(SALEM, Va.) – The Thomas More University wrestling team returned to action Sunday morning at both the Star City Duals and Star City Classic, hosted by Roanoke College. In the duals portion of the event, the Saints finished 2-1 overall and are now 3-1 in duals this season.
The first dual saw the Saints fall to the Washington & Lee Generals, 31-18. They fell behind 15-0 after the first three matches and wouldn't recover. With falls at 149 and 157 by
Ryan Moore and
Kailan Keith, the Saints briefly trailed by just three at 15-12, but the next four weights went to Washington & Lee before
Daulton Mayer picked up a fall at heavyweight for the final of 31-18.
- 125 - Riley Parker (Washington & Lee) over No. 16 Shay Horton (Thomas More) Dec 11-8
- 133 - Evan Linder (Washington & Lee) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
- 141 - Harris Foad (Washington & Lee) over Jordan Hoselton (Thomas More) Fall 2:02
- 149 – No.1 Ryan Moore (Thomas More) over Colin Bridges (Washington & Lee) Fall 4:11
- 157 - Kailan Keith (Thomas More) over Nic Alejandro (Washington & Lee) Fall 2:17
- 165 - Mark Troni (Washington & Lee) over Ryan Draughn (Thomas More) Dec 16-9
- 174 - Harrison Kelly (Washington & Lee) over Jahmon Spiller (Thomas More) Maj 15-5
- 184 - Cameron Blizard (Washington & Lee) over David Gilbert (Thomas More) Dec 5-2
- 197 - John Sedovy (Washington & Lee) over Zachary Watson (Thomas More) Fall 6:04
- 285 – No. 8 Daulton Mayer (Thomas More) over Matt Majoy (Washington & Lee) Fall 0:54
The second dual saw the Saints jump out to a 33-6 advantage that was aided by a pair of Greensboro Pride forfeits at 149 and 165. Mayer would once again pick up a fall at heavyweight to give the Saints the 39-12 victory.
Thomas More recorded four falls in the dual win, with Keith getting the pin in 18 seconds at 157, good for the sixth-fastest pin in program history.
- 125 - Double Forfeit
- 133 – No. 16 Shay Horton (Thomas More) over Ivan Benitez (Greensboro) Fall 4:09
- 141 - Josh Wilson (Greensboro) over Jordan Hoselton (Thomas More) Fall 2:30
- 149 – No. 1 Ryan Moore (Thomas More) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
- 157 - Kailan Keith (Thomas More) over Kalvin Khang (Greensboro) Fall 0:18
- 165 - Zavier Campsey (Thomas More) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
- 174 - Jahmon Spiller (Thomas More) over David Miller (Greensboro) Dec 5-0
- 184 - David Gilbert (Thomas More) over Trevor Carter (Greensboro) Fall 1:37
- 197 - Joseph Akers (Greensboro) over Zachary Watson (Thomas More) Fall 4:27
- 285 – No. 8 Daulton Mayer (Thomas More) over Brandon Williams (Greensboro) Fall 1:54
The Saints final dual of the day saw them fall behind 11-4 after Horton got things started with an 8-0 major decision to finish his day 2-1 but wins for Ferrum at 133 and 141 gave them the lead. Moore and Keith would complete their 3-0 days with falls at 149 and 157, giving Thomas More a 16-11 lead. Campsey earned a fall in 3:41 at 165 to go up 22-11.
A Spiller 14-2 major decision put the Saints up 26-11, but the Panthers made it interesting down the stretch. A major and a fall at 184 and 197 pushed the score to 26-21, giving Ferrum a chance to win it at heavyweight. Mayer would shut that all down though with a fall in 1:20 to lock down the win 32-21 and a 3-0 day for the junior. Moore is now 9-0 this season for Thomas More, while Mayer is 9-1.
- 125 – No. 16 Shay Horton (Thomas More) over Trent Proctor (Ferrum) Maj 8-0
- 133 - Rubyn Semedo (Ferrum) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
- 141 - Levi Englman (Ferrum) over Jordan Hoselton (Thomas More) TF 16-1
- 149 - No. 1 Ryan Moore (Thomas More) over Hayden Funck (Ferrum) Fall 4:12
- 157 - Kailan Keith (Thomas More) over Elijah Martin (Ferrum) Fall 0:36
- 165 - Zavier Campsey (Thomas More) over Christian Hite (Ferrum) Fall 3:41
- 174 - Jahmon Spiller (Thomas More) over Mateo Villalobos (Ferrum) Maj 14-2
- 184 - Joseph Olalde (Ferrum) over David Gilbert (Thomas More) Maj 10-1
- 197 - Braden Homsey (Ferrum) over Zachary Watson (Thomas More) Fall 1:21
- 285 - No. 8 Daulton Mayer (Thomas More) over Rayshawn Dixon (Ferrum) Fall 1:20
In the tournament portion, the Saints had three wrestlers' place. First-year
Noah Duke won the 174-pound bracket with a 3-0 record. After receiving a bye, he won by falls in his first two matches in 1:12 and 2:15 to head to the finals against Mount Olive's Aaron Bancroft. He shut out Bancroft with a 2-0 decision to win the tournament.
Senior
Cameron Baird finished in second at 149, beating his teammate
Taijon Span to head to the semis, where he won by decision to earn a spot in the finals. Unfortunately, Baird suffered a sudden victory against Roanoke's Andru Boyd (3-1) in the finals.
Sophomore
David Conner also finished second at 157, picking up falls in his first two matches to get to the semifinals. In the semis, he grinded out a 5-4 decision over Mount Olive's Cody Smith, before dropping an 11-7 decision in the finals to Roanoke's Will Kennedy.
Thomas More returns to action next Thursday night for a dual against the University of Rio Grande Red Storm on the road at 7:00 p.m. They were receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll.
