NEWBERRY, S.C. - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team defeated UNC-Pembroke, 45-3, to extend their home winning streak to twelve. Newberry scored bonus points in all nine victories with four falls, four major decisions and one technical fall.
At 125 lbs., Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) defeated Kieyon Nash by pinfall at the 1:50 mark. The pin was Oliver's ninth of the season as he improved his record to 22-2 and his winning streak to nine.
The 133 pound match served as Newberry's only defeat of the night as Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) lost to Mike Nash by a 6-4 decision. Nash, No. 4 in the East Region, scored a late reversal in the third period to hand Moran his eighth loss of the season.
Tony Washington (Georgetown, S.C.) won his eighth straight match with his 20-5 technical fall over Marcellous Perry at the 5:25 mark. The technical was Washington's second of the season and pushed his record to 19-6 on the year. The win also puts Washington one win away from reaching 50 career wins.
Adding to Newberry's lead at 149 lbs., was Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) with his 17-6 major decision over Brandon Bradley. Collick outscored Bradley in every period and scored seven takedowns in the match. With the victory, Collick improved his season record to 23-5.
The second pin of the night occurred when Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) pinned Dennis Fix at the 1:23 mark. The pin was Byrnes' fourth of the season and increased his record to 16-8. Byrnes scored the opening points in the match with a takedown and followed with the subsequent fall.
Brandon Kelly (Fort Myers, Fla.) defeated Rashaad Saunders by a 21-8 major decision. The major was Kelly's third of the season, which improved his record to 19-6 and his winning streak to eight.
Newberry clinched the victory when Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) registered a 9-0 major decision over Michael Hall. Whitelock's fifth major of the season pushed his season record to 17-8.
At 184 lbs., Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) pinned Conor Pryor at the 4:53 mark to give Blanton his eleventh pin of the season. Blanton's pin pushed him into a three-way tie for most pinfalls in a season with assistant coach Kelly Anundson and teammate Cy Wainwright. At the time of the pin, Blanton was leading Pryor, 14-1.
In the penultimate match of the night, Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) achieved a 14-5 major decision over James De La Riva. Griffin scored six takedowns in the match as he advanced his season record to 23-2.
The final match of the night ended with the same result as the first as Cy Wainwright (Green Cove Spring, Fla.) pinned Andrew Evans at the 4:00 mark. The pin was Wainwright's ninth of the season as he improved his record to 27-0 and pushed his winning streak to 29. The pinfall also tied Wainwright with Anundson for most career pins with 28.
The victory over the Braves improved Newberry's record to 21-2 on the season. The victory also served as Newberry's tenth victory over an East Region foe.
Coach Jason Valek's squad has three home matches remaining on the season before traveling to the East Regional Tournament in Erie, Pa. Newberry faces Belmont Abbey on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. followed by a season-finale doubleheader with Anderson and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Feb. 19 starting at 5 p.m.
Final - No. 2 Newberry 45, UNC-Pembroke 3
125 - No. 3 Matt Oliver (NC) pinned Kieyon Nash (UNCP), 1:50
133 - Mike Nash (UNCP) dec. Sheridan Moran (NC), 6-4
141 - Tony Washington (NC) tech. fall Marcellous Perry (UNCP), 20-5, 5:25
149 - No. 5 Latra Collick (NC) maj. dec. Brandon Bradley (UNCP), 17-6
157 - No. 6 Sean Byrnes (NC) pinned Dennis Fix (UNCP), 1:23
165 - Brandon Kelly (NC) maj. dec. Rashaad Saunders (UNCP), 21-8
174 - Josh Whitelock (NC) maj. dec. Michael Hall (UNCP), 9-0
184 - Bryant Blanton (NC) pinned Conor Pryor (UNCP), 4:53
197 - No. 3 Keeno Griffin (NC) maj. dec. James De La Riva (UNCP), 14-5
285 - No. 2 Cy Wainwright (NC) pinned Andrew Evans (UNCP), 4:00
