led 5-1 heading into the third period, tacking on a takedown and riding time to comfortably take the bout and earn a team-best 18th win 

The Mids return to action next Friday when they travel to the Lehigh Valley to take on long-time EIWA rival Lehigh at 7:00 pm.

Navy 26, Maryland 12

174:   #12 Mathew Miller (N) fall Tony Gardner (M) 4:21

184:  #1 Jimmy Sheptock (M) fall James Mannier (N) 3:47

197:  #9 Christian Boley (M) dec Paul Rands (N) 11-7

285:  #4 Spencer Myers (M) dec Colynn Cook (N) 2-0

125:  Brendon Campbell (N) dec Paul O’Neill (M) 11-6

133:  Colton Rasche (N) dec Tony Farace (M) 6-3

141:  Joe Locksmith (N) dec #15 Shyheim Brown (M) 5-2

149:  Raymond Borja (N) major dec Derrick Evanovich (M) 11-3

157:  Zach Johnson (N) major dec Danny Orem (M) 14-5

165:  Peyton Walsh (N) dec Tyler Manion (M) 8-3

Attendance:  1338

### Go Navy ###

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Stacie Michaud
Navy Associate Sports Information Director
566 Brownson Rd. | Annapolis, MD  21402
410.293.8773 | 410.212.3761 cell
www.NavySports.com