MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – The "big boys" came up big for the No. 12-ranked West Liberty University wrestling team in the Black and Gold's sweep of No. 21 UNC-Pembroke and host Mount Olive in the Mount Olive Duals at Kornegay Arena on the Mount Olive campus.
"This was a long and challenging trip which pitted us against a couple of very well-coached teams," WLU head coach Danny Irwin said, "and I'm proud of my guys for rising to meet that challenge. Today's result shows how resilient we can be and will serve us well as we move on against teams like Mercyhurst and (Pitt-Johnstown) in the coming weeks."
Strong finishes were the key for Irwin's Hilltoppers, who won four of the last five matches in each of the duals to come out on top. West Liberty opened with a 34-14 rout of the host Trojans but the highlight of the day was the 22-16 come-from-behind win against a Top 25 UNC-Pembroke squad with four nationally-ranked wrestlers in its lineup.
"I was really proud of the last five guys in our dual with Pembroke today," Irwin said. "They stepped up and changed the momentum with their effort and fight. Pembroke was bringing it to us and Chase Morgan really turned things around with his big win against a nationally-ranked opponent."
The No. 21 Braves certainly came out strong, opening up a 13-3 lead midway through the match. West Liberty senior Darius Bunch, ranked No. 3 nationally at 141, gave WLU its only points in the early going with a hard-earned 3-2 decision against UNCP's No. 8-ranked Jonathan Miller.
Chase Morgan's big win at 165 – a 5-3 decision against No. 7-ranked Kaleb Warner – stopped the bleeding. Even though the Braves' Garrett Hill held on for a 3-2 win against Chance Morgan at 174 to put UNC-Pembroke up, 16-6, with just three bouts to go, the stage was set for a Hilltopper comeback.
"It just felt like we took the next step as a team with the wins today," Chase Morgan said. "It's always rewarding when your efforts are rewarded by your results. That's a testament to our coaching staff and how much they've invested in our program."
Freshman Zane Lanham kick-started the winning rally by rolling to a 14-4 major decision against No. 11-ranked Brandon Sloop at 184. Lanham fell behind early by a 4-1 count but took the lead with a reversal and four near-fall points just before the end of the opening period and was in control the rest of the way.
"Zane has been improving consistently in the room and itching to get in the lineup after starting the year wrestling unattached," Irwin said. "He took advantage of his opportunity today and it's going to be fun watching him continue to mature and develop throughout the season."
Lanham's win cut the deficit to 16-10 but it didn't stay there long. Senior Logan Kemp, ranked No. 7 nationally at 197 pounds, blitzed Ernesto Valentin with a flash takedown and the referee slapped the mat just 18 seconds after the opening whistle to forge a 16-16 deadlock heading into the 285-pound finale.
Returning sophomore Francesco Borsellino finished with a flourish in the heavyweight bout, clinching the win with another WLU fall just eight seconds before the end of the opening period. It was Borsellino's first mat action of the season after finishing off his second year as a defensive lineman on the Hilltopper football team.
There was very little drama surrounding the first match of the day as the host Trojans kept things close for a while only to succumb to West Liberty's strength in the later weights.
Reigning Mountain East Conference Wrestler of the Week Cole Laya, ranked No. 3 nationally at 125 pounds, breezed to a 12-3 major decision in the opener against Hayden Waddell, the reigning South Atlantic Conference/Conference Carolinas Wrestler of the Week.
That was one of six bonus point victories for the Black and Gold. Bunch, Chance Morgan and Lanham all notched first-period falls while Kemp scored a technical fall and Jack Barber notched a major decision at 149. Chase Morgan contributed an 11-5 decision at 165.
The West Liberty wrestlers will be idle over the Thanksgiving holiday but return to action on Dec. 7 when they travel to Indianapolis for the Little State Invitational.
WRESTLING
No. 12 West Liberty 34, Mount Olive 14
125: #3 Cole Laya (WLU) md. Hayden Waddell, 12-3
133: Dylan Wilman (UMO) won by medical forfeit over Nate Keaton, 3:00
141: #3 Darius Bunch (WLU) p. Jordan McKinney, 1:44
149: Jack Barber (WLU) md. Colby Teague, 13-4
157: Drew Wiechers (UMO) tf. Stephen Carder, 25-8
165: Chase Morgan (WLU) d. Allen Pyatte, 11-5
174: Chance Morgan (WLU) p. Bailey Parks, 1:18
184: Zane Lanham (WLU) p. Easton Griffin, 2:24
197: #7 Logan Kemp (WLU) tf. Gabriel Guess, 16-1
285: Ogden Atwood (WMO) d. Chase Logan, 6-3
No. 12 West Liberty 22, No. 21 UNC-Pembroke 16
125: Nick Daggett (UNCP) d. #3 Cole Laya, 4-2 (SV-1)
133: Jayquon McEntyre (UNCP) d. Tommy Curtin, 7-4
141: #3 Darius Bunch (WLU) d. #8 Jonathan Miller, 3-2
149: Sammy Peticos (UNCP) d. Jack Barber, 12-7
157: #11 Tyler Makosy (UNCP) md. Stephen Carder, 16-7
165: Chase Morgan (WLU) d. #7 Kaleb Warner, 5-3
174: Garrett Hill (UNCP) d. Chance Morgan, 3-2
184: Zane Lanham (WLU) md. #11 Brandon Sloop, 14-4
197: #7 Logan Kemp (WLU) p. Ernesto Valentin, :18
285: Francesco Borsellino (WLU) p. Marcus Montgomery, 2:52
