NEWBERRY, S.C. - The Newberry College wrestling team capped one of the most successful campaigns in its history, with Bryant Blanton (Summerville, S.C.) winning a national championship at 184 lbs. and the squad finishing in the top 10 for the third straight year. Newberry finished with an 18-4 record and a host of accomplishments throughout a season punctuated with milestones, adding to the program's budding tradition.

Newberry began the season with several open tournaments, building experience for members of the scarlet and gray early in the year. The squad offered a glimpse of what was to come in 2009-2010 from the start, as Sheridan Moran (Lafayette, La.), Matt Oliver (Toms River, N.J.), Keeno Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Bryant Blanton placed at the Hokie Open. Newberry wrestlers then headed to the UNC Pembroke Wrestling Classic to make another impressive showing, placing 10 while Matt Oliver and Bryant Blanton won individual championships.

Newberry wrestlers traveled to one last tournament before the beginning the dual portion of their schedule, the Wolfpack Open at NC State. Bryant Blanton and Deral Brown (Elgin, S.C.) both placed at the Open for the scarlet and gray, marking five starters that placed in tournaments before the team headed back to Virginia for duals against Division I opponents Campbell and Virginia Tech. Newberry faced Campbell in the squad's first dual of the season. The scarlet and gray romped over the Camels, 37-7, before falling to then-No. 23 Virginia Tech, 27-9. Matt Oliver, Bryant Blanton and Keeno Griffin went 2-0 on the day against Campbell and a Hokies team that boasted four wrestlers ranked in the Intermat top 20 individual rankings.

The scarlet and gray returned to Newberry to host the third-annual Newberry Duals, where five teams descended on Newberry for an afternoon of duals on December 5. The scarlet and gray faced three foes on the day, including two ranked in the nation's top 20 in No. 3 Adams State and No. 19 Findlay. Newberry faced little difficulty in dispatching its opponents, knocking off Findlay, 36-7, dominating Adams State, 42-7, and topping Grand Canyon, 33-15.

The Newberry Duals gave the team some dual experience before the team traveled to Kent, Ohio, for a pair of contests against two strong Division I teams. Newberry first took on No. 15 Kent State, falling short, 32-9. Newberry did take two wins against the Golden Flashes with Matt Oliver coming out on top and Keeno Griffin winning with a 43-second pinfall. The squad next took on Michigan, finding more success with four wins and battling hard but ultimately coming up short, 22-13.

The Midwest Classic in Indianapolis, Ind., loomed for the scarlet and gray as their next test of the season. The scarlet and gray passed with flying colors, placing six wrestlers and winning two championships from Keeno Griffin and Bryant Blanton to secure second place.

One week later, Newberry set out for Cedar Falls, Iowa, to defend its NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Runner-up finish from the 2009-2010 season. The road wouldn't be easy, as the scarlet and gray faced four teams ranked in the top 20. Newberry first faced No. 19 Central Missouri and the squad dispatched the Mules with ease, advancing with a 43-3 pasting for the right to battle No. 8 Augustana.

Newberry would find itself in one of its toughest contests of the season against the Vikings. The score swung back and forth from the first match but Newberry would take advantage of late-match heroics in the upper weights and held on for a win, 18-15. The win would go down as the second-slimmest margin of victory in 2009-2010 and set up Newberry for a clash against No. 16 Gannon in the semifinals.

Again, Newberry battled with its opponent for most of the dual before taking control of the score for the win, 25-16. Wins from Curtis Chenoweth (Clearwater, Kan.), Bryant Blanton and Keeno Griffin captured the victory for Newberry.

Newberry squared off against the No. 1 team in the country and eventual national champions University of Nebraska Omaha in the National Duals finals. Unfortunately for the scarlet and gray, the day would not belong to Newberry as the squad fell short, 25-6. Despite the loss, Newberry finished with its second straight runner-up finish.

The scarlet and gray traveled to St. Andrews Presbyterian College for a tune-up on Jan. 15, 2010, before hosting the Super Region I Duals the following week. Newberry ran into no trouble at St. Andrews, blowing past the Knights for the team's first shutout of the season, a 46-0 blanking that included three falls and a technical fall.

Newberry returned home to host the Super Region I Duals for the first time in its history, inviting 11 schools from the Region for a weekend of duals. The squad opened its five-dual schedule with a 35-3 win over Shippensburg before facing rival and the nation's third-ranked team in the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. UPJ took a one-point lead after the 165 lbs. match, but a fall from Curtis Chenoweth gave Newberry three bonus points that the squad would use to keep the Mountain Cats at bay for an 18-16 win.

The morning of the second day saw Newberry knock off No. 15 Kutztown, 21-15, before powering past No. 12 West Liberty by a score of 25-9. Only Seton Hill stood in the way of an unbeaten weekend and a 5-0 Super Region I Duals record. The scarlet and gray had little trouble achieving the feat of a perfect weekend, dispatching the Griffins, 36-3.

Two canceled duals against Gannon and Mercyhurst after a snowstorm gave the scarlet and gray a week off from competition before the squad headed to UNC Pembroke for a dual against the Braves. Six Newberry wins including falls from Ernie Young (Baker County, Fla.) and Bryant Blanton powered Newberry to victory, 25-12.

Newberry reserves made an impressive showing on Feb. 6, at the Spartanburg Methodist Open. Five grapplers won titles and 25 Newberry wrestlers placed at the Open, with many wrestlers advancing or earning titles by toppling other members of the scarlet and gray.

Two home duals marked Newberry's next contests. The scarlet and gray faced Belmont Abbey and Limestone on February 9, giving Newberry a chance to strengthen its starting lineup with a little over two weeks before the Super Region I Tournament. The team had little trouble with either opponent, rolling past Belmont Abbey, 41-9, before knocking off Limestone, 25-10.
Newberry hosted the first-ever Newberry Open on Valentine's Day, giving fans an opportunity to see Newberry reserves in action and talent from 12 schools battle in an all-day tournament. Clint Spencer (Carthage, Mo.), Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.), Josh Tuck (Rock Hill, S.C.) and Jake Elkins (Trussville, Ala.) powered their way through the field for individual championships and 19 wrestlers placed for the scarlet and gray.

A road dual against Gardner-Webb and a home contest against Anderson stood as the rest of Newberry's dual schedule. The scarlet and gray erased the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs, 46-0, for Newberry's second shutout of the season. The team followed the win up with another, a 31-12 victory over Anderson to cap a perfect 11-0 run through Super Region I competition for the second straight year. The last time Newberry lost to a Super Region I opponent was a 23-15 loss to West Liberty on Jan. 26, 2008.

Newberry then headed to Johnstown, Pa., looking for its third straight Super Region I Tournament title. The goal looked well within reach after the first day of the tournament, as all wrestlers advanced to the second day. The team took advantage of a championship from Keeno Griffin at 197 lbs., and six other placewinners to win its third-straight Super Region I Tournament championship by 16.5 points over second-place Gannon. Griffin qualified for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships for the fourth straight time, along with Latra Collick, who finished as runner-up at 149 lbs. Other qualifiers included Matt Oliver, who finished third at 125 lbs., Sheridan Moran, who finished third at 133 lbs., Sean Byrnes (Jackson, N.J.), who finished as runner-up at 157 lbs., Curtis Chenonweth, who finished fourth at 174 lbs., and Bryant Blanton, who finished third at 184 lbs. Josh Whitelock (Rhodesdale, Md.) and Jake Elkins also placed in the top six but did not qualify.

Two weeks later, the seven Newberry qualifiers boarded a plane bound for Omaha, Neb., for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships on March 12 and 13. The tournament began with Newberry advancing four to the national quarterfinals and claiming three All-Americans on the first day, with Sheridan Moran, Bryant Blanton and Keeno Griffin earning All-American honors.

After Sheridan Moran and Keeno Griffin both finished fourth place in the third session of the tournament, Bryant Blanton booked a trip to the championship finals with a match against Shane Mallory of East Stroudsburg. A 1-1 tie through regulation sent the two grapplers to overtime, but a Bryant Blanton escape in the first tiebreaker gave the Newberry junior a 2-1 and the program its third-ever NCAA national championship.

The win put Newberry in a finishing position of a tie for eighth place with Gannon with 46 team points, marking the third straight year Newberry has finished in the top 10 at the national tournament.
Blanton ended the year with a record of 41-8, a win total that falls only one win shy of Cy Wainwright's single-season best mark of 42 in 2008-2009. Blanton also set the single season record for falls (17) and the career fall mark (44) this season.

Griffin leaves Newberry as one of the school's most accomplished athletes. Second all-time in wins with 120, Griffin ended the year as Newberry's first three-time All-American and a four-time national qualifier. Griffin also holds the Newberry records for fifth-most wins in a season (33, set this year and last year), fourth-most major decisions in a season (eight, set in 2008-2009), fifth-most career falls (17), and seventh-most career major decisions (12).

Latra Collick ended the season with a 32-13 record, marking the sixth-best win total in a single season in Newberry history. The program's second four-time national qualifier also ended his Newberry career with the fourth-most career falls, with 22, and the fourth-most career wins, with 97.

Matt Oliver finished the season with a record of 27-8 and will have a chance to improve on his sixth-place standing in career wins, with 88.

Sheridan Moran tied the tenth-best single-season win total in Newberry history with 30 in 2009-2010. Moran will also leave Newberry tied for third in career major decisions, with 14, and fourth-most major decisions in a season, with eight.

Curtis Chenoweth ended the season at 30-15, tying him for the eighth-best single-season win total in Newberry history.