Wrestling: WVU Begins EWL Action with Win
By Daniel Whitehead
WVU Sports Information Office
January 21, 2011
BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – A 4-2 decision victory by senior Kyle Rooney in the second-to-last bout sealed a win for the Mountaineers as they defeated Bloomsburg on Friday evening by a 19-12 score at Nelson Field House.
With the win, West Virginia improves to 5-4 in dual meets and 1-0 in the Eastern Wrestling League. The Huskies drop to 11-3 as the Mountaineers snapped Bloomsburg’s nine-match win streak.
“We expected close matches in every bout,” says WVU coach Craig Turnbull. “Their coach does a great job of preparing his guys to compete with us and they battled hard.”
WVU jumped to a 13-0 lead following a Brandon Rader 13-3 major decision victory over Josh Roosa in which he earned two takedowns and three near-fall points in the opening period.
Before that, WVU grapplers No. 19 Shane Young and No. 13 Nathan Pennesi earned wins by decision to start the matchup with a quick 6-0 lead. Freshman Michael Morales then picked up a crucial 4-3 bout over Bloomsburg’s Derek Shingara after earning a takedown late in the third period to earn the win. Shingura had almost earned a fall right after the opening whistle, but Morales managed to escape from his back position.
“It was good to see (Michael) Morales come back from his early mental error,” Turnbull says. “Those first four bouts we knew we had to win if we were going to get the team victory tonight.”
No. 22 Husky Frank Hickman trimmed the lead by three points with an 8-2 decision victory over redshirt junior Ryan Goodman at 157 pounds before WVU’s 165-pounder Donnie Jones brought the lead up to 16-3 with a 13-7 decision win over Bloomsburg junior Josh Veltre. Veltre was 15-6 heading into the matchup. Jones earned five takedowns in the bout and also had two escape points in addition to over two minutes of riding time.
In just his second match as a Mountaineer, redshirt sophomore Oklahoma State transfer Alex Meade fell in his bout with Husky Mike Dessinio by a 5-2 decision score. At 184 pounds, WVU’s No. 18 Matt Ryan lost to Bloomsburg’s No. 19 Nate Graham by a 2-0 score.
Rooney picked up the deciding win at 197 pounds to build the lead to 19-9 having earned two takedowns in the second period. WVU heavyweight Philip Mandzik dropped the final bout of the night by a 0-1 score to Zac Walsh as West Virginia earned the 19-12 team victory.
The Mountaineers next compete on Saturday night at Clarion. The matchup is slated to begin at 7 p.m.
WVU 19 Bloomsburg 12
125: No. 19 Shane Young (WVU)(So., 21-6) dec. Sean Boylan (Fr., 13-10), 3-2
133: No. 13 Nathan Pennesi (WVU)( (r-Fr., 18-4) dec. Nick Wilcox (Fr., 15-10), 9-5
141: Michael Morales (WVU)( (Fr., 12-7) dec. Derek Shingara (Fr., 16-12), 4-3
149: No. 31 Brandon Rader (WVU)( (r-Sr., 7-7) maj. dec. Josh Roosa (Jr., 10-7), 13-3
157: No. 22 Frank Hickman (BU)( (So., 19-6) dec. Ryan Goodman (r-Jr., 9-12), 2-8
165: Donnie Jones (WVU)( (r-Sr., 11-3) dec. Josh Veltre (So., 15-7), 13-7
174: Mike Dessinio (BU)( (So., 18-5) dec. Alex Meade (r-So., 0-2), 2-5
184: No. 19 Nate Graham (BU)( (Sr., 19-5) dec. No. 18 Matt Ryan (r-Jr., 13-4), 0-2
197: Kyle Rooney (WVU)( (Sr., 10-7) dec. Richard Perry (r-Fr., 8-6), 4-2
HWT: Zac Walsh (BU)(Jr., 14-9) dec. Philip Mandzik (7-14), 0-1
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