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Alderson Broaddus University

Battler Wrestling
101 College Hill Drive, Philippi, WV 26416


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Wrestling Splits a Pair of Matches in MEC Debut

January 9, 2021

PHILIPPI, W.Va. - Alderson Broaddus Wrestling hosted a triangular match with nationally ranked West Liberty and Glenville State on Saturday afternoon.

The Battlers took on the Hilltoppers of West Liberty in their first match of the afternoon and fell 38-10. Freshman Blake Jury evened the team totals at six apiece with a pin of WLU's Kade Zadylak at the 5:37 mark. Gino Sita scored team total points as well with a 11-3 major decision over West Liberty's Logan Kemp, who is ranked sixth nationally.

AB drew close in a couple of matches with Senior Jamar Williams falling 6-5 to WLU's Chase Morgan at 165 pounds. Joshua Laubach wrestled tough as well in the 157 pound bout with Christian Rivera who picked up the 6-4 decision in the highly contested match.

The Battlers bounced back in their second match against Glenville State and impressed with two major decisions, a technical fall, and pin to set up the 37-12 victory in Rex Pyles Arena. The win against the Pioneers was their first as a part of the MEC.

Blake Jury earned his second convincing victory of the day with a 17-0 technical fall over the Pioneer's Cam Barr. The Huntingtown, Maryland native led the way in putting team points on the board for the Battlers in both matches.

In the 157 pound weight class, Laubach grappled with number 15th ranked Cole Houser and worked his way to a 9-5 decision for the Battlers.

Jamar Williams bounced back as well with a 20-6 major decision over Glenville's Joel Cruickshanks.

A.J. Gorto backed up Williams' performance with a 13-3 major decision of his own and paved the way for Chiedu Chika's pin over Christian Ramsey out of a controlled position.

Gino Sita wrapped the day up for the Battlers with a 12-6 decision, being bumped up a weight class to seal the 37-12 team victory for AB.

Here are Coach Sam Gardner's thoughts on the day:

"We wrestled far better in the second match than we did the first. In the first match, we made silly tactical and concentration based mistakes that allowed matches to get away from us. Jamar scored all the offensive points against West Liberty and loses on penalties. That is a very fixable problem, and as you can see in the second bout he really opened up. Josh Laubach's second match was against a nationally ranked opponent, and he went out there and competed hard and showed exactly why we have such high faith in him."

"Gino Sita scored a major decision on the 4th ranked kid in the nation at 197. We all know Gino is really a 184, but he went out there and really had a good showing. He has the ability to transition smoothly from hold to hold and score points in bunches."

"Blake Jury is an unassuming kid. He doesn't look like an 'elite athlete' when you conjure up such an image in your mind, but he's a competitor. He can wrestle a bit, and he did a great job today showing us that ability."

"I was pleased with A.J. Gorto and Chiedu Chika's bounce back performances. They were caught up in spectacle of their first college matches in the first dual, but they really came through against Glenville. I'm proud of both of them."

Alderson Broaddus returns to MEC action next Saturday, January 16th as they travel to Wheeling University where they will compete in a quad meet with host Wheeling, Davis & Elkins, and Notre Dame College.


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