No. 16 Virginia Takes Runner-Up Honors at Virginia Duals

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Jan. 10, 2015

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 16 Virginia wrestling team finished as the runner-up at the 2015 Virginia Duals Saturday at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Va. After downing No. 10 Edinboro 20-17 in the semifinals, the Cavaliers (8-3) lost 16-15 in a back-and-forth battle with No. 6 Virginia Tech in the championship. Both matches came down to the final bout of the dual.

“What a ride this weekend was,” Virginia head coach Steve Garland said. “We are a different team than we were a month ago. Our guys have made some huge strides. We came within a couple bonus points from upsetting a great Virginia Tech team. It didn’t happen, but it was a heck of a match. We have had one of the toughest months I can recall, this past December, and oddly enough it actually made us a closer group. We fought for each other and are moving forward as a family.”

George DiCamillo (R-So., Highland Heights, Ohio), Andrew Atkinson (R-Fr., Lynchburg, Va.), Nick Sulzer (R-Sr., Cleveland, Ohio), Blaise Butler (R-Jr., Belvidere, Ill.) and Zach Nye (R-Jr., Enola, Pa.) each won both of their Saturday matches. DiCamillo, Sulzer, Butler and Nye all went 4-0 over the course of the weekend.

The championship match was a battle throughout, with the overall lead changing hands in each of the final four bouts. Both teams won five matches, but third-ranked Devin Carter’s major decision at 141 pounds provided the bonus point that ultimately sealed the dual. The other nine weight classes all finished as decisions, and the final five matches all were decided by three points or fewer.

After falling in a 10-3 hole after four weight classes, Virginia battled back against the Hokies (8-1) by winning at 157, 165 and 174. Atkinson claimed a 7-0 win over Jake Spengler at 157 before second-ranked Sulzer held off Chad Strube, 7-5 at 165. In one of the dual’s swing matches, Butler, ranked fifth nationally, picked up a 3-2 triumph over 10th-ranked Zach Epperly in the 174-pound match, which gave UVa a 12-10 lead.

Virginia Tech took a 13-12 lead on an 8-6 win by Austin Gabel over UVa’s James Suvak (R-So., Parma Heights, Ohio), as Gabel came back from a 4-1 deficit. The lead swung back to the Cavaliers when Nye scored a 3-0 win over Jared Haught at 197, but the Hokies sealed the win when seventh-ranked Ty Walz slipped past Patrick Gillen (R-Jr., Shelton, Conn.), 3-2, at heavyweight. Walz scored a takedown in the second period and made it stand up to earn the victory.

In a rematch of the 2014 Virginia Duals championship match that was won by Virginia, the Cavaliers rallied from a 13-4 deficit after four weights to top Edinboro (8-3), 20-17, in their first dual of the day. Atkinson started the comeback by scoring a takedown with 10 seconds remaining in the final period to secure a 5-3 win over Chase Delande at 157. A major decision from Sulzer and a decision from Butler gave UVa a 14-13 advantage, but Edinboro grabbed the lead back, 17-14, on a major decision from 12th-ranked Vic Avery at 184.

UVa tied the match with a 3-0 decision from Nye at 197, and Gillen sealed it with a resounding 9-2 win over Warren Bosch at heavyweight.

Virginia and Virginia Tech wrestle again on Feb. 1 in Blacksburg in an ACC match. The Cavaliers return home Friday (Jan. 16) for their first home dual since Nov. 24 when Duke comes to Memorial Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. match. Admission is free for all matches at Mem Gym.

No. 16 Virginia 20, No. 10 Edinboro 17
125: No. 19 Kory Mines (Edinboro) major dec. Nick Herrmann (UVa), 9-1; EU 4-0
133: No. 17 George DiCamillo (UVa) major dec. Anthony Rivera (Edinboro), 17-4; tied 4-4
141: No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro) pinned Justin Van Hoose (UVa), 5:22; EU 10-4
149: No. 3 Dave Habat (Edinboro) dec. No. 11 Gus Sako (UVa), 11-5; EU 13-4
157: Andrew Atkinson (UVa) dec. Chase Delande (Edinboro), 5-3; EU 13-7
165: No. 2 Nick Sulzer (UVa) major dec. Casey Fuller (Edinboro), 15-4; EU 13-11
174: No. 5 Blaise Butler (UVa) dec. Patrick Jennings (Edinboro), 8-4; UVa 14-13
184: No. 12 Vic Avery (Edinboro) major dec. Tyler Askey (UVa), 14-4; EU 17-14
197: No. 20 Zach Nye (UVa) dec. Vincent Pickett (Edinboro), 3-0; tied 17-17
285: Patrick Gillen (UVa) dec. Warren Bosch (Edinboro), 9-2; UVa 20-17

No. 6 Virginia Tech 16, No. 16 Virginia 15
125: No. 4 Joey Dance (VT) dec. Nick Herrmann (UVa), 7-1; VT 3-0
133: No. 17 George DiCamillo (UVa) dec. No. 19 Kevin Norstrem (VT), 7-1; tied 3-3
141: No. 3 Devin Carter (VT) major dec. Justin Van Hoose (UVa), 25-12; VT 7-3
149: No. 14 Sal Mastriani (VT) dec. No. 11 Gus Sako (UVa), 4-3; VT 10-3
157: Andrew Atkinson (UVa) dec. Jake Spengler (VT), 7-0; VT 10-6
165: No. 2 Nick Sulzer (UVa) dec. Chad Strube (VT), 7-5; VT 10-9
174: No. 5 Blaise Butler (UVa) dec. No. 10 Zach Epperly (VT), 3-2; UVa 12-10
184: Austin Gabel (VT) dec. James Suvak (UVa), 8-6; VT 13-12
197: No. 20 Zach Nye (UVa) dec. Jared Haught (VT), 3-0; UVa 15-13
285: No. 7 Ty Walz (VT) dec. Patrick Gillen (UVa), 3-2; VT 16-15

**Individual rankings according to InterMat