Three Cavaliers Place At Appalachian State Open
BOONE, N.C. – Three members of the Virginia wrestling team placed at the Appalachian State Open on Saturday (Jan. 25) as redshirt junior Michael Murphy (Lookout Mountain, Tenn.), freshman Justin Phillips (Lynchburg, Va.) and junior Drew Peck (Chambersburg, Pa.) all turned in podium finishes.
Murphy took first place at 149 pounds, while Phillips took a second-place finish at 157 pounds and Peck finished third at 184 pounds. In all, seven Virginia wrestlers competed in the event as freshmen Channing Connors (Virginia Beach, Va.), Patrick Evans (New Orleans, La.), Nic Sansone (Virginia Beach, Va.) and David Veltri (Chapel Hill, N.C.) also competed at the open tournament.
Murphy went 4-0 on the afternoon to claim the title at 149 pounds, posting a major decision and a decision in his first two bouts before a medical forfeit in the semifinals and an injury default in the finals pushed him to the top of the podium.
Phillips went 2-1 on the day after receiving a first-round bye at 157 pounds. He posted a major decision and a decision over a pair of ACC foes before North Carolina’s Josh McClure claimed a decision over Phillips in the finals.
Peck went 3-1 on the afternoon at 184 pounds, winning his first two matches – including a pin in 0:14 seconds in his quarterfinal match, before being pinned himself in the semifinals by Chattanooga’s Matthew Waddell. Peck then won his third-place match by decision to give the Cavaliers a third place winner.
Virginia will return to action on Friday (Jan. 31) when the Cavaliers host No. 3 Virginia Tech in a 7 p.m. dual match at John Paul Jones Arena. Tickets are on sale now for the 7 p.m. dual and can be purchased online at VirginiaSports.com or by calling the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at 800-542-UVA1 (8821) or 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Mat-side tickets are on sale for $50, while general admission tickets are available for $10 when purchased in advance and will be $12 if purchased at JPJ on the day of the event.
149:
Michael Murphy – 1st Place Finish
R16: Murphy major dec. Joey Caprella (Old Dominion), 9-0
QF: Murphy dec. Cody Bond (App. State), 10-7
SF: Murphy over Tanner Smith (Chattanooga) by medical forfeit
FINAL: Murphy over Jake Hart (Va. Tech) by injury default
157:
Patrick Evans
R16: Evans dec. Coltin Jezioro (Ohio), 6-5
QF: Tyler Shilson (Chattanooga) major dec. Evans, 13-5
Conso. R8-2: Evans dec. Tyler Hazard (Old Dominion), 6-5
Conso. R4: Grant Lundy (Chattanooga) dec. Evans, 7-6
Justin Phillips – 2nd Place Finish
R16: Bye
QF: Phillips major dec. Tony Negron (NCSU), 10-2
SF: Phillips dec. Daniel Mancini (Va. Tech), 4-3
FINAL: Josh McClure (UNC) dec. Phillips, 5-0
165:
Nic Sansone
R16: Bye
QF: Sansone pinned Christian Beach (App. State), 4:52
SF: Evan Barczak (Drexel) major dec. Sansone, 12-4
Conso. R8-2: Donald Cates (No Team) major dec. Sansone, 16-4
David Veltri
R16: Veltri dec. Cade Moisey (Fairmont State), 5-0
QF: Veltri pinned Chooper Mordecai (App. State), 0:52
SF: Drew Nicholson (Chattanooga) major dec. Veltri, 11-1
Conso. R8-2: Cole Smith (Old Dominion) dec. Veltri, 9-2
174:
Channing Connors
R16: Connors pinned Trent Knight (Campbell), 5:29
QF: Thomas Flitz (App. State) pinned Connors, 2:23
Conso. R8-2: Connors dec. Lance Andriani (NCSU), 13-12
Conso. R4: Kolton Clark (Va. Tech) pinned Connors, 1:40
184:
Drew Peck – 3rd Place Finish
R16: Peck dec. JhaQuan Anderson (Gardner-Webb), 8-5
QF: Peck pinned Garrett Church (App. State), 0:14
SF: Matthew Waddell (Chattanooga) pinned Peck, 0:55
3RD PLACE MATCH: Peck dec. Julian Gorring (App. State), 9-2