BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - The No. 2 Newberry College wrestling team wrapped up the road portion of its dual schedule with a dominating shutout over Division I Gardner-Webb on Monday night, 46-0.
Newberry (17-4) limited Gardner-Webb (4-11-1) to only 14 points in individual matches while the scarlet and gray racked up four technical falls to overpower the Runnin' Bulldogs and secure Newberry's second shutout of the season.
The dual began at the 174 lbs. weight class with a matchup between Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.) and Tom Pennington. Newberry looked off to a rocky start as Rhodes built a 6-2 lead after the first period, but the second frame told a different story when Chenoweth turned Rhodes on his back for a fall at the 4:53 mark. The fall gave Newberry an immediate 6-0 advantage.
At 184 lbs., Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) took on Jonathan Velazquez with a chance to extend Newberry's lead. Blanton wasted little time in putting Velazquez in trouble, piling up points with three near falls in the first three minutes for a 10-0 lead heading into the second period. Blanton then scored five more points in the next 1:13 to end the match with a 15-0 technical fall victory at 4:14, giving Newberry an 11-0 team lead. Blanton currently has 33 wins for the season, tying the fourth-best win total in a single season at Newberry.
Blanton shares the record with Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.), who followed Blanton with a match against Evan Rhodes at 197 lbs. Blanton may have matched Keeno's win total from last season but Griffin matched Blanton's Monday night technical fall with one of his own, handing Newberry five team points with a 15-0 win over Rhodes at 4:35. The score then stood at 16-0 in favor of the scarlet and gray.
At the heavyweight level, Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.) took on Travis Porter. Porter scored first with a takedown but Elkins recovered with an escape for a 2-1 Porter lead after the first period. Elkins then took over in the second period, scoring on a takedown and keeping Porter off of the scoreboard for a 3-2 decision. The win gave Newberry a 19-0 lead.
The dual then moved to 125 lbs. where Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.) faced Marc Rocha. Oliver worked quickly for a lead as the junior built an 8-0 lead through the first period. Oliver followed Elkins' pattern for the rest of the match, shutting out Rocha and adding a riding time point to win, 11-0. The win counted as a major decision to further Newberry's lead, 23-0.
Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.) took the mat for Newberry at 133 lbs. against Brett Kostern. Moran worked to block Kostern's scoring chances and put eight points on the board in the first two periods to take an 8-0 lead into the final two minutes. Moran then went on the offensive, scoring ten points in the third period to end the match with an 18-1 technical fall at 7:00. The technical fall pushed Newberry's lead to 28-0.
At 141 lbs., Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) faced Kurt Wentink. Brown jumped ahead with a 2-1 first period lead and scored one point in the second for a 2-1 advantage. Brown added to his lead in the final frame with two takedowns and a riding time point to win by decision, 8-3. Brown's win made the score 31-0 with Newberry comfortably ahead.
Latra Collick (Berlin, Md.) looked for his tenth straight win with a match at 149 lbs. against Tim Burdine. Collick took a 4-1 advantage into the second period and added two more near falls in the match and a reversal for an 12-2 major decision. Newberry then led, 35-0.
At 157 lbs., Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.) squared off against Alex Medved. Byrnes entered the match having won his last four and kept up his winning ways on Monday night, winning by fall at 2:05 to give Newberry a 41-0 lead with one more wrestler left in the dual.
Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) then took the mat against Miguel Gordon with a chance to shut out Gardner-Webb. Whitelock did not disappoint, shutting out the Runnin' Bulldogs in fitting fashion with a shutout over his opponent. Whitelock piled on the points with lightning speed, ending the match at 1:25 with a 15-0 technical fall victory, the fourth of the night for Newberry. The technical fall made the score final at 46-0.
Newberry will return home for the squad's final dual of the season against Anderson on Wednesday, February 17. The first match is slated to begin in Eleazer Arena at 7:30.
No. 2 Newberry 46, Gardner-Webb 0
174- Curtis Chenoweth (NC) pin fall Tom Pennington (GWU), 4:53
184- Bryant Blanton (NC) tech fall Jonathan Velazquez (GWU), 15-0 (4:13)
197- Keeno Griffin (NC) tech fall Evan Rhodes (GWU), 15-0 (4:35)
HWT- Jake Elkins (NC) dec. Travis Porter (GWU), 3-2
125- Matt Oliver (NC) maj. dec. Marc Rocha (GWU), 11-0
133- Sheridan Moran (NC) tech fall Brett Kostern (GWU), 18-1 (7:00)
141- Deral Brown (NC) dec. Kurt Wentink (GWU), 8-3
149- Latra Collick (NC) maj. dec. Tim Burdine (GWU,) 12-2
157- Sean Byrnes (NC) pin fall Alex Medved (GWU), 2:05
165- Josh Whitelock (NC) tech fall Miguel Gordon (GWU), 15-0 (1:25)
