BELMONT, N.C. — Coming off of their opening tournament at the Southeast Open, the Wolves traveled to Belmont, North Carolina, to take on the Crusaders of Belmont Abbey. It would be a battle of top three teams in Super Region II and the Coastal Carolinas Conference as Newberry (2nd) would look to open the first dual of the season with a victory against the Crusaders (3rd).
The evening would get off to a rapid start as Dayton Fields (174 lbs; Seneca, Mo.) would secure a major decision victory in the first match by a score of 9-1. The 184 lb. match would go to the Crusaders, but the next two matches would result in Newberry victories. Devon Rice (285 lbs; Rock Hill, S.C.) and John Parker (197 lbs; Temecula, Calif.) would take care of their individual matches, with Rice winning by a decision 3-0 and Parker pinning his opponent at the 4:35 mark. The next six matches would alternate in results as both teams would take turns securing wins in the individual matchups, but with a close match, each bout would become more important as the night went on. Timothy Decatur (133 lbs; Goldsboro, N.C.) would just miss out on scoring a major decision victory with a 10-3 win, and Devan Moore (149 lbs; Baxley, Ga.) would miss the mark also with a 10-4 victory. With the score at 18-15 and holding on to the lead with the last match approaching, up stepped P.J. Wunderlich (165 lbs; Myrtle Beach, S.C.) with a chance to put the dual on ice, and he would deliver as he would pin his opponent at the 6:15 mark of the match and ensure the Wolves would open the season with a win by a score of 24-15.
In extra matches, Newberry would dominate the three that followed the dual as Chance Jackson (285 lbs; Georgetown, S.C.), Christian Decatur (125 lbs; Goldsboro, N.C.), and Des Marshall (184 lbs; St. Petersburg, Fla.) would come out as the victors in their bouts.
The Wolves will turn their attention to the Ohio Intercollegiate Open this Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio, at Case Western with the open scheduled to start at 10 AM.
NEWBERRY 24, Belmont Abbey 15 (the match would start at 174 lbs)
174: Dayton Fields (Newberry) over Kyler Picard (Belmont Abbey), MD 9-1
184: Amir Joseph (Belmont Abbey) over Armando Acosta (Newberry), Dec. 5-0
197: John Parker (Newberry) over Mason Kump (Belmont Abbey), Fall 4:35
285: Devon Rice (Newberry) over John Carroll III (Belmont Abbey), Dec. 3-0
125: Elijah Boyd (Belmont Abbey) over Zach Shupp (Newberry), Dec. 6-3
133: Timothy Decatur (Newberry) over Ben Fielding (Belmont Abbey), Dec. 10-3
141: John Carayiannis (Belmont Abbey) over Ernest Allen (Newberry), Fall 1:18
149: Devan Moore (Newberry) over Tyler Pepe (Belmont Abbey), Dec. 10-4
157: Maxwell Kiel (Belmont Abbey) over Nolan Wheeler (Newberry), Dec. 13-8
(Newberry loses a team point for unsportsmanlike conduct)
165: P.J. Wunderlich (Newberry) over Paul Jakub (Belmont Abbey), Fall 6:15
125 Extra: Christian Decatur (Newberry) over Gage Bomar (Belmont Abbey), Fall 2:43
184 Extra: Des Marshall (Newberry) over Colby Maxwell (Belmont Abbey), Dec. 10-8
285 Extra: Chance Jackson (Newberry) over Marcus Harnarain (Belmont Abbey), Fall 0:57
